Long Beach State University Athletics, based at California State University, Long Beach, has competed under the 49ers nickname since the university’s founding in 1949. The athletic department unveiled a refreshed visual identity in July 2014, introducing a new word mark, font, and refreshed logos while maintaining the familiar interlocking LB monogram and the popular Beach script. The team nickname for all sports except baseball remains the 49ers, with baseball teams known as the Dirtbags. [1]
Design and History
The 2014 refresh was developed in partnership with Andy Hoang, Associate Vice President for University Relations and Communications, and his campus team. Director of Athletics Vic Cegles stated that the department maintained the integrity of the LB monogram and kept the Beach script because those traditional marks were important to supporters, while the changes were prompted by a need to attract student-athletes and enhance the brand. [1]
The changing of the classic interlocking LB allowed for a separation of identity from other local schools that use the traditional design, while not deviating from a classic look associated with Long Beach State. The refresh also added two new elements: a tertiary mark and a script used in identifying the school in a word mark, on team uniforms, and on apparel. [1]
According to the Long Beach Post, the athletic department’s new moniker became “Beach” (dropping “The”), with the nickname for all sports teams excluding baseball remaining the 49ers. The intertwined LB monogram continued as a staple of the school’s athletics teams with minor changes to keep the logo fresh. [2] The Daily Breeze reported that a slight design adjustment was made to the font and the iconic LB logo used by all Long Beach State programs. [3]
The 2014 changes were part of a broader shift that began earlier. According to the Long Beach Post, the university had been phasing out the 49ers moniker and Prospector Pete mascot since 2013. By September 2018, Andy Hoang and his staff had been working with the athletic department for two years to rebrand sports teams without the 49ers mascot, resulting in the BE/CH logo as their look for the future. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 49ers nickname references 1949, the year the university was founded. [1] The mascot, Prospector Pete, was a reference to the California Gold Rush of 1849, which also inspired the nickname. [3] The California Faculty Association noted that the university worked to address the problematic mascot “Prospector Pete” with truth-telling, and the association condemned the 49ers moniker and mascot as representing a genocidal history against Indigenous peoples in California. [5]
The athletic department’s official colors are black and gold. [6] The university’s trademark licensing materials confirm that athletic teams are known as the 49ers and the Dirtbags (baseball only). [7]
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