Temple Owls Logo PNG
Ironically, the Temple Owls now use a stylized, straight-line “T” logo instead of an owl. The bird emblem became a thing of the past when it was decided to replace the outdated 1990s design.
Temple University teams have been known as the Owls since the university’s early years. Founded in Philadelphia in 1884 by Russell Conwell as an evening school for working people, the institution adopted the owl as a symbol of night learning. Cherry and white became the official team colors.
Football began in 1894, when physical education instructor Charles M. Williams formed an eleven-man student team. The Owls earned their first win against Philadelphia Dental College and first played mostly regional schools. A new period began in 1925 under Henry “Heinie” Miller, then expanded in 1933 when Glenn “Pop” Warner, already famous from Pittsburgh and Stanford, became coach.
In 1934, Warner led the Owls to an unbeaten regular season with seven wins and two ties. The team was invited to the first Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1935, in New Orleans, where it lost to Tulane, 14-20. In 1936, the Owls appeared in the AP Poll. Warner left after six seasons with a 31-18-2 record.
Basketball gave the school another national mark in 1938, when James Usilton’s team went 23-2 and won the first NIT by beating Colorado, 60-36. The Owls later reached the NCAA Final Four in 1956 and 1958 under Harry Litwack and won the NIT again in 1969. Women’s lacrosse, founded in 1975, won NCAA titles in 1984 and 1988. Football joined the Big East in 1991, moved through the MAC, returned in 2012, and then entered the AAC in 2013. In 2016, Matt Rhule’s team beat Navy 34-10 for the AAC title.
Meaning and History
The name “Owls” has been used by Temple University teams for a long time. The owl became the institution’s mascot in the 1880s when an evening school was opened in the basement of the Baptist Temple for young men who worked during the day. Because they attended night classes, they earned the nickname “night owls.” This bird symbolizes knowledge, wisdom, and good luck. In Greek mythology, she was the second incarnation of the goddess Athena; in Chinese philosophy, she is considered a magnet for abundance and prosperity.
The owl appears on many Temple Owls logos, but teams now prefer another symbol: the Temple “T.” In 2020, the university’s athletic department recalled its old emblem and gave the stylized “T” a second life.
What are Temple Owls?
Temple Owls are Temple University’s sports teams and are affiliated with NCAA Division I. Most compete in the American Athletic Conference, including men’s and women’s soccer, rugby, basketball, and tennis. Many university alumni are Olympic champions, reflecting student-athlete success.
1964 – 1972
In this logo, a frowning and tired owl sits on the letter “T,” clawing at it with long fingers and sharp claws. The artist depicts the beak, ears, and forehead as a single solid figure with protruding corners, and the eyes as half-lidded, surrounded by concentric semi-rings. The bird’s torso appears velvety due to its uneven spots. The owl’s plumage is gray, with burgundy used for all contours and shadows. The inside of the “T” is white. The block lettering with massive rectangular serifs makes the letter look like a stable pedestal.
1972 – 1983
The designers changed the logo’s emotional coloring, adding more aggression. The raptor is now depicted full-length: it is about to land, its paws out in front and its wings spread. The flapping feathers are outlined but not detailed, and the plumage on its chest resembles scales. The owl’s head and beak are poorly drawn, though the main elements are present. The artist emphasized the sharp claws to convey the danger posed by the nocturnal hunter. They used white for the bird and maroon for all the outlines. This emblem version was first featured in the 1972 Basketball Media Guide.
1983 – 1996
In 1983, the “T” symbol from Temple was created. Graduate students in the Tyler School of Art who studied design and graphics worked on it. They formed the “T” from several white lines, combining them into three right-angled figures, and placed one extra short stripe at the bottom. The result was a letter with empty tunnels inside. In this version, it is placed inside a dark red rectangle.
1996 – 2014
In 1996, artists depicted a burgundy owl flying and flapping its wings. With its outstretched paws and open, predatory beak, it looks like it’s about to attack its prey. The speed lines add a sense of movement. Because the design is cartoon-style, the wings curve unnaturally upward. The bird’s silhouette is outlined in black. The paws, beak, and feather dots are gray, and the claws and eyes are bright yellow. A tiny “T” appears on a feather on the right side. Above, the sports team’s name appears in a large, triangular serif font. The first line is the gray word “TEMPLE,” and the second is the white “OWLS.”
2014 – 2017
The designers removed the barely noticeable “T” on the wing and refined the inter-letter spacing in the “O” to enhance the three-dimensional effect. They also changed the font of the word “TEMPLE” to use rectangular serifs instead of triangular ones.
2017 – 2020
In this version, the sports team’s name is the main element. It takes up most of the space, with an owl’s head peeking out from above, only half visible. The bird stares fiercely to the right, with bright yellow eyes, and shows a gray, hook-shaped beak. The lettering is sharply outlined, as in the previous logo.
2020 – today
Since all the owl emblems were overloaded with fine detail and didn’t adapt well to modern digital spaces, Temple Owls executives decided to bring back the sporty symbol and add a “T”. But they swapped the colors, making the main lines cherry and placing them on a blank white background.
The rebranding was done because the old owl symbol had become obsolete and had acquired many unofficial variations. This hurt the Temple Owls’ visual consistency. In addition, the 1990s style, with its many small details and five colors, didn’t translate well to modern mobile screens. So the designers turned to the classic “T” and presented it cleanly and freshly. The letter’s pen ends symbolize freedom of thought, and its clean lines inspire a sense of power.
Font and Colors
The current sports team logo has no lettering unless you count the hand-drawn glyph, which only remotely resembles a “T.” The palette is also very simple. It includes the university’s official colors: cherry (shade PMS 201; HEX #9d2235) and white.