What’s unique about the Aquinas Blugolds? How about their nickname? It’s a color combination, and the only high school application of Blugolds at the high school level.

There’s a history of teams naming themselves after colors, especially pre-1910. The Cincinnati Reds and the old St. Louis Browns come to mind. (The Cleveland Browns comes to mind, too, but they weren’t quite named after a color. They were named after Paul Brown. But he was kind of named after a color. So, six of one…)

With Aquinas, my guess is it’s likely a reference to the main colors of the University of Notre Dame, playing into my theory that Midwestern Catholic athletic programs like to affiliate themselves with the Fighting Irish. I don’t know this to be true, but I also don’t think I’m wrong.

At any rate, sports branding of color instead of mascots has its challenges. It’s a more abstract  exercise than an animal- or occupation-based mascot.

Luckily, it’s St. Thomas Aquinas himself who does a big favor for us. For 800 years, he’s been associated with lightning. And lightning, as we all know, lends itself perfectly to sports. It’s fast, dynamic, unpredictable, and literally full of energy.

I came to the same conclusion as the designer of the previous identity, that a bolt of lightning should serve as the main element for the Aquinas Blugolds.