Here’s why Colorado State’s football helmet logo might look familiar to the UNC crowd
North Carolina’s Ram’s Head athletic logo is one of the school’s most iconic: the ram’s defiant frown, the glaring eyes, “UNC” on the sailor’s cap.
But the Tar Heels aren’t alone. Put “CSU” on the cap and change the color scheme and you have the emblem the Colorado State University Rams are using on their football helmets and on other sports merchandise.
Same ram’s head, same look, same cap. It will be on the Colorado State helmets when the Rams host Vanderbilt in the school’s annual Ag Day game at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.
A problem? UNC had no issue with it and did not contact CSU about it, UNC associate athletic director Robbi Pickeral Evans said Friday.
Colorado State’s primary sports logo has a different look — a straight-on front view of a ram’s head with the curling horns that’s a registered trademark. But the side shot of the “angry ram” is a CSU throwback look.
Kyle Neaves, CSU’s associate athletic director for communications, tweeted in late July about the use of the “angry ram” logo for the Vanderbilt game photo and tweeted the cover of the Rams’ 1966 football guide — the ram logo in the top right corner.
Neaves said Friday the “angry ram” logo came from what CSU calls its “Vault” collection, which includes licensed vintage marks. He said there were no plans to continue using it on helmets or merchandise after this week’s game.
UNC used the ram’s head logo on football guides in the ‘60s with a different twist: a light-blue football helmet replaced the sailor’s cap. But the “angry ram” remains a trademark logo.
Having a ram as the school’s sports mascot dates back to the 1920s, according to UNC’s athletics website. Fullback Jack Merritt was nicknamed the “battering ram” and a ram seemed fitting enough as a mascot. Soon, Rameses the First was at football games.
Colorado State was once Colorado Agricultural College and its sports teams called the Aggies and then Aggie Rams until the 1950s, when Rams was adopted. The football program dates to 1893 and the Ag Day football tradition salutes that part of the athletic past.
This year, with a different logo.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
