The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the athletic teams of the University of Montana in Missoula, competing in the Big Sky Conference. The university’s visual identity is built around a family of marks, including the Griz script, the Montana Grizzlies wordmark with a charging bear, a paw, an interlocking UM, and vintage marks such as the Slobbering Bear. [1]
Design and History
The Grizzlies’ primary logo has evolved through several distinct phases. The earliest documented mark, used from 1954 to 1966, was a simple black-and-white illustration of an upright growling grizzly bear, with many variations appearing during that period. [2] A 1966 redesign introduced a cartoonish brown and yellow grizzly with a widely opened roaring mouth, which remained in use until the early 1980s. [3]
In 1982, the program adopted a more serious and realistic brown-and-black drawing of a grizzly bear as its sole emblem. [3] The 1996 redesign featured a realistic grizzly bear walking forward with the team name above it. [3] A 2012 revision lightened the brown shade of the bear’s fur and refined the lettering above the animal, correcting the Z’s and adding more kerning. [4]
In 2014, the maroon color used across the logo system was changed. [4] The maroon Griz script became the team’s primary logo, [5] while the Montana Grizzlies wordmark with the walking bear continued as a secondary mark. The prowling Griz logo remains a central element of the identity, appearing at midfield of Washington-Grizzly Stadium. [6]
One notable vintage mark is the Slobbering Bear, nicknamed “Otto.” Originally a basketball logo featured at center court of Dahlberg Arena and on basketball accessories in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, it was retired when UM officially switched back to maroon and silver as its spirit colors in 1996. [7] The mark made its football helmet debut in 2025 as part of a throwback uniform celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1995 National Championship. [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The grizzly bear is the central symbol of the University of Montana’s athletic identity, appearing across multiple marks including the charging bear, the prowling Griz logo and the vintage Slobbering Bear. [1] The university’s official trademark guidelines list the Griz script, Montana Grizzlies with Charging Bear, Paw, interlocking UM and vintage marks such as Slobbering Bear as protected logos. [1]
The “Lady Griz” designation for women’s teams maintains brand continuity with the Grizzlies identity. In 2025, the program introduced a new Lady Griz logo that adapts the standard Griz script with “Lady” connected above it. [8]
Typography and Design
The current primary logo is the Griz script, a handwritten-style wordmark that appears in maroon. [5] The Montana Grizzlies wordmark logo, used since 2014, features “MONTANA” and “GRIZZLIES” in block lettering. [9]
The official spirit colors are Montana Maroon (Pantone 208, hex #660033) and Montana Silver (Pantone 423, hex #999999). [10] Montana Brown (Pantone 463) is used specifically for the bear logo. [10] The university’s brand guidelines specify that UM graphic designers use maroon 209 (Pantone Matching System) and silver or gray, with silver achieved through a 40 percent screen of black, Pantone 423 or Pantone 877 metallic silver. [11]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
