Concordia University student-athletes have been known as the Cougars since October of 1933. Until then, no official nickname was used, and teams were commonly referred to as Concordians, Maroons, Foresters, Teachers and/or Pedagogs.
The student body led the process in 1933 to select an official nickname. A ballot was provided for students to suggest three names, with the following considerations:
- Characterize the teams' fighting qualities, speed and courage
- Avoid a name already in use by any of the other Chicagoland schools
- Select one that Concordia would always wish to use.
Thirty-one suggestions were received, and a second ballot was distributed with the three most popular nominations - Cougars, Maroons and Foresters. The results were printed in The Spectator, and Cougars was selected with 43 percent of the vote. The many reasons for choosing the Cougar were summed up in The Spectator editorial entitled "The Fighting Cougar":
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"The cougar is no piker! He is a powerful mountain-lion; muscular, tireless and sure-footed, he makes a fierce and relentless fighter. He isn't afraid to tackle some large-sized foes...When he makes a charge, it's time to look out. 'He can take it' - and give plenty, too. He is apt to be a dangerous opponent at any time, for he feels right at home under many different conditions.
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Yes, a worthy namesake for Concordia's teams he is - this felis cougar."
In the 1960s, the mascot adopted the name Charlie T. Cougar. His initials (CTC) mimicked the acronym for Concordia Teachers College, the University's name at the time. Students first began to dress in Charlie T. Cougar costumes around the time of Concordia-Chicago's 100th Anniversary in 1964. "Charlie T." has been personified in various ways over time including homemade costumes, masks and face paint. Today, Charlie T. Cougar is portrayed by a current student that has been recruited by the Athletics Department for prolifically demonstrating his/her Cougar Spirit.
The Cougar head icon was developed more recently by Jim Braun BA '71. "As an alumnus and former athlete, I already had (the logo) in the back of my mind before I came back to River Forest in 1983 as head football coach," said Braun. "I was coaching at Concordia St. Paul (MN) at the time, and art students started to share some ideas inspired by (other schools) as a starting point."
The uniqueness of Concordia's new icon quickly gained the appreciation of many Cougar fans, especially when compared to other colleges. "Lots of schools used the letter "C" as the feature point, but that didn't make much sense to us," notes Braun. "We felt we were better off using some form of a Cougar."
In the fall of 2018, the University updated its logo and trademark to coincide with the 85th birthday of Charlie T. Cougar. "This is so much more than creating a new logo; we are creating a brand for Concordia athletics," said Jeff Hynes, Vice President for Student Life and Intercollegiate Athletics. "A brand that is rooted in tradition, by building off our previous logo that we have used for more than 30 years, as well as being intentional about connecting with our Christian mission."
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