UConn on Thursday unveiled a "more fierce, more angular, almost wolf-like Jonathan Husky dog with piercing eyes" that will replace the "fluffier, friendly-looking pup that has been the university mascot since 2002," according to Kathleen Megan of the HARTFORD COURANT. It is all part of UConn's "new institutional branding and marketing program that includes a new, blockier UConn logo, as well as the mascot makeover." Both the new husky dog and the new UConn logo were "designed for free by Nike at the request of the university's athletics division." UConn's student-athletes "wear Nike brand uniforms and footwear." UConn has been working with Nike to "evaluate all parts of its brand, including word marks, logos and uniforms, for 14 months." The Jonathan Husky image was first adopted in '34 and "has changed five times since then." The "most recent update" occurred in '02. The new husky image will be "introduced on team uniforms in the fall, but the new logo will begin to appear on athletics facilities this month" (HARTFORD COURANT, 4/12). In Providence, Mike McDermott notes the logo was "supposed to be released at a press event scheduled for April 18, but an image of it appeared, apparently by accident, on a website selling UConn merchandise." It "quickly spread Thursday to UConn chat rooms and other Internet sites" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 4/12).
