Boulder – Ralphie is getting a facelift, and like most good facelifts, the differences will be subtle – in fact, barely noticeable to the casual observer.
The University of Colorado announced changes today to its venerable logo, Ralphie the Buffalo, along with other minor tweaks to the football, basketball and volleyball uniforms to make things look more – well – uniform.
Helped by its apparel supplier, Nike, the school unveiled the changes in front of an audience of about 250 boosters, coaches, players and athletic department employees.
They labeled the shindig an “Identity Unveiling,” although to all but those most familiar with the CU logo, it will be difficult to tell how the identity really changed.
The interlocked “CU” emblem that fits inside the image of a buffalo has been tilted and streamlined a bit, and the buffalo itself is tilted slightly to the right “to give at an ‘in-motion’ appearance,” according to the school news release.
The print style on uniforms and signs has been standardized so it will look the same everywhere. The same goes for the several different shades and color combinations of Colorado’s black-and-gold palette.
The net result from the first overhaul to the CU logo since 1981 is very little change to the football uniforms – outside the new logo on the helmets – but a pretty big difference on the men’s and women’s basketball uniforms.
More importantly, CU administrators used the unveiling as yet another opportunity to show they’re turning over a new leaf after months and months of turmoil and change, sparked by scandal within the football program.
“The message is consistency,” football coach Gary Barnett said. “What you’re always teaching to athletes is finding a way to be consistent and I think this feeds into that a little bit.” CU spokesman Dave Plati said he believes Nike paid for the redesign as part of its sponsorship deal with Colorado. Nike officials declined to comment on the cost.
Nike and the school started this project about 18 months ago.
The introduction of the new logo comes about a month after new athletic director Mike Bohn took over.
Bohn also announced a program in which boosters will buy 1,000 season tickets and donate them to local elementary schools so kids can go to football games.
“We’re trying to nurture future Buffaloes,” Bohn said.
In part of Bohn’s ongoing effort to make the school more “user friendly,” CU also announced a new, tweaked web site for athletics that will feature a new look and the new logo.
Some say changes like these are mainly a marketing ploy to sell more merchandise. Given the subtlety of the change, though, Nike’s Chris McClure said he doesn’t expect a huge surge in sales.
“They might sell a little more, but I wouldn’t say they’re doing it to make a few extra dollars,” McClure said. “They’re doing it because it’s the right thing for the university.”
This change surely won’t create the kind of uproar that came about in 1981, when the Board of Regents changed the color of the uniforms from black to powder blue. Fans hated it and the fact that the football program stunk didn’t help the image. CU started the switch back to black under former football coach Bill McCartney and the Buffaloes have worn the black uniforms since 1985.
