 As the University of Maryland, the teams became known as "The Old Liners" in reference to the state nickname.During the 1923 season, "The New York Times" referred to Maryland as the Orioles, after a bird species endemic to the region that was already the namesake for several baseball teams.In 1932, Curley Byrd suggested that the namesake become the diamondback terrapin ("Malaclemys terrapin"), a species of land-dwelling turtle common throughout the state, particularly the Chesapeake Bay area where Dr. Byrd spent his early life.