(04-11-2013 08:42 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(04-10-2013 02:45 PM)UHCougar Wrote:  

(04-10-2013 01:58 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(04-10-2013 01:32 PM)UHCougar Wrote:  

(04-10-2013 12:16 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Bit is right. The name "Texas State University" or "Texas State University-San Marcos" is not an established brand.

LBJ's diploma from that institution (see image below) bears the name "Southwest Texas State Teachers College".

The question was whether an NCAA team completely re-branded. . .

Texas State is one of the schools that has undergone a major overhaul of its "brand" in the last 10 years. . . since the school was founded as Southwest Texas State Teachers College (LBJ's diploma above), then become just Southwest Texas State, and now Texas State, this university has overhauled pretty much everything about itself. The athletic's teams "look" is entirely different in just the last two or three years.

And just because you may not have ever heard of them, doesn't mean it's not an "established" brand. There isn't a person in Texas that doesn't readily recognize the Texas State power cat logo, colors, etc. It is equally as well-known by more total people than most of the teams in the AAC. I guarantee there are just as many people who recognize the Texas State logo as the West Virginia logo before it started playing in the Big XII. This school has won multiple football national titles in the divisions in which they have played. They have exploded into one of the largest universities in the country. Their move to FBS is a continuation of the re-brand.

Sometimes the tunnel vision of people on this board confound me.

The entire nation doesn't live in Texas, and more of the nation has heard of every ACC program than has heard of Texas State...

You might not like to admit that. But it's true...

Every nation I've ever been to has had somebody there tell me "Go Mountaineers", when I'm wearing my WVU gear. How many people outside of Texas would recognize Texas State gear, especially since it's undergone such changes...

Talk about tunnel vision. Texas isn't the world either, dude. Travel around a bit and see for yourself.

BTW, I've been to Texas, and have even lived there. Have you ever been to West Virginia?

Look, I'm not saying that Texas State is on par in national brand awareness with a West Virginia. To argue that would be silly. But to dismiss the 5th largest university in Texas with an near 10-year sustained enrollment over 30,000, and a history that dates back to 1899, as not an "established brand" is equally silly. . .

Contrary to what you think, "most" people in this country couldn't name the members of the Mountain West, AAC, ACC, Big East, or BIG for that matter. . . we in the bubble on this board too often forget what the regular "fan" really knows about his own conference, much less about others . . . and as to my "traveling around the country," last year for work, I visited 31 states, including West Virginia . . . so, yes, I know something about the academic world and university sports . . .

And for the 10th Man, you are terribly underselling the common knowledge of Texas State, certainly in Texas . . . the fact is that a major source of students for Texas State has always been the Houston area . . . the Dallas/Ft. Worth area is growing fast . . . Texas State has been a well-known name among virtually every teacher, guidance counselor, athletic coach, parent, and high school senior in Texas for more than 30 years. To deny that is just silly. . .

Again, the continued tunnel vision on this board continues to confound me.

What's with this ripping on the AAC brands? Cincinnati and UConn are better known than half of the teams in Power 5 conferences. We're no UT-Austin, but saying that any Texas school that's not located in Austin or College Station has better brand recognition than us is crazy. Only 8% of Americans live in Texas, compared to 40% that live in the Northeast/Great Lakes, where everyone has heard of UC and UConn.

You exaggerate UC a lot at least from my experience. I lived in NY and knew nothing about UC and I lived there for many years. Granted you were not in the BE yet so that may have changed but Cincy was not a special school to know about back then where I was in the state of NY. I first really heard about Cincy in a fraternity function and did not know much about them until much later and that was when I was in Ohio where Cincy seems to have little pull outside of Cincy or at least in the Cleveland area.

(04-12-2013 12:02 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 08:42 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  What's with this ripping on the AAC brands? Cincinnati and UConn are better known than half of the teams in Power 5 conferences. We're no UT-Austin, but saying that any Texas school that's not located in Austin or College Station has better brand recognition than us is crazy. Only 8% of Americans live in Texas, compared to 40% that live in the Northeast/Great Lakes, where everyone has heard of UC and UConn.

You exaggerate UC a lot at least from my experience. I lived in NY and knew nothing about UC and I lived there for many years. Granted you were not in the BE yet so that may have changed but Cincy was not a special school to know about back then where I was in the state of NY. I first really heard about Cincy in a fraternity function and did not know much about them until much later and that was when I was in Ohio where Cincy seems to have little pull outside of Cincy or at least in the Cleveland area.

Most folks from NYC barely know anything that happens outside of NYC. How many NYC residents can name all SEC or ACC teams without looking them up? Not many, I'll bet.

Arkansas state used to be the gorillas and at one time were the aggies.

(04-12-2013 09:31 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 12:02 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 08:42 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  What's with this ripping on the AAC brands? Cincinnati and UConn are better known than half of the teams in Power 5 conferences. We're no UT-Austin, but saying that any Texas school that's not located in Austin or College Station has better brand recognition than us is crazy. Only 8% of Americans live in Texas, compared to 40% that live in the Northeast/Great Lakes, where everyone has heard of UC and UConn.

You exaggerate UC a lot at least from my experience. I lived in NY and knew nothing about UC and I lived there for many years. Granted you were not in the BE yet so that may have changed but Cincy was not a special school to know about back then where I was in the state of NY. I first really heard about Cincy in a fraternity function and did not know much about them until much later and that was when I was in Ohio where Cincy seems to have little pull outside of Cincy or at least in the Cleveland area.

