Why USC tail feathers are something to crow about

With USC’s parents weekend and Saturday’s home football opener, people will no doubt notice the distinctive Gamecock tail feathers on signs, banners and more in and around campus.

The man who may have had a bit of an influence on bringing a spotlight to tail feathers is Joe Long, a former University of South Carolina cheerleader turned graphics designer.

Long first came up with the motif after a conversation in 2011 with then-USC marching band director Steve McKeithen. McKeithen and then-dance team director Katie Hilliger asked Long to design a new uniform for the Carolina Coquettes.

Long – who has designed uniforms off and on for a number of teams for more than 30 years, including for USC cheerleaders when he was on the squad in 1984 – happily took the challenge, ultimately creating a costume incorporating tail feathers.

“My eyes were starving for a new expression of Gamecock spirit that was distinctive, iconic and new to the game day experience,” said Long. “When I started sketching on the uniform I was looking at the [USC] logo and those feathers really inspired me. Their energy; they remind me of flames. So I just blew them up and exploded the concept across the uniform, presented that and they loved it. They wore it in September 2011 for the first home football game and it was a hit. Everybody loved it.”

“When the dancers came on the field you knew who was in the house. Boom! Those tail feathers are so ubiquitous and so Carolina that you just know,” he said.

Fans will see those uniforms – along with new tail feather flags carried by the color guard – periodically this season, too.

While not the first use of tail feathers in a design – among the earliest was in 2001 wrapping a university bus still in use today, according to USC spokesman Jeff Stensland – Gamecock tail feathers have moved front and center in some prominent ways.

They’re flapping in the wind on car flags. They’re on clothing. They’re displayed on banners and billboards. Most recently, the plumage was included in the design of the USC Alumni Center, where tail feathers’ carved out curvature in the second-floor ceiling is back-lit for added flair.

Tail feathers also are prominently displayed as part of the university’s “No Limits” campaign.

That campaign, first launched in 2012, was created to “honor the individuals who work, study, teach and graduate from our university,” according to a USC web page. Banners and billboards around campus display inspiring quotes from many who have walked the hallowed bricks of the Horseshoe, with the tail feather image symbolizing courage, strength and unity among all Gamecocks.

Stensland echoed that sentiment, noting “No Limits” has not only been a successful branding for the school but brought together the university’s outreach.

“Traditionally, universities have maintained somewhat distinct visual identities for academics and athletics,” said Stensland. “When ‘No Limits’ was being developed, the thought was to find a way to infuse a sense of spirit into our academic branding. That’s where the tail feathers came in. It’s unique, visually pleasing and easily recognizable to our supporters. With the launch of ‘No Limits’ we began to use the tail feathers extensively.”

That’s something Long, too, likes to see.

“Historically athletics has had its own logo, the Block C and the Gamecock, and USC academics has had their own logo with the Palmetto tree and the gates,” Long said. “But the thing about the tail feather is that it transcends that. It’s being used as branding for as much academics as athletics.”

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Why USC tail feathers are something to crow about."