Knightees (Queens College women’s teams)

Queens College calls its men’s athletic teams the “Knights.” In the 1970s, the women’s athletic teams were called the “Knightees.”
 
The “Knightee” (“nightie”) joke couldn’t survive political correctness; by the 1980s, the nickname was changed to “Lady Knights.”
 
 
Queens College Women’s Basketball
Notes: 
. Queen’s College’s first women’s basketball team was in 1947-48.
. The popular nickname for this team was the “Knightees” for most of the 1970’s. Queens College was a center for the women’s movement and all used this name for the popular team. In the latter, waning years in this golden age for QC women’s basketball, correctness kicked in and they became called the Lady Knights.
 
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Main Entry: night·ie
Pronunciation: \ˈnī-tē\
Variant(s): or nighty
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural night·ies
Etymology: nightgown + -ie
Date: 1871
: a nightgown for a woman or child
     
25 March 1973, New York (NY) Times, pg. 258:
Immaculata (Pa.) College repeated as the women’s national college basketball champion by defeating Queens College, 59-52, at Queens yesterday.
 
On the strength of Theresa Shank’s accurate shooting, the Macs jumped to a 12-2 lead and were never caught. The Knightees pulled within 3 points early in the second quarter, but Miss Shank’s two quick field goals put Immaculata comfortably in command.
 
8 October 1974, Salisbury (MD) Daily Times, pg. C6, col. 5:
The Queens College (New York) men’s basketball team is called the Knights. The women’s team is called the Knightees.
 
2 November 1975, New York (NY) Times, pg. 255:
In the last seven seasons, with Miss Kyvallos as coach, the Queens Knightees have compiled a 121-24 won-lost record.
 
28 December 1980, New York (NY) Times, pg. S4:
Sheila Horak scored 25 points to lead Queens College to a 90-68 victory over Temple last night in the Lady Knights’ holiday basketball tournament.