The Texas State Bobcats are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The program’s visual identity centers on the SuperCat, a stylized bobcat head mark created in 2003 by student Brad Monk, which has served as the athletics department’s primary emblem for most of its existence.
Design and History
The SuperCat logo was designed in 2003 by Brad Monk, a graphic design student who was part of the last class to graduate under the Southwest Texas State name. The mark arrived alongside the school’s transition from Southwest Texas State to Texas State University, helping define a new identity for the athletics program. Monk described the design as deliberately aggressive, with piercing eyes, pinned-back ears, and a set jaw intended to project a competitive attitude suitable for football and other sports.[1]
In 2009, Texas State athletics refined its primary mark, changing the typeface used in the “Texas State” lettering that accompanied the SuperCat. The previous lettering was difficult to reproduce because each letter was a unique design. The new typeface, called “Wacker,” was named in honor of Texas State’s former football coach and athletic director. A Texas State student originally designed the typeface in 2003, and Jeff Davis, an assistant professor in the communication design department, along with a marketing committee, completed the design and tested its usability.[2]
In 2021, the SuperCat itself returned to being the primary logo for Texas State athletics.[3] The university’s 2025 logo update, which revised the academic university logos, explicitly did not affect the athletic logos, including SuperCat.[4]
The football team adopted the Bobcats name in 1921.[5] The SuperCat is one of several marks used by Texas State athletics, alongside the athletic wordmark and other spirit marks.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The SuperCat logo depicts a bobcat head in profile, rendered in maroon and gold, the school’s official colors.[3] The bobcat is indigenous to Central Texas, and the choice of the animal as a mascot reflects the region’s native wildlife.[7] The university’s official colors, maroon and gold, are documented as deriving from the Gaillardia flower, which is native to the region.[7]
The aggressive stance of the SuperCat was intentional. Monk’s wife noted that the threatening attitude was purposeful, explaining, “That’s what you need for football. Something a little threatening, not our cute little Bobby Cat for the kids.”[1]
Typography and Design
The athletic wordmark accompanying the SuperCat uses a typeface called “Wacker,” named after former Texas State football coach and athletic director Milton J. “Mickey” Wacker. The typeface was originally designed by a Texas State student in 2003 and later refined by Jeff Davis, an assistant professor in Texas State’s communication design department, along with a marketing committee.[2]
Texas State’s official brand colors are maroon and gold, with the university brand guidelines identifying Texas State Maroon and Texas State Gold as the foundation of the core brand palette.[8] The 2025 university logo update introduced a brighter gold, called Texas State Bright Gold, to align the academic logos with the gold used by athletics teams.[4]
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