Dr. Jim Borsig would have preferred temperatures to have been in the 50s Wednesday morning.
That way the president of The Mississippi University for Women would have been a little cooler as he used his navy blazer to disguise the shirt he was wearing.
The shirt Borsig selected for the gathering at Cochran Hall wasn’t an ordinary one, either. In fact, it had a unique color — Welty Blue — and something even more special he didn’t want to reveal to anyone on campus before 10 a.m.
After 10 a.m. and following a 25-second video presentation of The W’s new athletic logo, Borsig could safely unbutton his blazer and show off a self-described “fierce” Ody Owl emblazoned on the upper left side of the shirt.
“We knew when we introduced the Owls back and tied it to Ody the Owl and the mark that this was going to create a buzz and an excitement, so we wanted to elevate this to the level that was appropriate for the university and the community and everybody,” Borsig said.
The W worked with strategic brand builder Joe Bosack & Co., of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, to come up with an athletic logo that will be used with its baseball, softball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, and women’s volleyball teams beginning in the 2017-18 school year. The W will add more sports for the 2018-19 year as it continues the process to gain NCAA Division III status.
Borsig said students and the alumni board looked at the new logo Saturday, which added to the excitement surrounding the next step in The W’s return to intercollegiate athletics.
Borsig said Joe Bosack & Co. offered five logos in August. He said the final version combined some of the strengths of the prototypes into what he feels is a “strong university athletic mark.”
Borsig feels the new Ody Owl will help convey the brand identity of The W and will continue the sense of tradition that exists on the campus of the four-year co-educational public school that has more than 2,500 undergraduate students in Columbus. He said there were numerous challenges involved in using colors and mascots to create a logo that signals a new era of athletics at the school.
Earlier this month, The W announced the hiring of Roxanne Hernandez to be the school’s new volleyball coach. The school also is working to finalize agreements with other coaches, so Borsig feels things are moving forward thanks to strong support from the entire campus.
“I have talked to high school coaches. I have talked to folks in the community,” Borsig said. “This is just going to connect the university to a lot of folks that once were involved when we played intercollegiate athletics. It is going to re-build those connections. We want as many people talking about The W. That is just one of the many benefits of this.”
Borsig said the introduction of men’s sports also will help people understand the school has had male students on its campus since 1982. He said the decision to bring intercollegiate athletics back to the campus reflects the evolution of the school and will help enhance the experience of the school’s students.
The W Director of Athletics Jason Trufant said creating a vibrant, or “fierce,” owl was a focus throughout the process, which started in June when he started work in Columbus. He said the school considered its old nickname, the Blues,” but he said it was difficult to understand what a Blue was, so the decision was made to identify with the owl and to ensure it had an athletic push and a “fierce” attitude to it.
“That sells,” Trufant said. “It might not sell wins and losses, but it is going to sell to potential student-athletes.”
Since 1885 an owl has watched over campus from the top of Orr Chapel. In 1982, the students of the new MUW were looking for a new mascot to replace Missy Deer. After winning the women’s national basketball championship in 1971, the students felt the large-eyed deer with a yellow ribbon around its neck wasn’t intimidating enough for intercollegiate athletics. After a decade of debate, Martha Fulton Wells, a faculty member, suggested a new mascot. Based on the comic strip’s popularity, Garfield the Cat was overwhelmingly selected as the mascot. The university asked the creators of the comic for permission to use the character, but were denied. A committee was created to develop a mascot for the university. Consensus was to use an owl as the mascot. Its name is Ody.
The new athletic logo is colored in the traditional W Blue and Welty Blue and depicts the eyes of an owl staring intensely. The word “OWLS” is arched above the eyes.
“When you look at it, you kind of have to look closely to find the W if you’re not looking for it,” Trufant said. “The first thing I see is the eyes and then the W pops out at you. I think that is important to understand we are The W and we want to bring that with us but create our own mark that is going to bring us forward. We are a co-educational institution, and now we have a mark that represents that.”
Trufant said the school weighed what it could market better. He said the decision was made from day one that an owl and the blue colors would be used in the logo because they are unique to the area. He said those factors helped in the creation of the new brand.
Trufant was wearing a collared, short-sleeved shirt that was “W blue” in color, while Borsig’s shirt was “Welty blue” in color. Both shirts had the adidas logo on the right chest. Trufant said details on a partnership with adidas are being finalized. He said clothing and athletic gear will be available Dec. 1 at The Book End, the school’s on-campus bookstore. He said the school will try to have merchandise with the new athletic logo at local stores and in stores throughout the region.
Trufant feels the announcement will add to the excitement surrounding the return of athletics to the campus. He said he woke up Wednesday morning and his email was filled with replies from people who had re-tweeted the reminder he sent out Tuesday about the unveiling of the new logo. He said that showed again there is a lot of momentum at the school and from a community that wants to be a part of intercollegiate athletics at the W.
An added bonus for those wanting to get behind the push of athletics at The W is there will be at least two opportunities next month to learn more about how to get involved and what is going on. Hernandez will speak to the Kiwanis Club at Lion Hills in Columbus on Nov. 16. Trufant said he will speak to the Rotary Club in West Point on Nov. 3. Trufant and Hernandez likely will wear clothing with The W’s new athletic logo on it, which should add to the school’s brand identity and help remind everyone there is a new “fierce” owl in Lowndes County.
“We only want to get this brand in the public’s hands because it only shines a light on the university,” Trufant said. “That is what we are here to do. This is just one more step in the process.”
Borsig concluded his introductory remarks at the event by encouraging those in attendance to “be sure to buy lots of stuff.” He said he was proud to have a new owl on watch to replace the “cuddly” version of the previous Ody.
Borsig also said he was going to proudly display the new athletic logo on his shirt all day Wednesday.
“I have a meeting at noon and the blazer is going back on the hanger, and I am going to walk around with my short-sleeve shirt on,” Borsig said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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