Origin of the Lancer Logo
In 1953 Worcester State College was known as Worcester State Teachers College. In those days, the nickname was "teachers", a practical yet unimaginative mascot. The baseball and basketball uniforms in those days did not bear the nickname "Teachers", but simply read "State" across the chest. This bothers John Mockler, the first Athletic Director and catalyst for most of the men's sports at Worcester State.
"Most of the teams we played were also state colleges and they also had 'state' in their uniforms. If we played Lowell State, the next day in the paper it read 'State beat State," Mockler once said.
So that was when Mockler decided that his teams needed a new identity; something to seperate Worcester State from the rest of the pack. At the time the Massachusetts State Seal was the logo for the Athletic Department stationary. What else could he use?. It was then that he looked at it and saw a Native American holding a Lance. It was in that key moment that the idea for the "Lancers" was born.
He approached the student body and the Mens Athletic League about the change. The board reminded Mockler that another local college had a similar mascot; the Holy Cross was represented with a Crusader. Mockler responded that the Lancer would be a very different mascot.
Being the only physical education teacher on campus, Mockler knew many of the students. He commissioned the school newspaper artist to draw the first Lancer. He gave him two very specific instructions: Mockler knew that the Holy Cross Crusader stands with a sword pointing up in a resting position, so he wanted his new creation to be mounted on a horse (as pictured) with a lance pointing out in a jousing position.
The students, the athletic department and the board loved the Lancer. The name was then put on the uniforms and the logal replaced the state seal on the departments official letterhead. In 2000, the Lancer logo was updated by former men's soccer coach Dave Morris. But despite that change, the logo that Mockler came up with is synonomous with the name of Worcester State University today.
Researched by Head Mens Basketball Coach Dave Lindberg
Pictured Below: Sampling of the new and updated athletics logos that were used by the Worester State Athletics Department from 2000 until 2010
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