The Ashland Eagles are the athletic teams of Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, competing in NCAA Division II. The university’s athletic teams are known as the Eagles, and the school colors are purple and gold.[1] The athletics department identifies its mascot as “Tuffy” the Eagle with purple and gold as the official colors.[2]
Design and History
The eagle identity at Ashland predates the university’s current athletics branding. In 1932, student Paul Metzler began a campaign to change Ashland College’s mascot from the Purple Titan to an eagle. Eagle statues first appeared on campus in 1942, initially because they had been taken from the nearby J.I. Case Company. In 1965, Case Company donated the trademark and rights to the eagle statue to Ashland, and in the same year the eagle was named the College’s mascot.[3]
The mascot was first named Victor, with a costume donated by a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. The costume evolved over time, eventually becoming a purple eagle with a sweater featuring an “A” on the front, at which point the mascot became known as Tuffy. Tuffy received a new suit in 2002, funded by the athletic department.[3]
Ashland University’s archives document the use of an “AU eagle logo” on university merchandise and awards dating back to at least 2007, indicating the eagle mark has been a consistent element of the university’s visual identity for decades.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The eagle symbol at Ashland traces directly to the J.I. Case Company, a manufacturing firm whose eagle statues were originally corporate emblems. After the statues appeared on campus in 1942, the eagle gradually became associated with the College, and Case formally transferred the trademark and rights to Ashland in 1965.[3] The university’s official colors are purple and gold, as stated in its athletics sponsorship materials.[2]
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