While the first team under this name was founded in 1934, it relocated to Miami two decades later. So, in fact, the team currently playing as Syracuse Chiefs is an entirely different one. It was bought by the New York Mets in 2017 to be made the Mets’ top-level minor league affiliate.
Meaning and history
The Minor League Baseball club Syracuse Chiefs plays in the International League. For most of the time, their logo was based on the Native American theme, which disappeared only in 1997.
1961 — 1969
From 1961 to 1996, the Syracuse Chiefs logo featured an Indian in an ethnic headdress.
1970 — 1977
The only exception was the period from 1970 to 1977 when they used an Old English “S” as their emblem.
1978 — 1986
The logo, created for Syracuse Chiefs in 1978, stayed with the club for eight years and featured a simple and naive image, depicting a Native American man in profile, facing to the left. The image was executed in the white, black, and red color palette, with the feather headpiece of the man as the brightest element. No additional lettering or framing was on the badge.
1987 — 1996
While the first versions were comparatively realistic, the final one, used in 1987-1996, was heavily stylized. You probably wouldn’t have guessed what all those shapes and bars really meant unless you had seen the previous logotypes.
1997 — 2006
With the redesign of 1997, the composition of the Syracuse Chiefs logo was dramatically changed. The new logo featured stylized lettering in blue script typeface set on a solid Ted background and underlined by a stylized baseball bat with the shark head. It was a funny yet very aggressive and powerful image; which stayed with the club for almost ten years and brilliantly reflected its character and determination.
2007 — 2015
In 2007, after the team dropped the name the Sky Chiefs used for about a decade, a new Syracuse Chiefs logo was introduced. It featured the word “Chiefs” in a fancy script and a train coming out of the “C.”
2015 — 2018
The Syracuse Chiefs logo from 2015 is based on the previous version, created in 2007, but with some additions and modifications. The white and blue logotype got an extra red outline and “Syracuse” lettering above it. The complementary inscription was written in the uppercase of a bold sans-serif typeface, in dark blue. Another element added to the logo was a stylized train in the same color palette. It was drawn inside the letter “C” and evokes a sense of speed, motion, and energy.
Colors
Navy blue is paired with the shade of scarlet looking very much like the one used on the Washington Nationals logo. Syracuse silver and white add the finishing touch.
What are Syracuse Chiefs?
Syracuse Chiefs is the former name of the baseball club from New York State, which was established in 1934, and today is known as Syracuse Mets. The club competes in the Minor League Baseball and is managed by Chad Kreuter.