Cougars Primary Logo

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars have a proud and storied history in NCAA athletics. As one of the original members of the Ohio Valley Conference, they have been competing at the highest level since 1948. The school has seen great success over its long tenure, including multiple conference championships and numerous individual accolades. But what many may not know is that their primary logo has also gone through quite an evolution over time!

In 1965, SIUE adopted its first official logo: a shield with three stars in it to represent each branch of service (Army, Navy & Air Force) which was meant to honor those who had served during World War II. This design would remain unchanged for nearly 20 years until 1984 when it was updated slightly by adding “Cougars” above the shield as well as some other minor alterations to make it more modern looking.

In 2007 another update took place where once again minor changes were made such as changing colors from black/red/white to blue/gray/black; however this version still kept true to its roots by keeping most elements intact including stars inside shield shape and “Cougars” text above them all while introducing new font styles for lettering along with some additional details like stripes on the outside edge or small pawprint underneath words which helped give overall design more personality than before!

Finally after almost 30 years without any major changes being made finally came 2019 when the current iteration got released - here main difference lies within how the cougar itself looks now; instead traditional cartoon-like creature we can see a much more realistic animal standing proudly atop a mountain peak symbolizing strength determination needed to succeed both academically athletically at the same time! All these modifications resulted in an emblem that perfectly encapsulates the spirit the university stands for today so no wonder why students and alumni alike continue to show immense pride every chance get to wear apparel featuring an iconic visual identity wherever go...