Miami's U logo

[tater]

Anybody know how the Miami Hurricane's U logo came to be?

Really, couldn't any university go with a U? Or maybe it's not a U at all, I don't know.

Help me. I need answers.

[mac756]

Well Miami refers to themselves simply as "The U"

So Im guessing they use the U logo just because they call themselves "The U"

[kubanito]

This is from the University of Miami official athletic website:

The "U"

In 1973, UM?s Athletic Federation, the fund raising arm of the athletic department at the time, commissioned a local public relations expert to develop a distinctive logo. The University had gone several years with a variety of helmet and uniform changes and the Federation noted that a number of major colleges have the initials UM. Miami designer Bill Bodenhamer suggested the "U" idea, which lent itself to slogans like "U gotta believe" and "U is great".

[bhambruiser]

U is great??

Obviously they weren't concerned with sounding smart at all

[BBTV]

U is great??

Obviously they weren't concerned with sounding smart at all

I am so smart!

I am so smart!

S-M-R-T...

I mean S-M-A-R-T...

[hormone]

Wow, I heard somewhere it's an old hurricane symbol or logo or something. That's kinda of lame to have a U for university. Do any of the local Miami High Schools have HS as their logo?

[Shmee]

It's actually very unique. Look at Michigan and Minnesota, the two other big UM's... they both use an M as their logos. Miami went a different route.

In addition to that bit about about "U Gotta Believe" and "U is Great" Miami is going with a similar advertising campaign this year, using the question "How do you do the U?".

Other tidbit: UM gets its colors from those of an orange tree... Green for the leaves, White for the blossoms, Orange for the fruit.

[winghaz]

I think the U on the Miami helmet is about as clever as state universities that just put an S on their helmets.

And then I find out it's from "U Gotta Believe" and "U is Great"? Sheesh.

But for what it's worth, it is a nice looking U.

[cincodemayo1]

Well at least we didn't put the "S" or "M". It's definitely unique. I can't think of any other school that has a U on their helmet for that reason.

And we had the U up on the helmet long before we started calling ourselves "The U". I think Ed Reed or Ray Lewis started that.

Oh, FYI, I went there...hence the "we" and "ourselves".

GO CANES!

[slapshot]

U is great??

Obviously they weren't concerned with sounding smart at all

Has that ever been a concern at Miami?

[winghaz]

I always thought the Minnesota Gophers, North Dakota State or the University of North Dakota should have a U on the helmets ... for U betcha.

[Discrim]

South Florida expanded on the idea a bit when they introduced their current logo last year (or two years ago, I forget which): they too use a U, and it's fashioned after a bull head.

[VitaminD]

I don't know how much this has to do with the logo or anything else, but I remember hearing once that part of the reason the "U" is so prominent at Miami is that they were the first university in South Florida, and since the school wasn't founded until 1925, they wanted to remind South Floridians that the region had university-level higher education. I could be wrong, but our neighbors growing up were mega-UM boosters, and that's where I got it.

[iccomics]

funny logo from the U.

[tajmccall]

That "the U" stuff is funny. I think most major markets consider their college 'the u'

i know both publications in the twin cities consider our U of M to be 'the U.'

To try to push that nationally is just funny.

Now THE ohio state university makes sence, because it reminds the 40 Ohio Universtiy fans and alumni who the real Ohio State U is.

[andrewharrington]

Well now, I think you've got it wrong, taj. You may be THE Ohio State University, but we are Ohio, THE State University. I mean, this t-shirt graphic speaks for itself.

[bhambruiser]

U is great??

Obviously they weren't concerned with sounding smart at all

Has that ever been a concern at Miami?

touche

[statebully]

i have always heard the U was an old hurricane symbol. i really don't think it was used for the other reasons you guys have mentioned.

[WSU151]

i have always heard the U was an old hurricane symbol.  i really don't think it was used for the other reasons you guys have mentioned.

If the U was indeed just an old hurricane symbol, then I really don't think Miami's official athletic website would list those reasons as why the U came to be the logo. I'm pretty sure the earlier posts are correct - the "U is great" and "It's all about the U" are what Miami's site lists.

Also, I've never heard of a U being a hurricane symbol anyway (hurricanes are circular in nature, so why a U?), but who knows...the outlined squares have always been the most common hurricane symbol.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

With my newfound knowledge of "THE U!!!!11" I can now just record Raw and I have a good "Anti-Miami Chant"

"U Suck....

U Suck....

U Suck..."