Don’t call them Army! It’s ’Army West Point’ now

No more separating Army and West Point.

After a rebranding process with Nike that took 18 months, the athletic teams of the United States Military Academy will be called Army West Point and don new logos, uniforms and colors, the school announced late Monday.

Academy officials said the decision to emphasize the connection between Army and West Point evolved during the process, which included talking to alumni, athletes, and administrators. It also eliminates confusion among the general public about the name of the team at the prestigious military academy.

“To separate the Army from West Point is to take away the purpose of the United States Military Academy,” Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, Jr., superintendent of the school, said in a statement. “This innovative new branding respects and elevates the academy’s history and heritage and reflects the unique qualities of Army West Point Athletics, while tying the service to the academy.”

The academy will continue to use Black Knights as a nickname. The athletic department officially changed the nickname to Black Knights from the previous moniker, Cadets, in 1999.

All 28 of the school’s sports teams also will have a new logo, the “Athena Shield”.

The logo features Athena’s helmet to embody the scholar portion of the academy, a sword to represent the battle-ready warrior, and also has a star on a shield background similar to the school’s crest with gold and black colors.