New Chaminade Red Devil Logo
As everyone knows, Chaminade is looking to change its current logo into a newer, more updated version. We talked to Mr. Winkler, ’05, who is in charge of the project, to understand why this logo change is happening, and what to expect with the new logo.
The inspiration for this new logo came from the fact that we don’t see the current Red Devil logo around campus very often. It’s only on a couple of clothing items and accessories in the spirit store. Athletic uniforms rarely use the logo as well, with hockey being the only team that uses it as their primary logo. Mr. Winkler said, “When I was a student, there was a Red Devil hanging in the gym. There was a Red Devil hanging in the atrium. The most popular hoodie on campus was a red Chaminade hoodie with a giant red devil on the back. It was everywhere.”
While he was doing the surveys at lunch, Mr. Winkler said, “a surprising number of students (primarily middle schoolers), asked what the current red devil looks like. I even had a staff member asking me what the current Red Devil looks like.”
The discussions of a new logo started in the fall of 2022, and that was just among the administration. The initial conversations were “about brand standards across all athletic teams and creating something that all athletic teams could use so that there was more uniformity across all teams.”
If you look at all our sports teams now, each sport has its own logo. There is no standard and no connectivity. Mr. Winkler says that “it all feels very disjointed.”
Last year, the Chaminade administration began meeting with alumni and members of the Chaminade family to discuss the possibility of a logo change. Their feedback was gathered, and they also researched how other schools have updated their logo and branding throughout the years. After they had an idea of what they wanted to do, they started looking into potential designs.
Mr. Winkler asked Mr. and Mrs. Laury to recommend some of their best art students for this project. One of the students, a member of the Class of 2024 that was recommended was very enthusiastic and had some ideas of his own. He was provided with some direction on what Chaminade was looking for and came up with several different drawings. Those drawings were taken and given to a graphic designer to make them look more professional and print ready.
Mr. Winkler says, “We are looking at more than updating our athletics logo. We are looking at creating a whole set of branding standards for athletics, meaning official colors, official fonts, official wordmarks, and an official logo. If we are given the go-ahead, we hope to have everything ready to go for the start of next school year.” Each team would have a guide to follow as far as fonts, logos, and colors. The changes wouldn’t be immediate as new jerseys cost money and each team is on their own rotation as far as when they get new equipment, but Chaminade would work with Mr. Fernandez and all the coaches on what a timetable would be.
In the next 5-10 years, Mr. Winkler hopes that “the logo and brand standards we come up with are accepted and promoted by everyone. I hope it’s something that everyone in the Chaminade community is proud of, while keeping the legacy and meaning of the Red Devil alive for another generation.”
History Behind the Red Devil Logo
Did you know that Chaminade’s beloved Red Devil mascot almost didn’t exist? Since 1910 the school has seen a variety of mascots come and go, each with their own story. Most people now, when they hear about Chaminade College Preparatory School’s mascot, think about the Red Devils and the Flyers. However, this wasn’t always the case. There was a period around 1920 when the athletes called themselves the “Cardinal and White Warriors.” Eventually, in 1925, the different divisions within the school decided to have a contest to decide on a mascot. Some of the options included “Cubs, Tom Cats, Bulldogs, and Buckaroos.” After this contest, the men of Chaminade were known as the Bulldogs for about a year before the change to a more well-known mascot.
The “Red Devil” was referenced in many articles when referring to the athletes. The event that got the name to stick was a Cardinal and White article in 1930 that was titled “The Red Devils swamp CBC, 27-0.” That season, the football team went undefeated, leading to many teams adopting the Red Devil as their mascot. Despite the popularity of the Red Devil amongst the students, the name “Flyers” gained popularity following the name change of Denny Road to Lindbergh Boulevard. During World War II, a picture of a bomber plane was adopted as the school’s mascot. Regardless of the change, the idea of the Red Devil never faded.
In 1964 legendary Coach Don Ohlms asked an art student to draw a sketch of a Red Devil. Ohlms knew that a physical logo would rally the students for a change of mascot. The artwork was an absolute hit, and the Red Devil once again became the primary logo. However, just like in years past, the Flyer eventually grew in popularity and became the main mascot again. Finally, in 1997 the popular Red Devil logo was brought back, and despite push back from certain groups has been here ever since.
In a 1997 edition of the Cardinal and White, the logo is described as “an image of a strong, masculine, fierce fighter with athletic prowess. It connotes tradition and is a reminder of a strong, powerful history of Chaminade.” Today, the Red Devil serves as a powerful symbol of Chaminade’s rich history. The logo not only shows a fierce devil but also contains hidden details. If you look closely, in the left ear you will notice an uppercase “S” and right below it an “M.” These two letters represent the Society of Mary highlighting the fact that Chaminade is a faith-first school.
