By the time Anaheim’s Central School was built and began holding high school classes in 1898, sports teams were being formed and cross-town rivalries were quickly established.
In 1900, football begins with the first recorded game played against Fullerton at Anaheim on Nov. 6. Anaheim wins 2-0. Local sports reporters began referring to Anaheim High teams as the “Mother Colonists.”
It wasn’t until November 1922 that an official mascot name was selected by Anaheim High’s staff and student body. In a spirited contest, the three top name choices were the “Homers,” “Pioneers,” and “Colonists.”
The school newspaper reported “At first the name “Homers” vied with “Colonists” in popularity. “Pioneers” was also popular. But “Colonists” was the final choice as the appropriate, dignified name for the representatives of the “Mother Colony.”
While the name was select, there was no visual depiction of the Colonist mascot until Principal Joseph Clayes, a talented artist who first joined the school staff as a teacher of art and commerce, designed the first logo of a pilgrim profile embedded in the book-topped laurel wreath.
The Colonist logo first appeared on page 2 of the 1928 yearbook with a copyright notation. The Colonist pilgrim logo made its initial appearance on a yearbook cover the following year.
Prior to Claye’s design, the school’s logo (or crest) was a laurel wreath, topped by an open book, surrounding the school’s initials of AUHS. (Initially, the school’s name was Anaheim Union High School. Union was dropped in the 1960-61 school year as Anaheim was no longer the only high school in the district.
At some point, the Colonist mascot was named “Clem.” Then a “Connie Colonist” came on the scene.
In the 1960s,
Clem Colonist took on a whole new look, resembling the City of Anaheim’s “Andy” mascot, which was designed by a Disney artist. While no documentation has been found to support this for the Anaheim High logo, the style certainly supports the claim. This mascot design has Clem leaning on a blunderbuss, a gun often associated with the Plymouth Colony Pilgrims.
In 1970, Vice Principal Gary Lindell created the Colonist shield logo, which is probably the most well-known design. It incorporates the tag line “Home of Champions,” reflecting the school’s numerous sports championships.
Yet another design, the “charging mascot,” was introduced in the 2000s. This logo is attributed to the Super Bowl success enjoyed by the New England Patriots. Many high school teams across the country began using variations of the “Patriot” logo. Anaheim follow
ed this trend with a design that has the Colonist mascot charging with an AHS-adorned flag. (This is standard clip art with the AHS or Colonist name inserted and not an originally crafted design.)
Just two years away from the school’s 125th anniversary, the evolution of the logo design continues.
The AHS Alumni Association recently learned of another Anaheim High graduate who competed as an Olympic athlete, increasing the Colonist Olympian count to six.
A bit of fun trivia has come to light with the recent death of Jerry Lewis. Did you know that Anaheim High has a connection to this comedy great through Class of 1933 graduate Marie Wilson?
