The Delaware Blue Coats are the NBA G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, based in Wilmington, Delaware. The team’s visual identity has undergone two significant changes since the franchise adopted the Blue Coats name in 2018, moving from a Revolutionary War-themed mark to a more literal, mascot-driven design.
Design and History
The franchise began as the Delaware 87ers, a name referencing Delaware’s 1787 ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In March 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers announced that the team would be rebranded as the Delaware Blue Coats for the 2018-19 season, coinciding with the team’s move to a new arena in Wilmington.[1] The name honored the uniforms worn by American soldiers during the Revolutionary War, specifically the 1st Delaware Regiment.[2]
The original 2018 primary logo depicted Founding Father Caesar Rodney on horseback, referencing his famous ride from Delaware to Philadelphia to cast a tie-breaking vote for American independence.[1] The figure was shown palming a basketball while seated on a saddle emblazoned with the iconic 76ers “76” mark.[3] The imagery was consistent with the 76ers’ revolutionary theme and colors, as Sixers President Chris Heck explained that extending the parent club’s brand into Delaware was a deliberate goal of the rebrand.[4]
In June 2020, following protests that led to the removal of a Rodney statue in Wilmington, the Blue Coats announced they would reevaluate Rodney as their logo.[5] Rodney was a slave owner, a fact that became central to the controversy.[5] For the 2020-21 season, the team dropped the Rodney imagery and used a stacked wordmark logo instead.[6]
Sixteen months after the reevaluation announcement, the Blue Coats debuted a new primary logo at their 2021-22 season opener.[7] The new mark features a snarling horse walking on its rear legs with clenched fists, wearing a red, white and blue varsity jacket with patches that include the Philadelphia 76ers logo and the state of Delaware.[7] The design reflects Coaty, the team’s horse mascot introduced in 2019.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2018 Blue Coats identity was built around Delaware’s Revolutionary War heritage. The name referenced the 1st Delaware Regiment, and the logo’s depiction of Caesar Rodney’s horseback ride tied the team directly to Delaware’s role in securing American independence.[2] The branding was designed to extend the 76ers’ revolutionary theme into Delaware, creating a visual connection between the G League affiliate and its NBA parent club.[4]
The current logo, introduced in 2021, takes a more literal approach to the Blue Coats name. The horse wears a letterman-style jacket with the state of Delaware on the front and the 76ers’ “76” on the sleeve, directly linking the team to both its home state and parent organization.[9]
Typography and Design
The current primary logo is accompanied by a stacked wordmark featuring “DELAWARE,” “BLUE” and “COATS” in stylized uppercase lettering, with the number “76” integrated into the design.[9] The trademark filing describes the mark as consisting of the stylized words stacked vertically next to the design of a costumed horse walking bipedally and wearing a jacket with the geographic outline of the State of Delaware over the left breast pocket and the stylized numbers “76” on the left upper sleeve.[9]
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