NCAA: U. of Southern Mississippi
U. of Southern Mississippi Gets New Look
USM alum helps school save money, time with design
 HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss athletics unveiled a new
face Wednesday morning.
After more than a decade of being identified by its
"attack eagle" logo, USM will switch to a golden eagle
head etched in black to identify its athletic teams.
The logo not only will appear on all team uniforms,
but also on USM merchandise and apparel beginning next
fall.
USM also changed its golden hue, moving away from the
more metallic look of "Vegas gold" to a brighter, deep
yellow shade.
"What we've got now is a more distinctive and
consistent look for our athletic teams," USM athletic
director Richard Giannini said.
Giannini said the consistency will help USM's
marketing efforts. That was a major reason for changing
the color as well.
"The 'Vegas gold' was hard to duplicate in apparel,"
Giannini said. "We've been able to change to a different
gold that we can use university-wide."
The project had been in the works for more than a
year, with focus groups and members of the coaching
staffs, athletic administration and university marketing
specialists being consulted.
It hit high gear when Rodney Richardson, a USM
graduate, approached Giannini to offer the services of
his Hattiesburg-based company, RARE Design.
Richardson, who had worked for Nike, designed the
logo for the NFL's recent expansion franchise, the
Houston Texans, updated the Denver Broncos logo a few
years back and has done work for such NBA teams as the
Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.
"I had moved back here from Oregon, and this
university has always been dear to me," Richardson said.
"I had heard that they were looking at doing this, and
with my marketing background, I asked for an audience
with Richard."
Giannini said the project wound up costing USM about
$10,000, only a tenth of the actual time and work that
Richardson and his associates put into the design and
creation of the logo.
"We are really indebted to Rodney," Giannini said.
"He donated a lot of his time and effort. What we got
was ten-fold in time and effort to what we paid."
Richardson acknowledged that he had heard comments
that compared the new logo to the current marks used by
the University of Iowa and the Philadelphia Eagles.
"There's always going to be so many comparisons, and
you're going to get that anytime you do something like
this, but we didn't get too close," Richardson said.
"I like it," USM basketball coach James Green said.
"I think it's strong and bold and has a lot of
character."
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