Uniforms and logos are an essential part of sports teams and are created with the intention of representing the city and state of their respective teams. More than a uniform: How culture influences the creation of Arizona sports logos and jerseys presents a look at the conversations and processes undergone before teams are able to unveil their new threads. Four local professional teams are involved with this project: Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes and Arizona Cardinals. Members from each of the organizations were interviewed, in addition to Greg Fisher of Fisher Design. Information was gathered from each of those interviews in addition to research done on the history of each of the team’s uniforms. The information was then created into a documentary that consists of visual and verbal components. The film highlights how each team attempts to represent Arizona and its culture when it comes to what they are wearing on the field, court or ice. The interviews capture the mindset of creative teams as they explore growing new ideas and looks, in addition to a historical delve into two of the team’s debuts in the 1990s. Many of Arizona’s sports teams have much more behind their logos and jerseys than meets the eye. The project taught me how adapt broadcast skills into documentary style storytelling and how important visuals are for longer features. The interviews showed that so many things are taken into consideration when designing a sports logo or uniform and the process can take either months or years to finally reach fruition.

Frank Joseph Kush is best known for his outstanding achievements in football, both as an All-American player at Michigan State University and as the head coach of ASU. Upon completion of his two-year commitment to the U.S. Army, Dan Devine, Head Coach at Arizona State, offered Frank an assistant coaching position in 1955 where he served as an Assistant Coach until 1958 when Dan Devine left and Frank assumed the role of Head Coach until 1979.

Quinton Bogart came to ASU in 1970 from Texas Southmost College, a community college in Brownsville, Texas where he had been President. He joined the Center for the Study of Higher Education, now called Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, in the Education College. Quinton’s area of interest was community colleges and the important role they play. Universities and Community Colleges are often in competition and this interview shows how he was able to work for both sides: helping community college districts, developing future community college teachers and administrators, and working to smooth the transfer from community colleges to Arizona’s universities. Quinton discusses working with President Michael Crow to have the Retiree’s Association officially recognized as part of ASU.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Jack Kingsinger started his career fresh out of high school as a navigator in the Air Force toward the end of World War II. When the war ended, he pursued a double major Bachelors degree in Chemistry and Mathematics at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. He then went on to get a Masters degree in Chemistry from Cornell University. While working in private industry, he took advantage of the education benefits offered by the company he was working at and worked at getting his PhD in Chemistry from Penn. Academia was calling him, so he joined the faculty in the Chemistry Department at Michigan State. He later became the Chair of the department before leaving to become the Director of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation. He returned to Michigan State as the Assistant VP of Research which led to becoming the Associate Provost.

His journey to Arizona State University was actually initiated on a trip he made to visit the Chemistry Department as part of his role with the NSF. He was very impressed with the campus and when the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs opened up, he was quick to pursue it. He was hired by then President J. Russell Nelson and worked on many initiatives until his retirement.

Paige Mulhollan came to ASU in 1978 as ASU’s first Provost. He left in 1985 to become President of Wright State University in Ohio. Paige discusses the impact of Frank Kush’s firing on President John Schwada and the birthing of ASU West. At several points Paige discusses the need for ASU to take advantage of Phoenix rather than just being located in Phoenix. Aspects of the University budget are discussed. There are a set of ASU reflections and reflections on an academic career.

Marigold Linton, Director of American Indian Programs at ASU Polytechnic campus, came to ASU with her husband Bob Barnhill in 1986 and stayed for twelve years. During her twelve years Marigold worked sequentially as Director of Educational Services in the College of Education and then the Mathematics Department before moving to the ASU Polytechnic campus.

Marigold is an enrolled member of the Morongo Band of American Indians and grew up on the Morongo Reservation in southern California. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Riverside and a PhD in experimental psychology from UCLA. While at ASU and later at the University of Kansas she was engaged in creating, sponsoring, and directing a wide variety of programs aimed at helping Native American Indians be successful in their educational efforts. She was an active member of SACNAS (see Note 2 below)