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Logo of a pro football team that plays in the West Division of the Canadian League, the Edmonton Elks. Known as the Eskimos until 2021 when they changed the name, the team was founded in 1949. They have won 14 Grey Cups (CFL equivalent of the Super Bowl) over the years, the most recent in 2015. Notable Edmonton players from their past include Johnny Bright, Henry “Gizmo” Williams, Dave Cutler, Tommy Joe Coffey and Warren Moon. Their list of past coaches is impressive – Frankie Filchock, Pop Ivy, Darrell Royal, Kay Stephenson and Ron Lancaster.

Former logo of a college football team that plays in the Mid-American Conference, the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Yes, the logo says Hurons, and that was the team name until the school changed it to Eagles in 1991. The name change has stayed controversial to this day, with school alumni refusing to make contributions until it is changed back. The groups wanting the Huron name restored include a few Native American ones. Anyway, the team has won 10 conference titles over the years and boasts an impressive list of players who have gone on to play pro ball, including Charlie Batch, John Banaszak, Kevin Walter, Chuck Shonta, Clarence Chapman, Jason Jones, T.J. Lang, Jim Pietrzak, L.J. Shelton and Dave Pureifory, and also Hall of Fame coach George Allen.

Logo of a Division II college football team that plays in the Mountain East Conference, the West Liberty Hilltoppers. Based in West Virginia, the school joined the conference in 2012 after playing in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as a founding member since 1924. Despite their small college stature, the school has sent a couple of players on to the NFL – Mark Murphy and Lou Piccone.

Used from 1974 until 1992, this is the logo of a college football team that plays in the Sun Belt Conference, the Troy State University Trojans. The program began play in 1909 and has won 3 small college national championships, 23 conference titles and 6 bowl games. Former Trojans who have enjoyed pro careers include Demarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora, Mario Addison, Lawrence Tynes, Willie Tullis, Steve McClendon, Leodis McKelvin, Sherrod Martin and Elbert Mack.

Logo of a pro football team that played in the old World Football League, the Portland Thunder. The team began play in 1974 as the Portland Storm, but changed their name in ’75, their only year with that name. The league only made it through half a season in ’75 before folding. Hall of Fame tackle Ron Mix was the club’s general manager, and they were coached by Dick Coury, a former Denver Bronco assistant. One standout player for the team was running back Rufus “Roadrunner” Ferguson, while the short-lived franchise also had a couple of aging former AFL veterans on the roster – QB Pete Beathard and DE Ben Davidson.

Logo of a football team that plays in the new spring league, the United Football League, the Michigan Panthers. The team comes over from the newest version of the USFL, which merged into Duane “The Rock” Johnson’s new version. The logo is a slight modernization of the Panthers’ logo from the original USFL of the 1980s. Some current Panther players are QBs E.J. Perry and Danny Etling, WR Marcus Simms and RB Wes Hills.

Logo of an FCS level college football team that plays in the Big South Conference, the Kennesaw State University Owls. A fairly new program that came into existence in 2015, the school has won 3 conference titles and made 4 playoff appearances. The first game they ever played in the fall of 2015 was a rousing success, as they hammered East Tennessee State 56-16. In 2023, defensive lineman Travis Bell became the first Owl to be drafted by the NFL when the Chicago Bears took him in the seventh round.

Logo of a small college football team that plays at the Division II level in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the Missouri Southern State University Lions. Located in Joplin, Missouri the program came into existence in 1968 and they’ve won 2 conference titles and a small college national championship in 1972. Former Lions who have gone on to play pro football include Rod Smith, James Thrash, Richard Jordan, Allen Barbre, Brandon Williams and Terry Joyce.

Logo of a small college football team that plays in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the Missouri Western State University Griffons. The gridiron program began play in 1970 and they play their home games at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph, Missouri, and have won 2 conference titles over the years. Former Griffons who have played pro football include Greg Zuerlein, Jonathan Owens, David Bass and Mike Jordan.

Not a team logo, but a logo of a defunct college bowl game, the Bluebonnet Bowl. It was played in Houston at Rice Stadium from 1959 until 1967, the moved to the Astrodome where it was renamed the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. The game lasted into the mid-1980s but was discontinued due to poor ticket sales and lack of a corporate sponsor. Most years the game featured a team from the Southwest Conference against an at-large opponent, and 19 of the 29 games played featured a team from Texas.