The Evolution of the Troy University Logo: A Visual History

The Troy Trojans, representing Troy University in Troy, Alabama, have a rich athletic history within the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. From humble beginnings to national recognition, the university's athletic program has evolved, and so has its logo. This article explores the visual journey of the Troy Trojans logo, tracing its evolution from its earliest iterations to its current form.

Early Days: Establishing a Foundation

Troy University's athletic program began with the goal of training teachers for Alabama's schools. The initial logos reflected this focus, with a simple design featuring an interlocking "TT." Two curved lines extended from each side, creating an oval shape, symbolizing strength and unity among teammates.

The Knight Helmet Era (1993-2004)

The first official logo featured an image of a knight's helmet with a black comb and a black-and-white visor. In 1993, the Troy Trojans logo was a simple yet powerful image of a gray and black metal helmet with some black details on its top parts, resembling Trojan legends. It had a black comb and a black-and-white visor. The image was accompanied by a bold “TSU” abbreviation written in dark burgundy underneath. The letters were placed arched - with the middle “S” a bit lower than two others.

The Trojan Warrior (2004-2008)

The redesign of 2004 made the Troy Trojans logo more ornate and complicated. It was a detailed image of the Trojan warrior in gray and burgundy. The warrior was wearing a weaving coat in red, which was accompanied by a gray and red banner with the wordmark on it. The banner was set in gray, with the massive light lettering in bold sans-serif, outlined in dark red. The “Trojans” part was written in white and arched on a burgundy ribbon under the gray stone badge.

Modernization and Simplification (2008-2016)

The current Troy Trojans logo looks more refined than its predecessor. The 2016 Trojans logo is a letter ‘T’, colored in white and gray and styled as an iron sword without a hilt. You can see the letter “T” stylized as a sword.

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The Current Logo (2016-Present)

The current Troy Trojans logo is a stylized letter "T" resembling a sword, colored in white and gray without a hilt.

Symbolism and Evolution

The evolution of the Troy Trojans logo reflects the university's growth and changing identity. The original interlocking "TT" emphasized unity and strength, while later designs incorporated the image of a Trojan warrior, adding a sense of power and tradition. The current logo, with its stylized sword, represents the Trojans' competitive spirit and determination.

A Legacy of Athletic Achievement

The Troy Trojans' athletic program has achieved significant success across various sports. The football team has won multiple conference championships and participated in prestigious bowl games. The baseball team has secured two Division II national championships, and the men's basketball team has made NCAA Tournament appearances. These accomplishments have solidified the Trojans' reputation as a competitive force in collegiate athletics.

The Troy Trojans are proud members of the NCAA and have a long history of success in collegiate athletics. In 1997 there were some minor changes made to modernize the look while maintaining its traditional roots; this included adding red accents around both sides of the “TT” along with two additional white stars above it representing excellence within academics as well as athletics at Troy University.

Sports Teams of Troy University

The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. Prior to becoming a member of NCAA Division One athletics in 1993, Troy University was a member of the Gulf South Conference of the NCAA Division II ranks. At the time, Troy's primary rivals were Jacksonville State University, Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama), and the University of North Alabama. The rivalry between Troy and Jacksonville State was arguably the fiercest of those. However, since Troy University moved to Division I-A participation in football and because Troy and JSU no longer share the same conference affiliation, this once heated rivalry has cooled significantly. Troy has Sun Belt rivalries with all East Division schools (Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and South Alabama).

