The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams of Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. The university’s teams have been known as the Redbirds since 1923, when athletics director Clifford E. “Pop” Horton and Daily Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young collaborated to change the school’s unofficial nickname away from “Fighting Teachers.” Horton wanted “Cardinals,” but Young changed the nickname to “Red Birds” to avoid confusion with the St. Louis baseball team. Over the next decade, “Red Birds” morphed into “Redbirds.”[1]
Design and History
Early versions of what might be considered a Redbird logo began appearing by the 1930s. The first renditions either borrowed heavily from the St. Louis Cardinals or were realistic illustrations of a cardinal in a tree. By the 1960s, four bulked-up birds joined together to spell “ISNU” on their shirts. The bird wearing “N” disappeared after “Normal” was dropped from the university’s name in 1964, and this design eventually gave way to anthropomorphic birds dribbling a basketball and carrying a football.[1]
It was not until the “thumbs-up” bird came along in the early 1980s that the university settled on a standard redbird logo.[2] That logo served the program for about 15 years before Illinois State Athletics retired it after two years of study and design.[3]
The current redbird head logo was unveiled on January 20, 1996, and today stands as the primary logo for Illinois State Athletics.[4][1] The mark was designed by Chris Henwood, a graphics artist at JanSport Inc. in Appleton, Wisconsin, with external advice and contributions from JanSport.[4][3]
In 2005, Illinois State unveiled an enhanced version of its athletic logo. The updated mark, designed by Eric Rickabaugh of Rickabaugh Graphics, was introduced to complement the previously designed Redbird head mark and provide versatility.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Redbirds nickname references the cardinal, the state bird of Illinois.[1] The official athletics colors for the university are Redbird Red (PMS 186) and White, with a secondary color of Redbird Yellow (PMS 108) and a support color of black.[5]
In 2025, Redbird Athletics unveiled a refreshed look for Reggie Redbird, the university’s mascot. The updated mascot design project was led by Illinois State University Marketing & Communications in partnership with Redbird Athletics. The goal was to make the mascot look more like the iconic Redbird head logo while keeping it friendly and inviting for younger fans.[1]
Typography and Design
Illinois State’s athletics brand standards specify that “Illinois” and “State” must always appear in the same font size and style and be the same color as each other, and that “Redbirds” is always one word. The Redbird head should appear with a white eye and black pupil, and when used on black or dark backgrounds, “Illinois State” and “Redbirds” become red while the Redbird head is rendered with a white outline.[6]
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