Logo of an independent college football team that plays in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. They began play in 1879 and have sent a number of players on to pro football, including John McCormick, Milt Morin, Greg Landry, Victor Cruz, Vlad Ducasse and James Ihedigbo.
Logo of a college football team that currently plays in the American Athletic Conference, the University of Tulane Green Wave. The program began in 1893 and has played in various conferences and as an independent, winning 9 conference titles and 5 bowl games over the years. Tulane alumni who have played pro football include Max McGee, J.P. Losman, Warren Bankston, Bubby Brister, Steve Foley, Matt Forte, Rodney Holman, Ed Khayat, Dub Jones, Don Joyce, Tommy Mason, Eddie Murray, Richie Petitbon and Lionel Washington.
Logo of a high school football team located in Austin, Texas – the Westlake High Chaparrals. Football and athletics in general are a big part of life in all of Texas, but Westlake boasts a pretty large amount of successful athletes. They include baseball’s Kelly Gruber and Huston Street, a couple of Olympic athletes, and more pro football players than some colleges produce. That list includes Seth McKinney, Ryan Swope, Kyle Adams and 3 players who have played in Super Bowls – Justin Tucker and a pair of quarterbacks who won Super Bowl MVP awards, Drew Brees and Nick Foles.
Logo of a Division II college football team, the Winston Salem State University Rams, who play in the South Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a conference made up of historically black colleges. Ram alumni who have played pro football include Donald Evans, Anthony Blaylock, Oronde Gadsden, William Hayes, Timmy Newsome, Yancey Thigpen and Donald Frank.
Logo of a college football team that plays in the Mid-American Conference, the University of Toledo Rockets. In existence since 1917, the program has been an independent in its’ early years and a member of various conferences, winning 14 conference titles and 10 bowl games. Rocket alumni who have gone on to pro careers include Bruce Gradkowski, Kareem Hunt, Emlen Tunnell, Chester Taylor, Mel Triplett, Lance Moore, Andy McCollum, John Greco, Brett Kern and Curtis Johnson.
Here is another logo of a team about to begin play in the new Alliance of American Football in the spring of 2019, the San Diego Fleet. The team will be coached by former NFL coach Mike Martz, and their roster includes players with NFL pedigrees like Bishop Sankey, Josh Johnson, Gavin Escobar and Ron Brooks. They also have the rights to linebacker A.J. Tarpley, who retired from the Buffalo Bills at age 23 citing concussion concerns and seems an unlikely candidate to actually play.
Logo of a football team set to play in the new Alliance of American Football, the San Antonio Commanders. The new team’s general manager is former Dallas Cowboy Darryl Johnston, and they will be coached by Mike Riley, a successful college coach. Some players they have procured for the inaugural 2019 spring season are Logan Woodside, Aaron Green, Cyril Richardson and Demarcus Ayers.
Logo of a college football team that plays in the Mid-America Conference, the Ohio University Bobcats. The school’s program started in 1894 and claimed a small college national championship in 1960. Notable Bobcat alumni who have had careers in pro football include Vince Costello, Dave Zastudil, Chet Adams, Landon Cohen and current players Mike Mitchell and T.J. Carrie.
Not exactly a “classic”, this is the logo of a football team that hasn’t yet played a game, the Orlando Apollos of the new Alliance of American Football, a spring developmental league that begins play in 2019. They will be coached by Steve Spurrier, a legendary college coach in Florida. Some of the players secured so far to begin play in February are quarterbacks Garrett Gilbert and Stephen Morris, backs Ryan Green and Storm Johnson, and defenders Will Hill and Reggie Northrup.
Logo of a defunct college football program, the Bradley University Braves, which began in 1897 but was dropped as a sport in 1970. A few Braves’ alumni had careers in pro football, including Harry Jacobs, Dick Jameison, Ray Ramsey, Marcus Pollard (who played basketball at the school but went on to an NFL career) and Billy Stone, who was the school’s last head coach before the program was disbanded.