Baseball

The Troy University baseball team won two Division II national championships in 1986 and 1987 under the leadership of baseball coach, Chase Riddle. In 2006, Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Bobby Pierce led the Trojans to a regular season conference title, conference tournament title, and an NCAA Regional appearance with an overall record of 47-16. The Men of Troy were the 2-seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional in 2006, defeating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles twice, but were eliminated by the Alabama Crimson Tide in the championship game. Following the season, Jared Keel, Mike Felix, and Tom King were selected in the MLB draft. In 2007 the Trojans went 34-27, finishing in a tie for second in the Sun Belt Conference, and were selected as a number three seed in the Oxford Regional hosted by Ole Miss. In 2011, the Trojans struck again by winning the Sun Belt regular season title and earning a bid to the Nashville Regional as a 3-seed. The Trojans defeated 2-seed Oklahoma State in the first round, but fell to 1-seed Vanderbilt and Belmont consecutively. The Trojans ended the 2011 season with a 42-17 record. Troy's highest rank of the season was #18 in the Baseball America poll. Troy once again won a regular season title in 2013, this time in a thrilling fashion. The Trojans played #18 South Alabama during the last series of the regular season. After losing the first game of the series, the Trojans went on to win the next two games and clinch a share of the Sun Belt title. They finished the regular season with a 39-16 record.

Men's Basketball

The Troy University men's basketball team is currently under the direction of head coach Scott Cross. The Trojans' last NCAA Tournament appearance was in the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as a 14 seed after winning the 2003 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The Trojans faced 3-seed Xavier in the first round, but the Trojans lost 71-59. They finished the 2003 season with a 26-6 overall record. In their most recent post-season appearance in 2010, the Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title but lost in the conference tournament final. The Trojan basketball team is recognized in recent Division I Basketball history for leading the nation in three-pointers from 2004 to 2006, making 1068 three-pointers over the course of 89 games (11.66 per game) during those three seasons. Troy's biggest claim to fame, however, is their game against DeVry Institute of Atlanta on January 12, 1992 when the Trojans came out victorious by the NCAA-record score of 258-141.

Football

Troy University has fielded a football team continuously since 1946. Troy University football began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football-only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. In 2001, Troy defeated Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi to notch the Trojans' first victory over a BCS level program. On September 9, 2004, the Trojans garnered the program's first win over a ranked opponent when they defeated then #17 ranked Missouri, 24-14, upsetting former Heisman-hopeful Brad Smith's Heisman Trophy chances. Three years later in 2007, the Trojans routed Oklahoma State at home by a score of 41-23. The Trojan football team made its first bowl game appearance in the Silicon Valley Football Classic against Northern Illinois University on December 30, 2004, but lost. The Trojans won their first bowl game on December 20, 2006 at the New Orleans Bowl against Rice University by a score of 41-17. The football program won five straight Sun Belt titles from 2006 to 2010, finishing their run in 2010 with a New Orleans Bowl win over Ohio by a score of 48-21. At the end of the 2014 season, longtime head coach Larry Blakeney retired from coaching. He finished his career at Troy with a 178-113-1 record, 8 conference championships, and 5 bowl appearances. Neal Brown was hired as head coach following Blakeney's retirement. After starting his first season ever as a head coach in 2015, going 4-8, he led a monumental turnaround for the football program in the 2016 season, as the Trojan finished 10-3, including a 28-23 win over Ohio in the Dollar General Bowl. During that season, Troy cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since the program joined the FBS in 2001. Chip Lindsey was hired after Neal Brown accepted the head coaching position at West Virginia in 2019. Lindsey had an overall record of 15-19 while at Troy. He was fired November 21, 2021 with one game left in the season. Sumrall previously served as assistant head coach under Neal Brown from 2015-2017. During his first season as head coach Sumrall lead the Trojans 12-2. The Trojans hosted Coastal Carolina for the Sunbelt Conference Championship December 3, 2022 where the Trojans took home a 45-26 victory. Following the championship victory, Troy was ranked No. 24 in the CFP Rankings. This was the first time the Trojans had been ranked by the CFP Committee in program history. Troy also earned a No. 23 ranking in the AP Top 25 and was also ranked No. 24 in the Coaches Poll. On December 16, 2022 Troy defeated UTSA in the Cure Bowl. The Trojans football team has won three national titles: 1968 (NAIA), 1984 (Div. II), and 1987 (Div.

