Despite nationwide media coverage and a petition that went viral, the Toledo suburb of Oregon OH will not change its name ahead of next Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game (CFPNCG). That game, which will take place during the evening of the 12th, will feature the Buckeyes of Ohio State squaring off against the Ducks of Oregon. And Oregon (OH) resident Matt Squibb made headlines over the weekend when he started a Change.org petition asking that Oregon change its name, temporarily, so that the town’s allegiance to the Buckeyes would not be questioned. Squibb’s rationale:
I grew up in Oregon, Ohio and love the city, but for the day of the “Big Game” I am asking the city council to make a proclamation to change the name of the city for one day. Call it Buckeye Town, Ohio City, Brutusville, whatever, you get the point. Let’s not leave anything to chance here! Change the name and support the Buckeyes! I am not a huge Buckeye fan but I feel this game is important to a lot of people I know and many of those people are superstitious, so lets make this happen people! I know it would mean a lot to my friend Trisha, Chuck, and my Dad.
As of right now, at this exact moment, the petition has just a tick over 2,000 signatures. When you consider that the entire town of Oregon has just a tick over 20,000 people, that’s actually a pretty good return on investment for the Squibbster.
Unfortunately for the Squbbinator, though, city officials put the kibosh on the idea despite originally stating that they would announce a name change today. Oregon (OH) mayor Mike Seferian pointed out that his town got its name before Oregon was even a state, and that the name refers to “an association back in the 1800s. The people here were trying to get a business transaction going with the Oregon territory as well as the state of Oregon, and it’s pronounced the same. Their accent might be different out there, but the name came from the same spot.”
Instead, the city will declare an official Buckeye Week, from now until the CFPNCG. Which is nice, but makes them no different from the rest of the football-crazy Buckeye state.
For the record, there is a city of Toledo in Oregon, about an hour and a half away from the Ducks’ campus in Eugene. No word yet on whether that Toledo plans to change its name to Duckland for the week–it’s your move, mayor Billie Jo Smith.
(Photo credits: CFP; WENN)
