The year 1836 has always held a special meaning in Houston, as it was the year of the city's founding. The number took added meaning Wednesday afternoon, as it officially became the name of the Houston club in Major League Soccer.
MLS officials and team members helped unveil the name and logo of Houston 1836 before a crowd of approximately 150 excited students at Lanier Middle School, ending weeks of speculation which began when the team's move from San Jose was announced. The new name was the top selection in an online poll by more than 11,000 fans, who picked Houston 1836 over 13 other finalists.
The logo, designed by MLS Creative Services in conjunction with Casscles Design Inc. of New York City, incorporates the team's three primary colors -- "Raven Black," "Space City Blue" and "Wildcatter Orange" -- into a star design. The team's name is centered in the star, with a soccer ball below it and the silhouette of the city's namesake, General Sam Houston, above it.
During a brief history lesson explaining the name, team president Oliver Luck said that the name Houston 1836 is a perfect choice.
"The name Houston 1836 ... will remind fans that this team represents their city," he said. "From this day forward, the Houston 1836 logo will be a symbol of a hard-working team that reflects the pride, loyalty, heritage, bravery and ... the wildcatter, go-get-'em attitude of Houstonians and all of Texas."
MLS Commissioner Don Garber hailed the announcement and the presence of a soccer team in the city as a "great day for Houston and a great day for soccer in America."
"We've been trying to get a franchise in Houston for many, many years," Garber said. "We knew Houston would be a great soccer market. ... This is a very vibrant, very sports-crazy town."
Garber said he believed Houston 1836 would quickly take its place as one of Houston's more popular sports franchises.
"You people have a new sports team ... that will quickly become embedded as part of this city," he said. "An identity has been forged today, one that is worthy of Houston's very rich soccer history."
Houston City Councilmember Adrian Garcia, who was on hand for the unveiling, said the name and logo were symbolic of the city the team will represent.
"Really, Houston's classic and classy. They worked hard to make the logo reflective of the whole city," Garcia said. "Houston 1836 will always hit the field ready to fight and to win."
Garcia said he expected big things from from this group of players and coaches, many of whom won two MLS Cup championships in San Jose.
"They're champions because the city of Houston is a champion," he said. "Houston 1836 has already proven that Houston is soccer and soccer is Houston."
Two members of the 1836 squad were also in attendance for the unveiling. Team captain Wade Barrett and goalkeeper Pat Onstad both said they were excited about the name and the chance to play in front of the fans as members of Houston 1836.
"It's pretty traditional in that it continues the long tradition (of foreign soccer teams) using numbers for their names, so I think it's great," said Onstad, who also noted that the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and NBA's Philadelphia 76ers have similar names. "But it's also unique (to MLS). You want to bring something special to this team and I think it does that."
Barrett said that having a team name that fans selected made Houston 1836 stand out.
"The name obviously holds significance for the area and I'm excited to wear whatever the fans decided on," he said. "The people chose this name, so I think it's great."
Both players said they had already received a warm reception from Houston soccer fans.
"It's been fantastic," Barrett said. "They obviously seem very excited and are ready to get behind the team. I think it'll be fantastic."
Houston 1836 will play their home games at Robertson Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston. The team's inaugural season in Houston will begin April 1.
Mark Passwaters is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