Other Sports

The Troy men's golf team has a deep history of winning championships. A three-time NCAA national champion, the Trojan men were one of the most dominant golf teams in Division II, making 19-straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Golf Championships from 1975 to 1993. Troy's men's tennis team began to rise to prominence in the early 1990s, after finishing ranked #8 in the nation in the NCAA Division II ITA Rankings. Troy's track and field men's teams routinely feature some of the best athletes in the Sun Belt Conference, as well as the country. The Trojans men's cross country program has been a dominant team for many years. In 1997, the Troy University women's basketball team, under the direction of head coach Jerry Hester, won the Mid Continent Conference (now the Summit League) tournament championship in Buffalo, New York, and received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament where the Trojans traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia, and fell in the first round to the Virginia by a score of 96-74. Under current head coach Chanda Rigby, Troy has been to the NCAA Tournament twice and has won two Sun Belt tournament titles. Upon Troy University's athletics moving all sports to the NCAA's Division I in 1993, the Troy softball program was started that same year and officially began their first season in 1994 under head coach Melanie Davis. In just Troy's third season of playing softball (1996), the team managed to make history by winning their first ever conference title and receiving a bid to play in an NCAA Regional. The team finished the season with a 47-22-1 record, winning the Mid-Continent Conference regular season title and conference tournament title. The Lady Trojans would receive a bid to play in the NCAA Play-In Series versus Southeast Missouri State, where they would sweep the Redhawks by scores of 3-2 and 1-0. The ladies would then receive a bid to play in the NCAA West Regional as the #4 seed. In their first game against Arizona, the Trojans were outmatched, losing 0-8 to the Wildcats. The Troy women's volleyball team has won three conference tournament championships, one regular season championship, and two conference divisional championships in their history. The Troy men's and women's tennis teams have a short but successful history in the sport. The women have won conference championships in the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Sun Belt Conference and received national rankings in various years. Just like the men's golf team, the women's golf team has a deep of history winning as well. In the NCAA's Division II, the Troy State women's golf team was one of the strongest teams in the nation in the 1980s, winning three national championships in 1984, 1986, and 1989. Despite the shorter history of the women's team, they've established themselves as proven winners. Troy University had one of the top collegiate rodeo programs in the nation during its existence. In 2007, Troy calf roper Ben Mayworth won the calf roping national championship at the National Finals College Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. The Troy University women's soccer team began in 2003 when the stadium, Jesse H. Colley Track/Soccer Stadium, was first constructed, seating 500. Later, in 2010, the stadium was renovated to include a press box to be used by both the track and soccer team. The field, costing around $1 million to build, measures about 115 yards by 75 yards. The team plays in the Sun Belt Conference, along with: South Alabama, Georgia State, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, Louisiana, Texas State, Little Rock, and ULM. Though, they are currently last in the east division with four conference points, compared to the leader's, South Alabama's, twenty-four points. Currently the team is led by head coach Ged O'Connor, and assistant coaches Nicole Waters and the new addition Kayla Saager. Ged O'Connor, hired in January 2017, is just the seventh head coach.

Troy University: More Than Just Athletics

Troy University is a public university with its main campus located in Troy, Alabama. It was founded as a normal school in 1887 with a mission to educate and train new teachers. Over time, the school evolved into a four-year college and in 1957 the Alabama Board of Education adopted the name "Troy State College" and granted it the right to issue master's degrees. In the 1960s the college opened satellite sites in Montgomery, Phenix City, and Dothan to serve the military personnel posted at Maxwell AFB, Fort Benning, and Fort Rucker (now Fort Novosel). More sites associated with military centers located throughout the United States and abroad followed in the subsequent decades, as well as support centers for students and alumni unrelated to the military. As a leader in online education, Troy University began offering online courses in the Fall Semester of 1997. Troy University is known for its innovation in offering in-class and online academic programs in servicing traditional, nontraditional, and military students.

When created by the Alabama Legislature on February 26, 1887, it was officially named the Troy State Normal School. In 1957, the legislature voted both to change the name to Troy State College and to allow it to begin a master's degree program. On April 16, 2004, the board of trustees voted to change the name of the institution from Troy State University to Troy University. The Troy University System (formerly known as the Troy State University System) is a public university system in Alabama that coordinates and oversees the three branch universities of Troy University. The system was formed in 1982, as the campuses in Dothan and Montgomery were granted independent accreditation status. In April 2004, "State" was dropped from the university's name to reflect the institution's new, broader focus.

