They're "lifting it" from the state nickname.
Good luck finding any decent name that hasn't been taken, especially if you are going to include high schools.
I'm guessing mainly a star is bright and iirc made up of gases similar to the sun (I just remembered the sun is a star). Sure you can have green stars and sun's.
Red Hawks
Green Hawks
Black Hawks
Blue stars
Black stars
Purple stars
Any things possible.
Same thing I said before.
If you dont like Roughriders as a state nickname. I suggest you write your congressman and have it removed from the list of nicknames (among the states website).
If you don't care fine. We know its not the official. You only get one of those. Every state has an official name. And about five other nicknames.
We like to think of Roughriders as Teddy. But the main definition of Roughriders is:
a person who breaks in or can ride unbroken horses.
Pretty fitting in North Dakota.
Does it have less meaning if its unofficial state nickname to you. Or if a new more legislators at the time voted "yes."
It is indeed one of North Dakotas nicknames. Plain & Simple.
Funny you mention:
"McDonald and Bridewell both approved a form of "Sundogs" and said it was unique to the region."
"It would be marketable," McDonald said. "It would help to identify us at national level."