The following appeared in "John Carroll University: A Century Of Service", written by Donald P. Gavin and published in 1985
 

The name "Saints" was used in reference to St. Ignatius College athletic teams from the earliest days. Occasionally, the teams might be refereed to as the "Blue and Gold" or in later years as the "Irish," which indicated more of a Catholic than an ethnic association. The name Cleveland University and its replacement John Carroll University in September of 1923 made continued use of "Saints" inappropriate.

The 1924 season was hardly underway when the sports editor of The Ignatian complained that other colleges had nicknames for their teams: Marquette had its "Golden Avalanche," Yale its "Bulldogs," and Centre College its "Praying Colonels." The best Carroll could do was come up with "Fighting Irish" ... and that was already preempted by Notre Dame. The editor wondered whether among the Carroll students someone could be found to come up with a name showing originality and suitability for Carroll teams.

The person generally credited with christening the team with the new name, "Blue Streak," is Raymond Gibbons '24, who followed the team on the practice field after his graduation, despite a serious illness, as long as he was able and had someone bring him to the practice sessions. On one of these occasions, he is said to have remarked about the blue-jerseyed warriors, "They're tearing around like a blue streak." At his death in October 1925, the Carroll News referred to him as "one of the most ardent followers of Carroll's teams and since his graduation he has kept up his interest in the Blue Streak eleven that he so aptly christened, attending every game he possibly could."

The name "Bue Streak" stuck; but its use in the public press was gradual. The Cleveland News, for which Gibbons was still a sports writer, was naturally the first paper to use it; others followed somewhat later. At the end of October 1924, even the Cleveland News was still referring to the team as the "Irish." In a story on November 6th preceding the Detroit game, Gibbons said that on "Saturday, Carroll hopes to emulate Wesleyan's example of beating Detroit. If the 'blue streak can turn the trick', the local eleven will take its place among the elect football combinations of the Buckeye State."

By the end of November, the name was appearing in headlines; "Flyers Upset Streak." It was interesting to note that its early use is always in the singular; not until the 1930's does it become the plural "Blue Streaks."