Jacksonville Dolphins Logo PNG
The Jacksonville Dolphins logo resembles a ship confidently staying afloat. The emblem reflects the university’s location and the athletes’ qualities: unity, mutual support, agility, and fearlessness in the face of storms.
Jacksonville Dolphins athletics began in 1934, when Jacksonville Junior College opened in Florida. Early sports were limited mainly to campus competition. After the school became Jacksonville University in 1957, the dolphin became the athletic symbol, referencing the nearby St. Johns River, while green and white became the official team colors.
Men’s basketball developed under Joe Williams, who became head coach in 1964. He worked with a recruiting budget of only $500 and taught five courses alongside coaching. Jacksonville entered NCAA competition in 1965. The roster later added 7-foot-2 center Artis Gilmore from Gardner-Webb and guard Rex Morgan, who averaged 26 points per game in 1969.
The 1969–70 season brought the program national recognition. Jacksonville finished the regular season 23–1, then defeated Western Kentucky, Iowa, Kentucky, and St. Bonaventure to reach the championship game. The Dolphins scored over 100 points in three tournament games before losing 80–69 to John Wooden’s UCLA. They ended the season 27–2, and Gilmore set a national rebounding record. Williams returned to Furman after the final.
Jacksonville moved to Division I in 1971. Gilmore later joined the Kentucky Colonels and won the 1975 ABA title. The Dolphins entered the Atlantic Sun Conference in 1998, opened Swisher Gymnasium in 2013, added beach volleyball in 2016, and closed their FCS football program in 2019 because of financial limits after more than two decades of play.
Meaning and History
What is Jacksonville Dolphins?
This is a team with green and white colors and a dolphin mascot performing in NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun Conference. She represents the university’s athletic programs in Florida. The team participates in basketball, rowing, baseball, soccer, and track and field, taking advantage of the university’s coastal location in Jacksonville.
1995
The team’s logo was created after the university became a College of Liberal Arts. It features the initials of the institution’s name, with a yellow dolphin splashing in the waves between them.
The choice of the dolphin symbolizes the spirit of a liberal arts institution, emphasizing harmony, intelligence, and friendliness. The dolphin’s yellow color is associated with the Sun Belt Conference, in which the university’s athletic teams compete.
The thin lines of the letter glyphs reflect elegance and grace, giving the logo a sense of lightness and style. The green color in the design reinforces the idea of life, growth, and progress, reflecting the university’s history of transformations, including numerous changes and relocations since 1934.
The name “Dolphins” is tied to the proximity of St. Johns County waters, where many dolphins can be seen during migration. Students were inspired by dolphin qualities such as strength, agility, and teamwork.
1996 – 2018
The emblem was redesigned to meet modern standards and give the image a realistic touch. The dolphin was rendered with a natural coloration, making its depiction more vivid and lifelike.
The university’s name, featured on the emblem, was emphasized with a bolder font. This added prominence and expressiveness, drawing attention to the institution’s importance. The dark green color in the design conveys the university’s status and traditions, while the black outline highlights determination and stability, reflecting the institution’s character.
These changes were made to prepare for the transition to the Atlantic Sun Conference, which required enhanced visual identity and an emphasis on the university’s prestige.
2018 – today
The team’s emblem is designed in the style of a ship. The symbols include small projections resembling flags on a mast. The lower parts of the letters are adorned with gold, symbolizing the reliability and strength of a ship’s keel. Waves are depicted on the logo, gently touching the stern, creating a sense of movement. Beneath the image is the word “Jacksonville,” which frames the composition and reinforces the association with a boat.
The design conveys the concept of unity and cohesion, referencing the image of Noah’s Ark. It also reflects the campus’s geographic location in Arlington, surrounded by beaches and bridges. The design concept aligns with the university’s well-known publications: JU Navigator, The Wave, and Riparian.