It's never explicitly spelled out why Bull Meechum's chosen to adopt the moniker "The Great Santini." But the name itself conjures up images of an old-fashioned stage magician or circus acrobat. Such performers often used exotic sounding names to give themselves and their acts an air of mystery. Bull's a highly skilled fighter pilot whose feats of bravery in the skies are legendary. There's something almost magical about the way he flies his fighter jet; he's almost like one of those stunt flyers you see at air shows. Exactly why Bull Meechum calls himself "The Great Santini," we will never know. But there's no doubt that it seems highly appropriate for someone whose incredible skills as a fighter pilot draw comparison with those of a daredevil performer.

Pat Conroy's novel about racism in the South and a warrior without a war, The Great Santini tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meecham--a first class fighter pilot who has virtually no skills as a father. The reader discovers that Col. Meecham has received the nickname "Bull" because of his bulldog tenacity, but Conroy never explains how Meecham acquires "The Great Santini" moniker. The father gives himself the nickname, but there is no reason or explanation ever given. Conroy supposedly based the character on his own father.

The novel was made into an outstanding film of the same name starring Robert Duvall (as "Bull" Meecham), who received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor.