Alaska Nanooks is the name of the athletic program from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a public educational institution, founded in 1917. The program is composed of ten men’s and women’s sports teams, which compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the first and second divisions. The main Nanook discipline is ice hockey, and the hockey team is the only one in the whole program, playing in Division I of the NCAA. The name and visual identity of the program are also about ice and strength, just like hockey.
The original Alaska Nanooks logo unveiled in the 1960s was drawn by a student. He created an ink drawing of a polar bear inspired by one of Fred Machetanz’ paintings. You could see the letters “UA” with a bear walking on the forefront.
In 1975, when the university was renamed UAF, the letter “F” was added to the logo, while the shape of the bear was slightly altered. The 1985 logo was dominated by the words “University of Alaska Fairbanks” with three lines under them and a tiny bear to the right.
The emblem introduced in 1995-96 featured the university’s mascot, stylized aurora, as well as mountains and the ocean.
The following updates took place in 1997, 1999, and 2006 when the current Alaska Nanooks logo was introduced.
The history of the school’s men’s ice hockey team started in the 1925-26 season. The team played in Division I through the 1960s and Division II through the 1970s. Then, in the 1985-86 season, it returned to the Division I level. One of the latest achievements took place in 2010 when the team competed in their first-ever NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks sponsors a men’s and a women’s basketball teams. The teams play their home games at the Patty Center.