Most folks from NYC barely know anything that happens outside of NYC. How many NYC residents can name all SEC or ACC teams without looking them up? Not many, I'll bet.

A point illustrated by this famous old cartoon...

(04-12-2013 11:13 AM)stAtecamera13 Wrote:  Arkansas state used to be the gorillas and at one time were the aggies.

This is interesting to me. Why gorillas?

(04-12-2013 11:48 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 09:31 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 12:02 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 08:42 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  What's with this ripping on the AAC brands? Cincinnati and UConn are better known than half of the teams in Power 5 conferences. We're no UT-Austin, but saying that any Texas school that's not located in Austin or College Station has better brand recognition than us is crazy. Only 8% of Americans live in Texas, compared to 40% that live in the Northeast/Great Lakes, where everyone has heard of UC and UConn.

You exaggerate UC a lot at least from my experience. I lived in NY and knew nothing about UC and I lived there for many years. Granted you were not in the BE yet so that may have changed but Cincy was not a special school to know about back then where I was in the state of NY. I first really heard about Cincy in a fraternity function and did not know much about them until much later and that was when I was in Ohio where Cincy seems to have little pull outside of Cincy or at least in the Cleveland area.

Most folks from NYC barely know anything that happens outside of NYC. How many NYC residents can name all SEC or ACC teams without looking them up? Not many, I'll bet.

A point illustrated by this famous old cartoon...

Good one...

(04-12-2013 02:41 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 11:48 AM)Wedge Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 09:31 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 12:02 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 08:42 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  What's with this ripping on the AAC brands? Cincinnati and UConn are better known than half of the teams in Power 5 conferences. We're no UT-Austin, but saying that any Texas school that's not located in Austin or College Station has better brand recognition than us is crazy. Only 8% of Americans live in Texas, compared to 40% that live in the Northeast/Great Lakes, where everyone has heard of UC and UConn.

You exaggerate UC a lot at least from my experience. I lived in NY and knew nothing about UC and I lived there for many years. Granted you were not in the BE yet so that may have changed but Cincy was not a special school to know about back then where I was in the state of NY. I first really heard about Cincy in a fraternity function and did not know much about them until much later and that was when I was in Ohio where Cincy seems to have little pull outside of Cincy or at least in the Cleveland area.

Most folks from NYC barely know anything that happens outside of NYC. How many NYC residents can name all SEC or ACC teams without looking them up? Not many, I'll bet.

A point illustrated by this famous old cartoon...

Good one...

You should see how they draw the state of NY. A very large Long Island and Manhattan Island and a very tiny NY state.

(04-12-2013 12:25 PM)chrisattsu Wrote:  

(04-12-2013 11:13 AM)stAtecamera13 Wrote:  Arkansas state used to be the gorillas and at one time were the aggies.

This is interesting to me. Why gorillas?

It was back a long time ago in the early 1900s. why exactly i don't know.

Indians (1931–2008)
The school's sports teams were nicknamed "Indians" in honor of the Osage Nation that inhabited the area until the 1800s. The name “Indians” officially became the school’s athletic nickname in 1931 following “Aggies” in 1911 (sometimes called “Farmers”), “Gorillas” in 1925, and then “Warriors” in 1930.
Arkansas State officially retired the Indian mascot on February 28, 2008 during the last home basketball game of the season. The school retained the Indians nickname for the remainder of the 2007–08 school year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_State_Red_Wolves

Oregon by a long mile. When the "O" is the only link in some of those uniforms...

I know black has found its way into a lot of schools' uniforms, but I think Northwestern has used it to a point where it seems like it's an actual school color, which it isn't. Purple and white...and it seems like sometimes, white's the afterthought.

Virginia taking emphasis off of orange for the blue was pretty big. They used to look like an orange version of Penn State.

Iowa State tried blue there for a bit in the 90's and early 00's.

Again, Oregon is different. Their brand is that they change so much, usually around the O.

(04-15-2013 10:55 PM)Caltex2 Wrote:  Again, Oregon is different. Their brand is that they change so much, usually around the O.

Up to the 1990s, Oregon wore lighter green, darker yellow, and their helmets were yellow with a green interlocking "UO." When the O logo was introduced, they shifted to darker green, brighter yellow, and introduced black. That was a significant rebrand.

(04-16-2013 10:21 AM)CalallenStang Wrote:  Up to the 1990s, Oregon wore lighter green, darker yellow, and their helmets were yellow with a green interlocking "UO." When the O logo was introduced, they shifted to darker green, brighter yellow, and introduced black. That was a significant rebrand.

Yeah, it's totally out there. Even if still "green and yellow" with the "O," how it was presented was completely different, as you point out. Hue changes themselves can be quite big...imagine if Harvard's crimson was just maroon, Stanford's cardinal now a base red, or Duke used a navy or powder blue instead of their standard? Yeah, Oregon's still green and yellow, just not the same green and yellow.

The "U" got the axe, as is the block-lettering, and they incorporate those wings.

...and they're still paying Disney for "Donald," which is a pretty big deal, too.

Does anyone know what Hofstra looked like before they changed from the Flying Dutchmen to the Pride?