Oregon State and Oregon announced Friday that they will no longer use the term “Civil War” in connection with their sports rivalry games.

The annual football game between the Ducks and Beavers has been referred to as the Civil War for nearly 90 years, and more recently, games in other sports involving the two schools.

In a statement released by OSU, president Ed Ray said the universities agreed to drop the name as it has a connection to a war fought to preserve slavery.

“Changing this name is overdue,” Ray said. “While not intended as reference to the actual Civil War, OSU sports competition should not provide any misconstrued reference to this divisive episode in American history. That we did not act before to change the name was a mistake.”

Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said former Duck quarterback Dennis Dixon was at the forefront of requesting a change in the Civil War name.

“We must all recognize the power of words and symbolism associated with the Civil War,” Mullens said in a statement.

Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in recent years that numerous athletes, alums and boosters have questioned the term Civil War in relation to the rivalry. Friday’s announcement came after several meetings with OSU’s student-athlete advisory committee regarding the term Civil War.

Barnes said there will be a process between Oregon and Oregon State to consider another moniker for the rivalry. The OSU-Oregon football series began in 1894. Last November marked the 123rd game between the Ducks and Beavers, the fifth-most contested series among FBS schools. Oregon State and Oregon have played 354 men’s basketball games, the most of any NCAA series.

According to an Oregon State spokesperson, there are no permanent banners or symbols regarding the Civil War game on campus. The annual football game does not have a trophy.

The 1929 Oregon State College-Oregon game was thought to be the first time the term “Civil War” was used. But according to Oregon State archives, the first time “Civil War” was mentioned in regard to an OSU-Oregon athletic event was its 1932 yearbook. The Civil War name took off in the 1930s when former Oregonian columnist L.H. Gregory used to refer to the OSU-Oregon game as “the great Civil War.”

Oregon State and Oregon are in the market for a new nickname for their game in team sports competition now that “Civil War” has been retired.

The two schools agreed Friday not to refer to the OSU-Oregon game as Civil War because of its connection to a war fought over slavery.

As soon as news broke, people had their opinions on a new nickname. Some were obvious:

The Rain Game

Willamette War

Platypus Bowl

Lane-Benton Clash

Timber Bowl

Toilet Bowl

Cannabis Clash

Hey, that last one might actually work.

It’s going to be a while until minds at Oregon and Oregon State come up with a new moniker for Oregon State-Oregon football, basketball, baseball and other team sport games. All we can do now is offer suggestions, and what better place to start than social media?

— The Oregonian