Campus Life and Traditions

Troy University's main campus is located near downtown Troy. The campus sits along rolling hills with many old oak trees present along the streets and throughout campus. The first two buildings that were built on campus were John Robert Lewis Hall (formerly Bibb Graves Hall) and Shackelford Hall, both of which are still standing on campus today. The Trojan Oaks Golf Practice Course, which used to be full-service, 9-hole, 3,211-yard golf course, is one of the pristine features of the campus with its rolling hills, oak and pine trees, and a creek running through most of the course. One of the favorite features of the campus is Janice Hawkins Park, which features an amphitheater, walking trails, a lagoon and several prominent art installations. Paved sidewalks curve throughout that park, and a pedestrian bridge straddles the lagoon on one end.

The Trojan Dining Hall is a large, two-story, restaurant-style collection of venues. The Trojan Center is the activity center on campus for students. Many recreational activities are available on campus. The Trojan Fitness Center offers fitness machines, free weights, and cardiovascular machines. Trojan Games recreation room has two billiard tables, two table tennis tables, and a foosball game. The Natatorium houses an eight-lane 25-yard (23 m) Olympic-style pool. The Recreation Center Gym has two basketball courts, a cardio room, a dance room, and a large outside pool. Wright Hall Gym, located adjacent to the Natatorium, offers a basketball court, two volleyball courts, and four badminton courts.

Trojan Arena, the newest facility on campus, is the home to the basketball, volleyball, and track programs, as well as being used for the university's commencement ceremonies and other special events with seating capacity of 6,000. The new Trojan Arena replaces the university's longtime basketball and events facility, Sartain Hall, which opened in 1962. Trojan Arena is equipped with 5,600 chair-back seats and several VIP suites and boxes. Under the main court is 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of basketball practice space. Beyond the normal concession area is a food court-style lounge and a simulated court area on the concourse. The arena includes seven upper-level suites and an exclusive Stadium Club area for donors, while also adding floor seating for students. Among the latest technology features of the new arena is a three-tiered rotunda at the main entrance, an interior concourse with concession stands, and a food court-styled dining center with various specialty food items. It features an LED ribbon board that panoramically encircles the entire arena with two 767-square-foot (71.3 m2) video boards that enhances the total sports gaming experience, the only one of its kind in the Sun Belt Conference.

The university is currently in the middle of building an exclusive $25 million recreation center for students. The 78,000-square-foot (7,200 m2) facility will be located in the area formerly known as the Sartain Hall parking lot, near George Wallace Drive. Twenty-three traditional Greek organizations are on Troy's campus. These six music organizations function under the supervision of the John M. Long School of Music. The school newspaper, the Tropolitan (commonly referred to as "The Trop"), is located on the bottom floor of Wallace Hall. It is a weekly publication, written and produced entirely by students. The Palladium is located in adjacent offices in the same building. Also located in Wallace Hall is Troy University Television, also referred to as Troy TrojanVision. Troy University Television broadcasts three live entirely student-produced newscasts twice daily. TrojanVision Global News, TrojanVision Midday & TrojanVision Nightly News. Troy TrojanVision also produces a 30-minute sports show, Trojan Sports Now, every week. TrojanVision streams live online and can be seen at the university's YouTube page.

The Sound of the South is the official marching band of Troy University. The marching band was established in 1939 and has been referred to by its current name since 1965. The band was named by John M. Long soon after he was hired as band director. The band, now boasting over 300 members on a regular basis, has enjoyed major success in performing at hundreds of marching band competitions, as well as dozens of different college and professional athletic venues. The band usually follows the football team to almost every away game, and has a smaller pep-band that plays at every home basketball game. It was during the thirty-two year tenure of Johnny Long, as he was commonly referred to, that the band program at Troy University established a prominent national reputation through its many featured appearances at music conventions, concert tours and recordings with the symphony band, as well as several nationally televised appearances with the "Sound of the South" Marching Band. The band's "trademark" piece that is played before every performance of the band is called "The Fanfare" and was written by John M. Long.

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