The History and Evolution of Arizona State University's Colors and Identity
Arizona State University (ASU), a public research university founded in 1885, has a rich history interwoven with its athletic program, the Arizona State Sun Devils. The university's colors, logos, and traditions have evolved over the years, reflecting its growth and transformation into one of the largest universities in the United States.
Early Years and the Adoption of Gold
Since 1896, gold has been the prominent color for ASU. Back in 1896, when the school was beginning to focus on athletic competition as a valuable tenet of the student experience, gold was selected to be our color. The color was chosen for the golden promise, treasure and sunshine offered by the then Arizona Territory. ASU: The Golden Promise. That is an awesome mantra for a football team, by the way. Sure, we've got maroon. Nowadays, we even have black. But there can only be one true color, according to Highlander -- and it's gold. Go forth, Devil fans.
The Sun Devils Nickname and Sparky's Arrival
Originally known as the Normals and later the Bulldogs, Arizona State adopted the Sun Devils moniker on November 20, 1946. This change came after frequent appeals to the student newspaper, the State Press. The choice of the Sun Devils was inspired by Arizona's climate and culture.
On a clear, sunny day in 1946, Arizona State College track coach Donn Kinzle was on an early morning run along the Salt River bed. A dust devil materialized, swirling and dancing above the sand and rock. At that instant, the idea for the Sun Devil was born.
To represent this new identity, Sparky the Sun Devil was created. Sparky, the Sun Devil mascot, was designed by Bert Anthony, a former Disney illustrator, in the late 1940s. However, he didn't make his first "in the flesh" appearance until 1951, sporting a satin jumpsuit, a long tail, and a pitchfork. Some experts consider him one of the earliest costumed sports mascots.
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The Evolution of the Sun Devils Logo
The Arizona State Sun Devils logo has undergone several transformations, yet it has maintained consistency in its color palette and central theme.
- 1980 - 2010: The logo featured a cartoonish devil, Sparky, holding a pitchfork. The devil was maroon, with a gold face and pitchfork, and white elements were incorporated.
- 2011 - Today: The logo shifted to a stylized gold pitchfork with maroon trim, set against a white background. This design retained the essence of Sparky while presenting a more modern and streamlined image.
In addition to the primary logo, ASU also utilizes alternate and secondary logos. The alternate logo showcases a stylized sun drawing with the "ASU" abbreviation in yellow at its center. The secondary logo depicts a caricatured Devil in a leaping pose, holding a trident, rendered in the program's official dark red and yellow colors.
Official Colors and Their Significance
The two official colors of ASU are maroon (Pantone 208) and gold (Pantone 123). Gold was chosen for the golden promise, treasure, and sunshine offered by the then-Arizona Territory.
Uniforms and Athletic Identity
All Arizona State Sun Devils athletes wear uniforms that reflect the university's recognizable identity and official colors. These uniforms unite the sportsmen, giving them a better reason to compete, fight, and win.
Football Uniforms:
- Color Version: Yellow pants and a burgundy jersey with yellow details, burgundy gaiters, and a yellow helmet.
- White Uniform: Burgundy detailing and pants, with burgundy player numbers on white helmets.
- Alternate Uniform: All black with yellow details and burgundy outlines.
Basketball Uniforms:
- Home Uniform: All white with burgundy stripes on the sides of the shorts and t-shirts.
- Away Uniform: Burgundy with yellow stripes.
- Alternate Uniform: Black with yellow details.
The helmet design of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team is stylish and sharp. The logo of the athletic program is placed on the helms horizontally, facing to the right, which creates a sense of speed and motion.
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Traditions and Spirit
ASU has a number of traditions that contribute to its unique spirit and identity:
- Gold Attire: At ASU games, the crowd is predominantly adorned in gold.
- "Fork 'em" Hand Sign: After the Sun Devils convert a first down, the crowd makes a pitchfork and points to the end zone.
- Sparky's Pushups: After the Sun Devils score a touchdown, the marching band plays the fight song, and Sparky does one pushup for every point on the scoreboard.
Athletic Achievements
The Arizona State Sun Devils are composed of 24 men’s and women’s teams, competing in various sports disciplines, including Baseball, Basketball, Track and Field, Swimming and Diving, and many others. ASU sponsors teams in 11 men's and 15 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, following the 2015 elevation of the men's ice hockey club team to varsity status. In the fall of 2015, Arizona State announced the addition of women's triathlon and women's lacrosse.
ASU has 25 NCAA team national championships, including baseball (five times), women's tennis (three times), men's gymnastics (one), men's track and field (one), men's indoor track and field (one), women's outdoor track and field (two times), women's indoor track and field (one), wrestling (one), men's golf (two times), women's golf (eight times), softball (two times), and men's swimming and diving (one). ASU also has numerous individual NCAA national champions in different sports.
