Unusual Nicknames: West Plains (Missouri) Zizzers

The origins of the West Plains High School Zizzers mascot are wrapped in legend, but one story has endured for more than a century.

According to the school district, the nickname traces back to 1907, when the senior class created an eight-page booklet as a surprise for juniors on Class Day. The gesture was such a hit that the juniors produced their own edition the following year.

When the 1908 volume was shown to faculty member Phoebe Davidson, she reportedly exclaimed, “Oh, what a Zizzer!” At the time, “zizzer” was a colloquial term used to describe something flashy or remarkable.

The spontaneous remark stuck. The word appeared on the cover of the 1908 edition of the school’s annual collection of essays and class photographs, what would later become known as a yearbook, and it never disappeared. Over time, “Zizzers” grew into a point of pride for the school, community and state.

Today, West Plains has embraced its own definition of the term: “Zizzer (ZIZ-er), noun — an expert in any activity; a person of the highest caliber, ability or reputation; one who is victorious — a winner. To be a Zizzer means striving to be the best at whatever you do.”

On fall Friday nights and during winter gymnasium showdowns, a lightning bolt-shaped mascot charges the sidelines, firing up the crowd.

No other high school in the country can claim the Zizzers — a name born from a single exclamation that still crackles with energy today.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.