'An exciting day': St. Francis reveals new nickname during ceremony
· Yahoo Sports
LORETTO, Pa. – St. Francis University's year of major change added another one Wednesday morning.
As the athletic department makes the transition from the NCAA Division I level to Division III, the school unveiled a new mascot as a way to flash forward and align with the move as well.
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A video shown inside DeGol Arena unveiled Red Wolves as the new nickname, replacing Red Flash, while using the same color scheme of red, white and black. A warm reception followed as many current students and alumni were in attendance to celebrate the next chapter of St. Francis athletics.
"This fall, we're going to be Division III so the reclassification process has begun," St. Francis President the Rev. Malachi Van Tassell said. "We wanted to have a new mascot, new branding for the new era of the university. We decided to go with the Red Wolves because of the Wolf of Gubbio and the history that has Franciscan heritage. St. Francis became the Wolf of Gubbio, and so we thought what better animal to represent us as a mascot than the Wolf of Gubbio?"
St. Francis, which hinted at a nickname change earlier this week on social media, will compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, which includes Allegheny, Bethany, Case Western Reserve, Chatham, Franciscan, Geneva, Grove City, Hiram, St. Vincent, Thiel, Washington & Jefferson, Waynesburg and Westminster.
The Red Flash nickname had been in place since 1972. Before that, St. Francis was known as the Frankies from 1938-72. The origin of the Red Wolves is tied to St. Francis.
The inspiration for the Red Wolves comes from one of the most powerful stories of St. Francis of Assisi and his encounter with the Wolf of Gubbio. The town of Gubbio was once terrorized by a fierce wolf. Fear divided the community, and no one felt safe. Francis approached the wolf not with fear, but with compassion and courage. He tamed the wolf, forging a bond of mutual trust between the animal and the townspeople. The wolf, once a symbol of fear, became a symbol of peace, community and harmony.
Alums Luke McConnell, the school's men's basketball coach, and Randy Wilson – Central Cambria's athletic director, guidance counselor, cross country and girls track and field coach – spoke during the event along with Athletic Director Jim Brazill.
Central Cambria High School art teacher Brian Dumm designed the new logo, which honors the rich history of St. Francis.
Within the wolf is a flash as a tribute to the school's history of excellence, pride and perseverance as the Red Flash. The wolf's right ear features the Holy Trinity, three intentional indents representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Also, the black background in the wolf's ear resemble pine trees, a nod to "the college among the pines." The site of DeGol Field – which is home to the field hockey, football, lacrosse and track and field teams – was known as the Pine Bowl. The white in the wolf's ears forms the shape of angel wings, symbolizing the school's Franciscan tradition and the protection and guidance.
"It took about six months to develop the logo itself because we had to decide on which design method to go with," Brazill said. "Did we want it facing forward? Do we want the side view? Did we want the mouth open? Or mouth closed? It took a lot of time to make that decision."
The mascot reveal was not initially planned with the transition.
"This was not initially part of the Division III reclassification discussion," Van Tassell said. "This actually came about several months ago at the behest of the athletics department. It was really their idea. I was really happy to hear that they were embracing the reclassification and that they wanted a new mascot for a new era. They proposed the idea. They worked with a designer. This really is an exciting day for St. Francis University. This is a great news event as we start a brand-new era at St. Francis."
To align with the school's move to Division III, it was decided a new mascot should be put into place before the fall semester.
"There were some people on campus who thought that maybe we should wait until we're fully Division III and do the transition of the logo in two years when we're able to win championships," Brazill said. "We said as we're beginning to play a Division III schedule now, let's make the change now."
Enthusiasm filled the gym as young and old members of the St. Francis community expressed optimism as the Red Wolves embark on a new journey in Division III.
"There was a lot of excitement in the gym today," Brazill said. "I wasn't sure if the alums would be excited about it, but today, I got the impression that everyone loved it. We're looking to continue the legacy of the Red Flash and honor and respect the foundation that the student-athletes have built over the years and our alumni. We're looking to build in the future."