Georgia State Panthers Logo PNG
The Georgia State Panthers logo resembles a child’s carnival mask. Despite its simple cartoonish style, the panther symbolizes danger. It menacingly hisses, displaying sharp fangs and pressing its ears against its head. Its appearance conveys: do not attack me, or I will retaliate. Through this image, sports teams demonstrate their readiness for tough competition.
Georgia State University began in 1913 as an evening college in downtown Atlanta. Early teams in the 1940s were called Owls. From 1947 to 1963, they used Ramblers. In 1963, a student vote introduced Panthers as the school’s mascot, and the school entered NCAA Division I.
Basketball gained traction under Bob Reinhart. After a 2:26 season, the team won the 1990–91 TAAC tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. As a No. 16 seed, Georgia State faced Arkansas under Nolan Richardson, with players traveling by MARTA instead of charter flights.
In 1997, Charles “Lefty” Driesell became head coach. In 2000–01, the team won 29 games, ranked among national leaders, and returned to the NCAA Tournament with a first-round win. Driesell later closed his career with 786 victories and entered the Naismith Hall of Fame.
In 2009, the university launched a football program. The first game in 2010 ended 41:7 against Shorter Hawks. By 2013, Georgia State moved into FBS, competing in the Colonial Athletic Association in football, while other teams joined the Sun Belt Conference.
In March 2015, Ron Hunter coached from a stool after an Achilles injury, as his son, R.J. Hunter, hit a late three-pointer to beat Baylor 57:56. The Boston Celtics later drafted him. In 2016, Turner Field, the former home of the Atlanta Braves, was converted into Center Parc Stadium.
Meaning and History
The blue panther depicted on many emblems represents the mascot Pounce. The 1993 drawing was quite caricatured: a red circle featured the animal’s head and a paw with a raised finger. After the logo redesign in 1997, the style remained unchanged. Artists turned their heads in profile and removed the other elements. The same applies to the 2002 version: the panther received a smirk, and the inscription “Georgia State” completed it.
The first significant change occurred in 2009. The updated design lost its previous cartoonishness. The animal looked unrealistic, but the image no longer resembled a caricature. The team name shifted down. In 2014, another similar emblem appeared, featuring the panther’s head and the words “Georgia State,” underscored by a wide red line.
What is Georgia State Panthers?
The Georgia State Panthers is the athletics department of Georgia State University, located in Atlanta. It includes 15 student teams that are the founders of the Sun Belt Conference. Almost all its representatives compete in NCAA Division I.
1987 – 1994
1994 – 2002
2002 – 2009
2009 – 2012
2012 – 2015
2015 – today
Georgia State Panthers Basketball
The men’s basketball team participated in two CollegeInsider.com tournaments, five NCAA tournaments, and the National Invitation Tournament twice. The women’s team was less active: It played in one AIAW tournament, three NCAA tournaments, and one women’s NIT.
Georgia State Panthers Baseball
Georgia State University established its baseball program in 1956. The team was quite successful: the athletes twice became Sun Belt Conference champions and advanced to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament in 2009.