Baseball
ASU is proud of its baseball team considering it one of the most successful ones in the US. It has won five national championships and boasts the third most College World Series victories with 61. They have competed in the NCAA tournament 40 times. ASU fields the more accomplished baseball team with five College World Series national championships (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977 and 1981) to the University of Arizona's four College World Series national championships (1976, 1980, 1986, and 2012).
Basketball
The Arizona State Sun Devils have appeared in the NCAA tournament 17 times, including 3 Elite Eights (1961, 1963, 1975). They have won 8 conference championships (4 WAC and 4 BOR) and finished in the final AP rankings 7 times. The highest national ranking the Sun Devils have achieved was No. 3 under Ned Wulk during the 1980-81 season when the starting lineup included Byron Scott, Fat Lever, and Alton Lister. Arizona State appeared in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament two years (1948 and 1953).
Read also: Understanding ASU Tuition
Women's Basketball
The Arizona State Sun Devils have appeared in the NCAA tournament 17 times, including 7 Sweet Sixteens (1982, 1983, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2019) and 2 Elite Eights (2007, 2009). They have produced WNBA talent such as Kym Hampton, Briann January, Dymond Simon, Monique Ambers, Promise Amukamara, Amanda Levens, Sophie Brunner, Emily Westerberg, and more.
Beach Volleyball
Arizona State began their Sand Volleyball program in 2014. It officially became an NCAA Championship sport in 2016, as they changed the sport's name to Beach Volleyball. ASU is one of nine schools to play Beach Volleyball in the Pac-12 Conference, along with Arizona, California, Stanford, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, and Washington.
Women's Gymnastics
Led by 30+ year coach John Spini, the Sun Devils women's Gymnastics team had many strong years over his reign with many all-American Gymnasts to Spinis credit as well as a facility named after him.
Women's Lacrosse
Arizona State University began their Women's Lacrosse program during the 2018 season. ASU is one of fourteen schools to have played Women's Lacrosse in the Pac-12 Conference, along with California, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, and USC.
Softball
One of the nation's founding programs, the two-time NCAA national champion Sun Devils are in their 45th season on the diamond. ASU has recorded twenty-seven seasons of 30 or more wins and twelve with 40 or more, including an all-time high of 66 wins in 2008. Prior to the existing NCAA format, ASU went to seven WCWS, claiming back-to-back national titles in 1972 and 1973. The Sun Devils capped off the 2008 season with their first WCWS NCAA national championship on June 3, 2008. On June 7, 2011, the Sun Devils captured their second NCAA national championship by defeating the Florida Gators.
Track and Field
Entering his 19th season, Greg Kraft is the head coach of the Track and Field team. During his tenure the Sun Devils have won 4 NCAA Championships, 32 NCAA individual titles and produced 13 Olympians.
Golf
In 1975, the ASU women's golf team won the AIAW national championship. The women's golf team has won 8 national championships (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2009, & 2017).
Wrestling
The Sun Devil wrestling team have captured one NCAA team national championship (1988) beating out powerhouse Iowa for the title, followed by two years of national runners-up in 1989 and 1990, losing out to Oklahoma State both years. Eight Sun Devil wrestlers have participated at the Olympics, most recently in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. There have been two Olympic silver medalists from Arizona State; Zeke Jones and Townsend Saunders.
Hockey
ASU announced plans to transition their ACHA men's hockey program to an NCAA varsity program on November 18, 2014. The ASU hockey team has a proud history of ACHA hockey. The highlight included winning the 2013-2014 ACHA National Championship, beating Robert Morris 3-1 to win its first national championship in hockey.
Rivalries
The annual football rivalry game between Arizona State University Sun Devils and University of Arizona Wildcats is known as "The Duel in the Desert." It is one of the most heated rivalries in college football. The trophy awarded after each game, the Territorial Cup, is the nation's oldest rivalry trophy.
Facilities
Arizona State Sun Devils athletic program is composed of 26 men’s and women’s teams in 18 sports disciplines, and for each of them, the university has a ground to train and compete on.
Mullett Arena
The Mullett Arena is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils ice hockey team. It is a modern facility, which opened its doors in 2022. Located in Tempe, Arizona, Mullett Arena has a capacity of 5 thousand seats, and apart from ice hockey teams, it serves as a home for gymnastics, wrestling, and volleyball sportsmen.
Desert Financial Arena
The Desert Financial Arena is a home for basketball teams of the Arizona State Sun Devils program. This multi-purpose arena, which was built in Tempe in 1974, also serves for various ceremonies and official events, as has quite a large capacity - almost 15 thousand seats.
Mountain America Stadium
The home for the Arizona State Sun Devils football team is the outdoor Mountain America Stadium. Opened in 1958, initially, the stadium had a capacity of almost 75 thousand seats, but in 2018 it was reduced to a bit more than 53 thousand.
Phoenix Municipal Stadium
The home for the Sun Devils baseball team is the Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the only facility from the list, which is not located in Tempe. The stadium opened its doors in Phoenix in 1964 and has a capacity of almost 9 thousand seats.
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