Like famous alum Brett Favre, Southern Miss might be switching jerseys soon.
The Hattiesberg school could be forced to spend thousands of dollars to change its nine year-old logo because of a legal challenge brought by lawyers from the University of Iowa.
The Clarion-Ledger reports Iowa officials believe the Golden Eagle logo is too similar to its own Hawkeye emblem. A three-judge panel in the United states Patent and Trademark Office agreed, ruling 2-1 in favor of Iowa, thus denying USM's trademark application.
Southern Miss. could appeal the decision which was made by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C.
The eagle head logo is painted on the artificial turf in the football stadium and on the basketball court. It also appears on the pants worn by football players and on Southern Miss merchandise.
School officials say the teams will continue to wear the logo until the legal matter is completely settled.
