From Ickey to Joe Shiesty: The best Bengals nicknames in franchise history 🐅
Nothing spices up a broadcast, sells T-shirts or lives on in obscurity quite like NFL player nicknames.
And over the years, Bengals players have held some memorable monikers to say the least.
Whether embraced at a young age, developed during playing days or self-imposed and legally adopted as a surname, many nicknames of former and current Bengals have consumed their identities and withheld the test of time.
Here is a look at some of the best nicknames of players in Bengals franchise history.
Elbert Woods
Nickname: Ickey.
Bengals career: 1988-1991.
Origin: The sign of a good nickname is when the name is adopted so universally that it almost becomes a replacement of a first name. As is the case of the man born Elbert, but famously known as Ickey Woods. The nickname started long before Woods' playing career with the Bengals – one that was short-lived due to a knee injury – but memorable considering Woods still holds 30 franchise records.
Woods' nickname came when his younger brother attempted to pronounce Elbert, but the sound came out more like "eee-eee." The sound reminded family members of a cartoon character named Ickey. The nickname not only stuck for Woods, but paved the way for one of the most iconic touchdown celebrations in NFL history, the Ickey Shuffle.
Andy Dalton
Nickname: The Red Rifle.
Bengals career: 2011-2019.
Origin: It's not hard to trace how Dalton's nickname started. He has red hair and he throws footballs like a rifle shoots bullets. It's a little harder, however, to pin down exactly when the name gained steam, though the name appears to have started sometime in college when the quarterback played at Texas Christian University. It gained more traction when Dalton was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2011 draft. Dalton was lukewarm to the name at first, telling NFL Total Access, "It’s alright. It seems like everybody is going to find a nickname with red or something for my hair. So, the Red Rifle is alright."
Jack Thompson
Nickname: The Throwin' Samoan.
Bengals career: 1979-1982.
Origin: Combining his position as a quarterback with his proud Samoan heritage, Thompson's nickname stuck during his college days and is one he later said he is proud of. The quarterback earned the nickname after he threw for 7,818 yards as a quarterback at Washington State University. He was drafted fourth overall by the Bengals in 1979 where he played for four years, but the 6-foot-3 quarterback had a short NFL career.
In 2008, Thompson was listed as one of ESPN's 50 NFL Draft busts. In 2020, when another Samoan quarterback, Dolphins gunslinger Tua Tagovailoa, began to be called by the same nickname as Thompson, the original Throwin' Samoan told the youngster to "do us proud," but jokingly added that he should get his own nickname.
“I say, ‘Wait a minute. There’s only one. I had that nickname before you were born,’” Thompson said in an interview with the Palm Beach Post.
Adam Jones
Nickname: Pacman.
Bengals career: 2010-2017.
Origin: Known for his impressive play on the football field, and equally for his legal troubles off of it, Jones' nickname started as a young kid, when his mother said he would go at a bottle of milk like the character Pac-Man does to his snack pellets in the famous video game. The name stuck.
During his time at West Virginia to his tenure with the Titans after being drafted No. 6 overall in 2005 to his often troubled days in Cincinnati, Jones' nickname held a life of its own and distinguished the football player from an otherwise common name. Jones made two Pro Bowl appearances during his time with the Bengals.
Norman Julius Esiason
Nickname: Boomer.
Bengals career: 1984-1992, 1997.
Origin: Esiason is another case in which a youngster receives a nickname that just seems to fit so well, it essentially replaces their first name for a lifetime. But in this case, Esiason had a sobriquet lined up before he was even born. According to the New York Times, Esiason's mother nicknamed him Boomer because he kicked so much while he was in the womb. Norman became Boomer and the nickname later became a phenomenon while the East Islip, New York-born kid ascended into an NFL quarterback who made seven Pro Bowls and earned a most valuable player award and appeared in a Super Bowl. The nickname has held on during Esiason's successful career as an analyst with CBS.
Chad Johnson
Nickname: Ochocinco.
Bengals career: 2001-2010.
Origin: Many players will adopt a nickname and run with it. Few will actually legally change their name as Johnson did. What started as a nickname quickly became more. Johnson said during Hispanic Heritage month in 2006 that he desired to change his birth name to Ochocinco as a way to honor the Spanish version of the number, even though the proper Spanish word for 85 is ochenta y cinco.
Johnson famously wore a velcro nameplate over his last name on the back of his jersey during a game, which led teammate Carson Palmer to furiously rip it off. He was then fined $5,000 for the stunt. Johnson went a step further and legally changed his last name to Ochocinco in 2008 so it would appear on the back of his jersey. He changed his name back to Johnson in 2012, citing his marriage to Evelyn Lozada as the reason.
Joe Burrow
Nickname(s): Joe Shiesty, Joe Cool, Joey Franchise, Joe Brrr, Jackpot Joey, Joe Chill, Smokin' Joe, Joey B.
Bengals career: 2020-present.
