The Ohio Bobcats are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The university adopted “Bobcats” as its athletic nickname through a campus-wide contest in 1925, and the mascot, Rufus, takes its name from the bobcat’s species name, Lynx rufus, as well as from Rufus Putnam, a co-founder of the university.[1]
Design and History
The current primary athletics logo is the “Attack Cat,” which features a bobcat head in front of the arched “OHIO” wordmark.[2] The Attack Cat was created in 1996, when officials in the Ohio University Athletics Department commissioned an outside firm to design a new logo.[3] In 2002, the university selected the Attack Cat as its official logo, replacing the OU Paw, a bobcat pawprint mark that had served as the official athletics logo since 1978.[3][4]
In February 2026, Ohio University announced a move to a one-logo system, retiring its academic wordmark and adopting the arched OHIO as the primary mark across both academics and athletics. The arched OHIO, previously used exclusively for athletics, was updated to add the word “University” underneath in the brand’s custom font.[5] Ohio Athletics continues to use the arched OHIO lockup featuring the Attack Cat as its primary logo, while also adopting the stand-alone arched OHIO for more frequent use.[5] Aaron Harden, Ohio University’s Senior Director of Creative and Brand and a 2007 graduate, served as lead designer for the new one-logo project.[5]
The updated logos were rolled out across Ohio University websites and social media accounts on April 17, 2026, with the athletics website updated as part of a larger redesign launching May 6, 2026.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Attack Cat logo combines an illustration of the bobcat mascot with the arched “OHIO” wordmark. The design was praised by HubSpot art director Tyler Littwin for its integration of illustration and type, noting that “the whiskers create a nice baseline for the arced text” and that “the bobcat is recognizable and ‘Ohio’ is still 100 percent legible.”[3]
The Bobcat Paw Print, which served as the official athletics logo from 1978 until it was replaced in 2002, remains in use as an alumni affinity mark. The paw print should always be angled at 45 degrees with the toes toward the east, described as “forever forward.”[4]
Typography and Design
Ohio University’s primary logo consists of the arched “OHIO” with “University” sitting underneath in the brand’s custom logo font.[7] The university’s official brand colors are Cutler Green (PMS 342, Hex #00694E), Under the Elms (Hex #024230), and Cupola White. Cutler Green should be the dominant color, with Under the Elms and Cupola White used as accents.[8] Logos should appear in a single primary brand color: Cutler Green, Under the Elms Green, or Cupola White.[7]
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