COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce leadership announced today the University's athletics teams will now be known as the Bois d'Arcs.
 
After over a century of athletics teams going by "Lions", the University has decided to transfer the name to a more local representation. At the last count, there are no Lions alive in Hunt County.
 
The Bois d'Arc (pronounced bow-dark) tree is known for its toughness, and is a feature of Commerce lore. Many older homes in the area use bois d'arc stumps as foundation posts, and the tree has long been known as the best wood for making archery bows and fence posts. The local Chamber of Commerce hosts the Bois d'Arc Bash each fall.
 
"The bois d'arc is known for its flexibility, toughness, and longevity," said University President Dr. Mark Rudin. "These are all features we hope to see in our students and athletes, which makes this the perfect nickname for our teams."
 
The bois d'arc also produces a distinctive fruit with ridges, commonly known as a horse apple. As such, the new mascot representation shall be a bois d'arc fruit. In keeping with naming consistency, the mascot will be known as "Bumpy" – a similar name to the previous mascot "Lucky."
 
"Many fans may have noticed the planting of trees in Memorial Stadium prior to the 2018 football season," said A&M-Commerce director of athletics Tim McMurray. "While those are not specifically bois d'arc trees, we had caught wind of the move to a more tree-based mascot, and had prepared by putting more trees in our facilities."
 
This is – of course – nothing more than an April Fool's Day joke, but we appreciate you reading this far.