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Daddy, what's a Hoosier?

No one really knows the origin of Hoosier, perhaps the most well-known state nickname. And it's unlikely anyone ever will discover the truth. But the theories are entertaining, though sometimes implausible. Here are some from a 1992 Indiana Alumni Magazine article:

In 1825, a contractor named either Samuel Hoosier or Hoosher had workers building a canal on the Ohio River. Most were from Indiana and were called "Hoosier's men" or "Hoosiers."

Fearful settlers were startled by a knock on their cabin door, responding: '"Who's here?" The call over time degenerated into Hoosier.

Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley related the term to the roughness and ferocity of the state's early residents. Indiana pioneers fought so violently, he contended, that noses were bitten off and eyes jabbed out. Riley said "Hoosier" comes from a question posed by a southern Indiana tavern patron who saw a piece of human flesh on the floor: "Who's ear?"

The term may derive from "hoozer" -- a word that in the Cumberland dialect of Old England means "high hills."

Even as others use it derisively (remember, Hoosier daddy?), most Hoosiers carry the name with pride and enjoy its aura of mystery. In a letter to the Wall Street Journal in 1987 when Indiana last won the national title, then-Gov. Robert Orr wrote:

"Those unfortunate souls who, for some reason, live elsewhere may continue to speculate as to the origin of our name; and we Hoosiers will continue to enjoy their doing so."

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