The Nebraska athletic department unveiled a modernized version of its Herbie Husker logo earlier this week, as well as eight additional sport-specific iterations of the beloved mascot.
“Our fans are passionate about all things related to the Huskers, and they have a particular fondness for Herbie,” athletic director Trev Alberts said. “We are excited to present modernized Herbie Husker marks and logos and thrilled to unveil our new Herbie mascot at Saturday’s spring game.”
Herbie Husker was created by Lubbock, Texas, newspaper cartoonist Dirk West for the cover of the Cornhuskers’ 1974 media guide. He depicts a blonde-haired, blue-eyed farmer wearing blue overalls with an ear of corn in his pocket and a big red cowboy hat on his head.
Nebraska gave Herbie a full-body makeover in 2003, trading his blonde hair and overalls for brown hair, a red polo and blue jeans. However, that design was phased out by the end of the decade thanks to nostalgia for the vintage mark.
The original Herbie was holding a football in his right arm and making an “OK gesture with his left hand, a gesture that is commonly viewed as a way to indicate that “all is well” but has been recently classified as a symbol of white supremacy.
Nebraska made a slight alternation to the logo last year, changing the gesture to one that insinuates the Cornhuskers are “No. 1.” This change, which was done by the in-house design team, matched the logo for Herbie’s counterpart, Lil’ Red.
It was around that time that Nebraska began working with Torch Creative to develop the new logos, which also include updates to the logos for Lil’ Red and the Blackshirts, a term that dates back to 1964 and was inspired by the black jerseys the Cornhuskers’ first-team defense wore in practice.
“(We) worked to match (the athletic department’s) enthusiasm in creating a more contemporary look for Herbie yet harkens back to the original 1974 version,” Torch Creative said. “Much like that iteration, we hope the modern Herbie continues to represent the heritage of the university and its passionate fanbase.”
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