Howard Bison Logo PNG
The logo designed by Howard Bison deserves the status of the “most horned” sports emblem, as its central image is a bull, terrifying, ominous, and mystical. This animal symbolizes the strength and power of Howard University students. The second pair of horns belongs to the inscription above the emblem. Sharp protrusions enhance the sense of danger.
Howard University was founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C., two years after the Civil War, as a center for African American education. Athletics began in 1893 and became part of campus life on “The Hill.” In 1912, Howard co-founded the CIAA with Hampton, Lincoln, and Virginia Union, shaping early HBCU competition.
The first national title came in men’s soccer. In 1974, Howard won the NCAA championship. The team also reached the College Cup final in 1988 and placed third in 1972 and 1975, while NCAA rulings later vacated titles from 1970 and 1971. In 2022, the university formally honored the 1974 squad.
Men’s basketball competed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for years, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 1981 and 1992, losing to Kansas in both. In 2020, five-star recruit Makur Maker chose Howard over Power Five programs, pointing to a shift in recruiting paths.
Under Kenneth Blakeney, the program advanced. In 2023, Howard won the MEAC regular season and tournament, returning to the NCAA Tournament after 21 years and again facing Kansas. In 2024, the team repeated the title.
In 2026, Howard claimed a third MEAC title in four years and beat UMBC 86:83 in the First Four, marking its first NCAA Tournament win. That same year, the women’s team also won MEAC and earned a No. 14 seed, the highest in program history.
Meaning and History
The previous emblem was used from 2002 to 2014. It featured the silhouette of a running bison. A red stripe with the inscription “Bison” stretches from the white horn from right to left, gradually expanding and adding dynamism to the image. The style is close to minimalism: the design has no unnecessary details that distract from the central image.
Following a major 2015 logo redesign, Howard University introduced a new sports logo. Now, the lower part is occupied by the head of a bison, and team names occupy the upper part. The word “Howard” is written in small red letters. “Bison,” on the contrary, is immediately noticeable due to the original font with horn-like serifs and diagonal strokes in the middle of “B,” “S,” and “N.”
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The Howard Bison is an athletic team representing 21 student teams from Howard University in Washington, D.C. The athletic department is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Among the most renowned teams are the football and basketball teams.
1948 – 1974
1974 – 2015
2015 – today
Howard Bison Basketball
The women’s basketball team has won ten MEAC tournaments and participated in the WNIT twice. The men’s team has won the regular-season conference championship four times, the conference tournament championship three times, and has participated in the NCAA tournament twice and the CBI once.
Howard Bison Soccer
Howard University acquired a football program in 1965. The current coach is Phillip Gyau.