A new golden eagle in a new color has landed in the

....by this bird at USM.

athletic roost at the University of Southern Mississippi and will soon be emblazoned on items from uniforms to programs.

This bird has been replaced....

The new athletic mark and new gold color, unveiled Wednesday by Southern Miss athletic officials and President Shelby F. Thames during a news conference, is an eagle head with a sleek, more modern, fierce look. It will be used as the primary mark for the USM athletic teams and will debut on uniforms beginning with the 2003 football season. The new golden eagle, which will be used on all athletic uniforms, publications, merchandise and marketing materials, will replace other marks previously used. A sleeker, more modernized form of the attack eagle will be unveiled next year.

"We are thrilled with the outcome," said Richard Giannini, Southern Miss athletic director. "This new mark is truly our own and provides us with a distinctive look. Any time you add a new mark to your organization, people get excited about it. A lot of the major colleges and professional teams change their logos from time to time for that reason. Our current athletic marks have been in use for more than 10 years. Apparel manufacturers are excited about adding a new eagle to our merchandise, and I think our fans and supporters will be also."

"We are excited about the new look for Southern Miss athletics, and it will have a very positive effect on our student-athletes and fans," said Jeff Bower, Southern Miss head football coach.

Rodney Richardson, principal owner of RARE Designs in Hattiesburg and a Southern Miss graduate, developed the logo and said the new identity represents the strength, pride and passion of what it means to be a Southern Miss Golden Eagle.

"Our design positioning was to create a classic athletic identity inspired by a strong tradition modernized to reflect the Southern Miss spirit of perseverance and achievement," he said. "Bold. Clean. Timeless."

A second development in the process was the issue of color, said Giannini. For the past couple of years, the athletic teams used a color named "Vegas Gold" on uniforms, but it was a hard color to duplicate in apparel. "We’ve been able to change to a different gold that we can use university-wide," Giannini said.

"I think you’ll end up seeing a whole lot more people wearing gold," Bower agreed, saying, "The new golden eagle will be a powerful mark, and the consistency of color will add a lot of gold in the stadium at future games."

"After years of having two gold colors that were acceptable for university merchandise, printing, signage and athletic uniforms, we are pleased to be transitioning into one gold color for both the university and athletics," said Lisa Mader, director of marketing and public relations.

"What we’ve got now is a more distinctive and consistent look for our athletic teams," said Giannini. "That’s one of the things we wanted to do in our branding, to be more consistent with what the university is doing in the ongoing branding for the university."

Products carrying the new look could be available as early as this summer.

© Copyright 2001-2002 by Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Museum

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