Origin: Keeping track of Burrow's nicknames is almost as hard as defending his aerial attack on Sundays. But in just two seasons with the Bengals, the young superstar – who has the Bengals back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 – has already accumulated a stockpile of monikers. While the nicknames mostly just acronymize Burrow's name, they also pay homage to his calm, cool, collective demeanor facing heavy pressure in the pocket. They also recognize Burrow's swanky and unique fashion sense and paint him as an affable, refreshing celebrity off the field.
Jeff Blake
Nickname: Shake-N-Blake.
Bengals career: 1994-1999.
Origin: More than a nickname, Shake-N-Blake represents a phenomenon. The Bengals were 0-7 in 1994 when coach David Shula found himself turning to third-string quarterback Jeff Blake after injuries to David Klingler and Donald Hollas. With the team sputtering, Blake registered an impressive performance against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, throwing a 67-yard touchdown on his first completion. The Bengals lost the game, but Blake's celebrity exploded. His jerseys began to sell off the racks, and "Shake-N-Blake" T-shirts, a play on both his name and ability to shake away from defenders, became a big hit. Blake spent five seasons with the Bengals.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Nickname: The Law Firm.
Bengals career: 2012-2013.
Origin: A clever play on his long, hyphenated name, which reads like a mega corporate law firm, Green-Ellis's nickname consistently lands him a place on best NFL nicknames lists. Adding to the fun of the nickname, Green-Ellis contemplated going to law school while at Ole Miss, according to his mother. The name appears to have been started by fans simply noticing the likeness of a law firm title. And Green-Ellis quickly embraced the nickname. The running back, who didn't fumble until five years into his career, spent two seasons with the Bengals.
Dan Wilkinson
Nickname: Big Daddy.
Bengals career: 1994-1997.
Origin: A one-man wrecking crew out of Ohio State, Wilkinson was drafted No. 1 overall by the Bengals in the 1994 draft. Before he was drafted, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with "Big Daddy" in big bold letters. Unfortunately for the Bengals, the unanimous No. 1 pick that season didn't pan out once he actually stepped foot on NFL fields. Wilkinson lasted just four seasons in Cincinnati and is consistently featured on top draft bust lists. But at 6-foot-4, 340 pounds, Wilkinson's nickname is fitting.
Evan McPherson
Nickname(s): Money Mac, Shooter McPherson, Kickpherson, Legatron.
Bengals career: 2021-present.
Origin: The quickest way for an NFL kicker to win over the heart of a fanbase is to simply hit clutch kicks. And over the past few months, the rookie McPherson has delivered and then some. Hitting two game-winners in the playoffs doesn't even begin to tell the full story of McPherson, who while ascending to stardom in Cincinnati has earned himself a slew of nicknames, and sold out his jerseys in the process. Whether it's Money Mac, Kickpherson, Legatron or Shooter McPherson, the names, which have all been coined over the last few months, speak to two things: the rookie's last name and his ability to hit big kicks.
Ken Riley
Nickname: The Rattler.
Bengals career: 1969-1983.
Origin: Riley's nickname, given to him during his rookie year with the Bengals, was a simple nod to his college football team, the Florida A&M Rattlers. But more than that, it reflected his reputation as a great teammate. Riley was drafted in 1969 and played in the Super Bowl following the 1981 season, which included the iconic "Freezer Bowl" AFC Championship game. The Rattler was inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor in 2021, one year after he died.
Cris Collinsworth
Nickname: Cadillac.
Bengals career: 1981-1988.
Origin: Calling it the "best worst nickname of all time," Collinsworth, a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Bengals, said in a podcast with Barstool Sports' Joey Mulinaro that his nickname started in college at the University of Florida.
"I went in, my freshman year, to try on helmets, and I went through about four or five different helmets and none of them would fit right," Collinsworth said. He then recalled a teammate coming in behind him telling him to hurry up because they would never find a helmet to fit that "big ole Cadillac head of yours."
The name stuck in college. And though it isn't a widely known nickname, Collinsworth said the crew for his job at NBC Sports often still call him "Cadillac." And you might have caught him in several Camargo Cadillac commercials over the years, too. That surely helped with the nickname's staying power.
Lemar Parrish
Nickname: Leapin' Lemar.
Bengals career: 1970-1977.
Origin: Though there isn't much known about how Parrish became known as "Leapin' Lemar," it's not a stretch to surmise it's because of his athleticism. Drafted by the Bengals in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL draft, Parrish went on to record 47 interceptions in his career, six Pro Bowl selections and 13 touchdowns as a return specialist. While Parrish's stats speak for themselves, Leapin' Lemar also doesn't lack any confidence.
"I'm first-team everything," he said in a Bengals.com story. "I think I'm the best defensive back that ever left the Bengals."
Bonus: The Cincinnati Bungles
While players can earn nicknames, so too can organizations. And through years of misery, the Bengals earned themselves a nickname of all nicknames to commemorate the franchise's mediocrity. The Bungles.
A Super Bowl victory would go a long way in changing that reputation
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The best Cincinnati Bengals player nicknames of all time
