News - 11/14/2003

Intense Football League - Odessa Roughnecks

Odessa Roughnecks Unveil Logo

Roughnecks' new logo true to the franchise's West Texas roots

By Randy Rosetta
Midland Reporter-Telegram

ODESSA -- Sean Holcomb wasn't all that sure about the idea behind the logo for the Odessa Roughnecks.

But once the former Greenwood star and first player on the Roughnecks' roster saw the logo on Tuesday, he realized it was a perfect fit.

The Roughnecks, the Permian Basin's newest professional sports franchise and a member of one the newly formed Intense Football League, unveiled their logo to the media and a small gathering of fans Tuesday.

True to the franchise's West Texas roots, the Odessa logo features a prairie dog with a hard hat on its head and a football in one hand. An oil derrick is in the background and an outline of the state of Texas serves as the backdrop. The logo features the team's four-color scheme -- blue, red, gold and black.

Team president Tommy Benizio said the franchise wanted to give Permian Basin fans an identifiable symbol that would also appeal to all ages.

"We thought it might be hard for kids to want to come up and hug a big sweaty roughneck, so we chose the prairie dog to represent West Texas," Benizio said. "We wanted something that really said Texas."

When Holcomb found out that the prairie dog would be central to the team's logo theme, he had his doubts until he saw the logo.

"When Tommy told me what it was going to be I was kind of skeptical because prairie dogs are friendly little critters and I'm not sure that's the image you want to portray on the football field," said Holcomb, who starred at Greenwood in the late 1980s and went on to play professionally with the New England Patriots. "But once I saw the logo and how it's integrated with the oil industry and West Texas, I think it really works well.

"A logo says a lot about a team and this one is really tied in well with West Texas. Plus, it's also something that appeals to kids and that's real important when it comes to selling the product."

Odessa is the third franchise in the IFL to officially unveil a logo, joining the San Angelo Stampede and Corpus Christi Hammerheads. The Amarillo Dusters were scheduled to unveil their logo on Tuesday and the Lubbock Lone Stars are expected to do so today. San Antonio's franchise has yet to release a name or logo.

League officials are said to have an interest in Central Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, as well.

The inaugural IFL season is scheduled to kick off on May 1, 2004, with a 16-game schedule that runs through August. The game is played indoors on a field roughly half the size of a regulation football field. The Roughnecks will play their home games at Ector County Coliseum.

For ticket information, call (432) 332-PASS (7277) or log on to www.OdessaIFL.com.

Odessa Roughnecks Logo Unveiled

New Logo combines oil worker and family appeal with an aggressive spirit

ODESSA, TX. In their usual showman style, the Odessa Roughnecks unveiled the team’s Primary, and secondary logos today. The Rough and tumble oil worker in the mark will take the form of the area’s most common rodent...the prairie dog. Dressed in traditional gear for the hard working roughneck job, the rodent comes complete with a snarl sure to intimidate even the biggest opposing mascots...and players. He is set in the desert-oil field scenery of our Permian Basin on the state map of Texas.

“Once the community selected the name Roughnecks, we wanted to create an icon that would feature an animal rather than a human figure. While our real pride is in the Roughneck oil worker, not the animal, this makes the logo and team much more acceptable to fans. We researched indigenous animals and felt that the prairie dog was a natural fit. Just like the real life roughnecks, they spend most of their days working hard digging into the earth right here in the Permian Basin. The rendition of the animal has been made to make the most aggressive football fan proud while still lending itself to a huggable mascot for the youngest of fans at the games.” stated team President Tommy Benizio. The logo was designed by one of the worlds top logo producers. Based in Toronto, Canada, Flynagain Productions has created logos for dozens of professional sports teams. “The team explained to me that pride in the state of Texas and the oil industry were of great importance to the sample of locals they discussed logo ideas with”, explained Keith Flynn, owner of the design company, “We just took it from there and feel that we have one of our best results ever with the logo.”

As explained at a press conference last month, team colors were selected to represent the Permian basin such as BLACK for the oil which has played such a large role in the development of our communities; COBALT BLUE to represent the beautiful skies that we are blessed to enjoy more days in the average year than almost anywhere else in the country; GOLDEN BROWN to represent the dessert floor that is so visible throughout the Permian Basin; and a touch of RED to serve as a reminder to opponents of just how fierce the Roughnecks would be on the field. “These colors were used to create a logo that we believe will represent our purposes as a business and the community very well.” said Benizio.

Also introduced today were the team’s two mascots...both Prairie Dogs. First was the teams newly appointed CEO, Killer the prairie dog who will be in the office and at games for fans to pet. The animal is sponsored by the Pet Connection located at 1512 North Grant in Odessa. He will also be used in the team’s upcoming school program to educated children on the animal. The second was the yet to be named mascot. The six-foot tall barking ground squirrel will be entertaining fans at games and throughout the community year-round. A name-the -mascot contest for children will be launched during the current school year.