49ers Alternate Logo

For many years, Long Beach State University has been proud to call the 49ers their home team. With such a long and storied history, it's no surprise that the school's athletics program has gone through several logo changes over time. From its original iteration in 1949 to its modern-day look, we take a look back at the history of Long Beach State’s alternate logos.

The first official logo for Long Beach State was designed in 1949 by local artist Don O'Connor as part of an effort to increase school spirit among students and alumni alike. The design featured two crossed swords with "LBSU" written across them – a nod to both college athletics and military service – along with three stars representing California’s state flag colors: red, white, and blue. This iconic image would remain unchanged until 1967 when it was replaced by another classic design featuring an orange sunburst behind “49ERS” lettering on top of black background; this version is still used today as one of LBSU's primary logos but only occasionally appears on uniforms or other athletic apparel due to copyright issues associated with its use outside university grounds/events (i.e., professional sports teams).

In 2002, however, things began changing again when new designs were introduced for all LBSU sports teams including baseball (the Dirtbags), basketball (the Blackbirds) soccer (the Sharks) volleyball (the Stingrays), etc. Each sport now had its own unique insignia which could be seen prominently displayed throughout campus buildings or worn proudly during games/matches! As these designs became more popular over time they eventually started appearing alongside traditional ones like those from '67 - making up what we now know as our current mix-and-match setup where different versions can be found depending on context/usage needs such promotional materials vs game day apparel etc.

One thing is certain though: no matter how much times change there will always be something special about seeing that familiar orange sunburst whenever you spot someone wearing any type of gear related directly back home here at the beach!