the "miamis" name was in reference to the miami people, a native-american tribe that inhabited parts of indiana, michigan and western ohio, while the johnnies name holds various meanings. the name be traced to three civil war references. the first being john hunt morgan, a confederate general who raided southern indiana in 1863. the second reference for soldiers in the union army, termed "johnnies", after the song, "when johnny comes marching home". then the third reference to confederate soldiers known as "johnny rebs". however the name can also be a reference to the team's manager from 1909-1911, john lawrence "larry" "johnny" strands. meanwhile the "indians" moniker was a spin-off of the miami indian name from the 1908 team.