This is the iconic logo of an original six National Hockey League team, the Chicago Blackhawks. Founded in 1926, the franchise has won a total of 6 Stanley Cup championships over the years, with half of those coming in a 5 year span from 2010 to 2015. The Hawks boast an amazing 51 Hall of Fame inductees, including such luminaries as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Chris Chelios, Denis Savard and Marion Hossa.
Hardly a “classic” logo, this is the official logo of the newly re-branded Washington Commanders, a team that plays in the National Football League and was formerly known as the Redskins and the unimaginative “Football Team”. The franchise played in Boston in the early NFL years, then moved to Washington in 1937, winning the league championship that year. They also were champs in 1942 and have won 3 Super Bowls in 5 appearances in the title game. There are 32 former Washington players, coaches and management people in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 20 of which had most of their accomplishments playing in the nation’s capital.
Logo of a small college football team that plays in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Fayetteville State Broncos. The school won a pair of CIAA championships in 2002 and 2003. The Broncos have only sent one player to the pros, former Oakland Raider Blenda Gay, but their alumni include former major league pitcher Jim Bibby and pro wrestler Junkyard Dog.
Not a team logo, but the official logo of the National Football League’s 2000 college player draft. The annual selection meeting was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where it was held every year until the league put it up for bidding to different cities. Two Penn State teammates, Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington, were the top 2 picks. The most famous, and most successful selection of this draft came in the sixth round at pick 199 – quarterback Tom Brady.
Logo of a pro football team that played in the short-lived United Football League, the Omaha Nighthawks. The team joined the league as an expansion franchise in 2010, with Netsuite software mogul Zach Nelson as majority owner. The team name was chosen by a fan vote, and was derived from the F-117 Nighthawk, a stealth fighter used by the U.S. Air Force. The league suspended operations part way through the 2012 season, and the Nighthawks finished with a 6-10 record for their 2 1/2 years of existence.
Used from 1960 until 1970, this is a logo of a college football team that has been a member of 6 different college conferences, the University of Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies currently play as an independent, and are coached by former NFL coach Jim Mora Jr. UConn won 25 different conference titles over the years. Former Huskies who have enjoyed careers in pro football include Anthony Sherman, Erik Torkelson, Dan Orlovsky, Robert McClain, Booth Lusteg, Brian Kozlowski, Byron Jones, Ryan Griffin, Marcus Easley, Tyvon Branch and Darius Butler.
Logo of a defunct football team that played in the United States Football League, the Memphis Showboats. The team played the 1984 and ’85 seasons in the league. Despite the USFL’s short existence, the Showboats drew decent crowds to their games, unlike most of the teams in the league. That box office success caught the NFL’s attention, and was a factor in NFL owners approving the move of the Houston Oilers to Tennessee. The team even played it’s first year in Memphis before moving to Nashville. Notable Showboat players include Reggie White, Rod Shoate, Gary Shirk, Terdell Middleton, Ken Johnson, Barney Bussey, Leonard Coleman and Larry Pfohl, who would go on to pro wrestling fame as Lex Lugor.
Used from 2002 until 2005, this is the logo of a defunct team that played in the Canadian Football League, the Ottawa Renegades. The team entered the CFL in 2002, 6 years after the Ottawa Rough Riders folded, and played under tough financial conditions until they were disbanded and suspended indefinitely by the league in 2006. They were revived under new ownership in 2014 as the RedBlacks, and for historical purposes, the CFL considers the Rough Riders, Renegades and RedBlacks as one discontinuous franchise. Former players from the Renegade years include Kerry Joseph, Yo Murphy, Markus Howell and Darnell Kennedy.
Logo of a junior college football team that plays in the American Mountain Conference, the Compton College Tartars. They are currently coached by Al Dorsey, and play their home games at Tay Brown Stadium. Some of them went on to finish their four year college careers at other schools, but some notable former Tartars who played pro football include R.C. Owens, J.D. Smith, Hugh McElhenny, Joe Lewis, Don Klosterman and Joe Perry. Other famous non-athlete alumni are actor James Coburn and rappers Coolio and Snoop Dogg.
Logo of a Division II small college football team that plays in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, the Shippensburg University Red Raiders. They play their home games at Seth Grove Stadium, named after a former coach. The school is ongoing proof that NFL scouts will scour the country and leave no stone unturned in the quest to find talent, and Raider alumni who have been discovered and enjoyed careers in pro football include Brent Grimes, John Kuhn and Rob Davis.