Hartford Hawks Logo PNG
Speed, quick reflexes, and efficient tactical decision-making are inherent to the “Hartford Hawks” and fully reflected in the logo. The mascot, adopted in 1984, accompanies the University of Hartford teams even in its new concise design.
Athletics at the University of Hartford began in the 1940s when it was still Hillyer College. Games were held on the fourth floor of the Chauncey Harris School, where fans climbed several stairways to reach the court known as the “Hawk’s Nest”. The Hawks’ nickname grew from that setting. In 1957, Hillyer merged with the Hartford Art School and the Hartt School to form the university while retaining its identity.
Basketball began in 1949 and moved to NCAA Division I after earlier success in Division II, including four straight tournament appearances from 1972 to 1975. Baseball produced Jeff Bagwell, who played from 1987 to 1989, earned All-American honors, and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox before a career with the Houston Astros and Hall of Fame induction in 2017. In basketball, Vin Baker played from 1989 to 1993, became the program’s top scorer, and was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, then went on to a 14-season NBA career.
The university moved to Division I in 1984 and later joined the America East Conference after several conference changes. Under Jen Rizzotti from 1999, women’s basketball won multiple titles, including a tournament win in 2006 and a 20-game streak in 2010. Some teams also competed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the Big Sky Conference.
In 2021, men’s basketball won the conference tournament as the No. 4seed and entered the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time, defeating Binghamton, UAlbany, Vermont, and UMass Lowell before facing Baylor. Soon after, the program announced a move to Division III, to be completed by 2025.
Meaning and History
The hawk image unifies all sports logos. The 1984-2014 version contains an abstract image of the bird. Jagged red lines form its silhouette. At the bottom is a filled rectangle with the white two-line inscription Hartford Hawks. The team introduced the new emblem in 2015. The emblem has two elements: the capital letter “H” and a hawk.
The “H” is red with a black outline, matching the university’s official colors. The horizontal bar is stylized as a bird’s head with a white eye and a large beak. Four stripes of varying lengths extend from it, creating a visual illusion of movement.
What is Hartford Hawks?
The Hartford Hawks are a sports department that unites 17 student teams from the University of Hartford. It participates in NCAA Division I competitions in West Hartford, Connecticut. The athletes compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
1984 – 2014
2015 – today
Hartford Hawks Soccer
One of the women’s team’s main achievements was participating in the 1992 College Cup. The team has been the America East Conference regular-season champion three times, the America East Tournament champion seven times, and the NCAA Tournament champion 13 times. The men’s team has won the America East regular-season title twice and the America East and NCAA Tournament titles four times.