Macomb Community College unveils new athletics logo

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel (left) and Macomb Community College President James Sawyer (right) unveil the new logo for the Macomb Monarchs. (PHOTO COURTESY MACOMB COMMUNITY COLLEGE)

By BRAYDEN MCATAMNEY

Macomb Community College is putting a face to its name.

For the first time since coining their “Monarchs” name, the school revealed a logo to go with it on Wednesday, July 17.

The logo features a front-facing lion baring its fangs with a three-pronged royal crown atop its mane to “symbolize Macomb’s athletic prowess” and royalty. The lion’s face is white with royal blue outlining.

“When I first heard we were the Monarchs, I didn’t really know what that meant, because there was nothing associated with it,” said freshman women’s basketball player Carissa Hankins. “We’re the Monarchs, but we’re not a butterfly. So, what are we? Nothing came to mind.”

Designed entirely in-house by the school’s graphics department, the logo is meant to create a strong brand and identity for the Monarchs, which uses a lion as a prominent symbol to signal strength, power and courage. Macomb hopes to use those traits along with protection, family and resilience to signify its values.

“Our new Monarchs logo provides an identity for our student-athletes to rally around,” said Director of Athletics Bryan Rizzo. “The traits the lion symbol embodies reflect the strength and resilience we work to foster within each Macomb student as an athlete, as well as attributes that will help support them as they pursue education, career, family and community life.”

Not only does the new logo give a unified face to the athletic programs, it gives them more of an unique identity compared to the old “block M” logo they had previously been using – an icon that is most commonly associated with the University of Michigan, not Macomb.

Baseball coach Taylor Grzelakowski said that the logo will bring another dimension to the athletics department and that it will “pique the interest of parents, players, audience and everyone involved.”

“The traits of a lion would be tough, fierce, defending their territory and also family,” said head cross country coach and former Macomb student-athlete Matt Fecht.. “I think that describes the program we’re trying to build with the cross country program. We’re making a family atmosphere. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to be tough.”

The logo will be used to represent the Monarch’s baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and volleyball teams. They have won six NJCAA championships, 57 regional titles and 61 MCCAA regular season championships with 241 NJCAA All-Americans.

The school plans to make merchandise featuring the new logo available online soon.