The Youngstown State Penguins are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. The university’s official athletic colors are red and white, as listed on the athletics department’s official quick facts page.[1] The Penguins nickname dates to December 1933, when it was formally introduced in the campus newspaper, The Jambar, at the beginning of the 1933-34 basketball season.[2]
Design and History
The current primary logo for Youngstown State athletics is a block, asymmetrical “Y” in red with white and black outlines, introduced in 2007.[3] The mark replaced a long-running penguin design that had served as the primary logo since 1979.
That earlier primary logo was a roundel featuring Pete the Penguin at its center, with “Youngstown State University” and “Penguins” in white lettering on a red ring. It was drawn by Bill Oakley, a member of the varsity soccer team, and introduced by the YSU Athletic Department in October 1979.[4][5] The roundel remained the primary mark until 2007.[3]
Before the roundel, the earliest documented primary logo, used circa 1953 to 1959, depicted a black penguin known as “Pete” wearing a white college sweater with a red “Y” on the front.[3]
In 1993, the university went through a rebrand that introduced a scowling penguin design as well as a new “Y” logo. The penguin version remained in use as an alternate mark, while the “Y” was later elevated to primary status in 2006 or 2007, depending on the source.[6][3]
Penguin designs have continued to appear in secondary roles. Beginning with the 2022 season, Youngstown State football has worn an oversized Pete the Penguin design on its helmets for select games each fall, in place of the traditional “Y” mark.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Penguins nickname originated on January 30, 1933, during a men’s basketball road trip to West Liberty State in West Virginia. According to the university’s official account, a spectator watching players stomp the floor and swing their arms said they looked like penguins, and the name caught on with fans and the team.[2] Youngstown State is the only NCAA Division I program in the country with a penguin for a mascot and the nickname Penguins for its athletic teams.[8]
Typography and Design
The athletics department specifies official brand colors for all Youngstown State logos and Pete the Penguin reproductions: PMS 186 Red, PMS 128 Yellow, Black, and White.[9] The university’s Office of Marketing and Communications maintains a brand repository with downloadable assets for the university logo, college logos, and Pete the Penguin.[10]
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.
