EMORY, Va. - As the new academic year ramps up at Emory & Henry University, the Department of Athletics has been buzzing behind the scenes to introduce a new Wasp icon as it enters into full NCAA Division II membership in the South Atlantic Conference.
The logo replaces the previous Wasp icon which has been the secondary mark for Emory & Henry Athletics since 2013. The "E&H Shield" will remain the primary logo for Emory & Henry and the new Wasp will be used to strengthen the University's athletic brand.
"We mean business," said recently minted Director of Athletics, Kyle Sensabaugh '14. "Our new Wasp icon makes that clear with its fierce and fighting attitude. Our teams are ready to compete and win and we wanted an updated graphic identity that said as much. Our students coming in for fall sports are prepared, trained and ready to compete."
The football team earned the nickname Wasps when the team traveled by train to Knoxville, taking on the University of Tennessee, on September 24, 1921. That game is remembered for two events in college football history, the first being that the Vols faced the E&H in the first-ever game on Shields-Watkins Field (now Neyland Stadium), according to former SID Nathan Graybeal.
In the game, the heavily-favored Volunteers managed only a 6-0 halftime lead, mainly due to a ferocious E&H defensive unit. Knoxville newspaper writers tagged Emory & Henry as the Wasps as its defense looked like wasps swarming on defense and covering the ball, wearing their blue-gold striped socks and blue-gold striped jerseys with stripes on the chest and sleeves. While Tennessee won the game 27-0, Emory & Henry won a new moniker, one that stuck and which was officially adopted by the College - the Wasps.
The Emory & Henry mascot, Stinger, was recently featured on America's Funniest Home Videos, "Animal Edition" which aired across the world in 2022. Research shows that Emory & Henry is the only college or university in the United States with the Wasp as its nickname - not to be confused with a bee or hornet. Stinger is a fan favorite at games, events and local parades.
New Wasps spiritwear is now available at The Merc in Emory or online at https://bookstore.ehc.edu/home.aspx. Vendors who are interested in obtaining the icon mark can register here: https://clc.com/home/get-licensed/.
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