What is the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Logo?
Climbing Bear on OU logo in Oakland Gold and Tan introduced in March 1998 as Oakland University athletics transitioned to Division I and became the Golden Grizzlies.
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When Oakland University decided in 1997 to move its athletics program from NCAA Division II to Division I (in 1998), all aspects of the program were examined, including its mascot, the Pioneers. When looking for a new mascot, the Mascot Advisory Committee established specific criteria and Pioneers failed to measure up in many ways. The committees criteria included that the new mascot be animal-based, tough, unique, have regional ties, be collegiate, have graphic potential and be gender- and race-neutral. Pioneer Pete couldnt stand the test of time. He was neither gender- nor race-neutral, a problem many students wanted resolved. Golden Grizzlies met the committees criteria and when logo images were created, it quickly became the favorite choice among all groups tested. Before becoming the Golden Grizzlies, OUs nickname was the Pioneers, and the unofficial mascot was Pioneer Pete. Pete started out in the 1950s as an aerospace pioneer, but when a student drew a buckskin-clad Pioneer Pete, the image stuck.
