April Fool's, yo.
The Big West Conference is proud to announce the start of "The 'Bows are BACK" celebration campaign, counting down the three months until the University of Hawai'i at Manoa officially rejoins the conference on July 1, 2012. The campaign will continue through the 2012-13 season.
Marking the start of the celebration is a one-year reversal of the Big West Conference official logo to the original "Rainbow" logo developed in 1988 when the Pacific Coast Athletic Association marked its 20th Anniversary by changing its name to the Big West Conference, and thus better representing the conference landscape.
"This welcoming back of the University of Hawai'i is a time of great joy for the conference and its members," said Mike Daniels, Associate Commissioner of Championships & Marketing. "The return of the 'Rainbow' logo for a period of one year is to recognize the contributions the university made during the early years of the official Big West Conference. The addition of green to our logo color palate signifies both the return of Hawai'i as well as an increased commitment to being ecologically conscious.
Bringing back an older mark minimizes the impact of the one-year change on the conference office and our institutions. The 'Rainbow' logo can still be found on old letterhead and t-shirts, so we will be able to reuse those items for the duration of the change."
Additional celebration events including rainbow uniforms for all teams will be announced in future weeks.
The Big West Conference Board of Directors
announced the addition of the University of Hawai'i, Manoa on December 10, 2011. Hawai'i becomes the tenth Conference member institution.