DURANGO, Colo. — The new era of Fort Lewis College athletics began at 10 a.m. this morning in the Student Union Vallecito Room as the college unveiled its new primary and secondary Skyhawk logos before a packed house of student-athletes, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.
The new Skyhawk logos were designed by Dan Price, president of Adrenalin, Inc., a national leader in logo design and branding that has helped create logos for organizations like the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, Altitude Sports and Entertainment Network, and Invesco Field at Mile High. Before starting Adrenalin, Price also helped create logos for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.
“We very much enjoyed the working relationship with Adrenalin,” said FLC Director of Athletics
Gary Hunter. “They are a proven leader in the athletic industry and their reputation is well deserved. Dan was able to capture the history of Fort Lewis College, our Sacred Trust with Native Americans, and the energy built by the college's recent academic and athletic successes.
“We felt that our logo of the past decade was a bit corporate-looking and dated for an athletic department image,” added Hunter. “We wanted something that was more vibrant and aggressive.”
Fort Lewis College's Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Carol Smith described some of the highlights of the new logo.
“The new Fort Lewis College athletic logo tells the story of who we are, where we came from, and what we believe in,” she said. “The 'C' within the eye of the Skyhawk celebrates Colorado. We are proud to be Colorado's public liberal arts college.
“The mountains on top of the logo represent the mountains that surround the Fort Lewis College campus,” she added. “These peaks inspire all who call Fort Lewis home to reach higher and dream bigger.
“The feathers which make up the Skyhawk recall the history of Fort Lewis College, which traces its beginnings to a federal Indian boarding school, and today is a leader in Native American higher education,” she added.
Fort Lewis adopted the Skyhawk nickname and mascot in 1994. During its first three-plus decades as a baccalaureate-degree granting college, FLC teams competed as the Raiders. During Fort Lewis A&M College's junior college era from 1929-62, Beavers (1929-33) and Aggies (1933-62) were the nicknames.
The school's color scheme changed from green and gold to blue and gold in the middle 1960s, shortly after the Raiders nickname was adopted. FLC's official colors became navy, gold, and light blue in 2001 with the adoption of the new college and Skyhawk logos.
Skyhawk teams are poised to build upon their legacy of athletic and academic excellence that they've achieved in recent years. The Skyhawks boast three NCAA Division II national championships (men's soccer in 2005, 2009, and 2011), three NCAA-II national runner-up finishes (1999 and 2006 in men's soccer, 2010 in women's basketball), 19 USA Cycling national championships, 37 NCAA-II postseason appearances, 30
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championships, and 24 RMAC post-season titles.
“We've had a proud and rich heritage and the new logo incorporates elements of all eras of the college's history,” said Hunter.
In addition to the primary logo, a cartoon Skyhawk targeting youth and students was introduced today. A new font to be used on jerseys, team equipment, apparel and other souvenirs was also unveiled.
The brand-new Skyhawk logos will be rolled out over the next few years to allow teams and staff to use up old stationary, budget for new uniforms and equipment, and make changes to facilities.
New Skyhawk merchandise is already available at the college bookstore.
