rayonsports.com

Used from 1933 until 1938, this is an early logo of a major league baseball team, the Cleveland Indians. The club was mainly mediocre during these years, never finishing higher than third in the American League standings. Top Indians’ players during this era include Hal Trosky, Earl Averill, Mel Harder and Johnny Allen and featured the early years in the careers of Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau and Ken Keltner. Keltner, a top defensive third baseman, would become famous a couple years later, in 1941, when he made a pair of amazing plays at the hot corner to help end the 56 game hitting streak of Joe DiMaggio.

Logo of a Division III college football team that plays in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, the Washington & Jefferson Presidents. The team, which began play in 1890, is coached by Mike Sirianni, brother of Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. He was preceded as head coach by former Pittsburgh Steeler John Banaszak. The school has an amazing .649 winning percentage over the years, and a 5-1-1 bowl record. W & J alumni who have played pro football include Pete Henry, Dan Towler, Chet Widerguist, Ray Neal, Al Hadden, Hal Erickson, Bird Carroll and Forrest Douds.

Logo of a long departed independent college football team, the Xavier University Musketeers. They began play in 1901 as the St. Xavier Saints and kept the program alive until 1973, with a brief hiatus in the 1940s. The school compiled an impressive .573 winning percentage over the years, and won the only bowl game they appeared in, a 35-21 conquest of Arizona State in the 1950 Salad Bowl. Former Musketeers who went on to play pro football include Danny Abramowicz, George Wilson Jr., Art Hauser, John Shinners, Chet Mutryn, Jack Hoffman, Steve Junker and John Martinkovic.

Logo of a college football team that plays in the Southern Conference, The Citadel Bulldogs. The school first fielded a team in 1905 and has won 4 conference titles. Former Bulldogs who have enjoyed pro grid careers include Paul Maguire, Cortez Allen, Greg Davis, Andre Roberts, Stump Mitchell, Travis Jervey and Angelo Coia.

Logo of a long-defunct college football team that competed as a Division II Independent school, the University of San Francisco Dons. Their program existed from it’s inception in 1917 until 1982. In 1951, despite finishing undefeated at 9-0, they were not invited to a bowl game. Although they were only a small college program, USF boasts 5 of their alumni who are Pro Football Hall of Famers – Ollie Matson, Gino Marchetti, Bob St. Clair, Dick Stanfel and former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle.

Used from 1956 until 1972, this is an old logo of a college football team that begins play in Conference USA this season, the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks. Playing in various leagues since their inception in 1904, JSU has captured 25 conference titles and a Division II national championship in 1992. Former Gamecocks who have gone on to play pro football include Alvin Wright, Terry Owens, Jesse Baker, Keith McKeller, Eric Davis, Dieter Brock and current Buffalo Bill Siran Neal.

Logo of a defunct minor league hockey team that was a member of the American Hockey League, the St. Catharines Saints. Affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they began play as the New Brunswick Hawks in 1978 before moving to St. Catharines, where they stayed from 1982 until 1986. They had limited success on the ice, qualifying for the AHL playoffs 2 of their 4 years. Saint alumni include Craig Muni, Bruce Boudreau, Alan Bester, Steve Thomas and Ken Wregget.

This is an old English “B” script logo that was in use in the early days of the AFL’s Buffalo Bills. It was only seen on baseball style caps that the coaches wore, and was modeled after the script “D” that baseball’s Detroit Tigers used. Bills’ original owner and founder Ralph Wilson Jr. was a Detroit native and even incorporated the Lions’ blue and silver color scheme on the Bills’ original uniforms. By 1962, their third season of existence, the Bills switched to the now more familiar blue, white  and red with the red standing buffalo helmet logo.

An old logo of a college football team that plays in Conference USA, the Sam Houston State Bearkats. The school began play in 1912 and has amassed 15 conference titles and a pair of small college national championships. Former Bearkats who have enjoyed pro football careers include Jimmy Hill, Michael Bankston, Guido Merkens, Josh McCown, Stan Blinka and Keith Davis.

The original logo of a team that came into existence in 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Network, better known as ESPN. The network, led by commentators like Bob Ley, Chris Berman, George Grande and the late Tom Mees, made the decision to air coverage of the NFL draft in 1980. Commissioner Pete Rozelle took the idea to the league owners, who overwhelmingly rejected it. Being the visionary he always was, Rozelle ignored the owners and told ESPN president Chet Simmons to air the draft as a news event, which the league would be powerless to stop. Needless to say, the draft has become a huge event that fans attend live and that not only ESPN but the NFL’s own network air each year.