Canton’s favorite bulldog turns 10

By Darcie Fisher

Just about everywhere you look at Canton High School and in the community, you see it — a sort of snarling, but beloved bulldog. There’s a lot to love about the Canton bulldog, who has yet to be officially named. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of this iteration of the bulldog and the iconic Canton “C.”

(L-R) CHS seniors Joey Ryan, Trevor Zack and Andrew Gillis

The backstory is as special and unique as the logos themselves.

“When you talk to longtime Canton people who have been around, you get a lot of, ‘That’s the bulldog. No, this one is the official bulldog,’” said CHS Athletic Director Danny Erickson. “If you ask 10 people who have been around 50 years, they will show you a different bulldog.”

Erickson grew up in Canton and graduated from CHS in 1989 and says the lack of consistency always bothered him. There were different bulldogs, different pawprints, and even different capital C’s used by different departments and teams in the same building. To clear up all that confusion and establish a strong brand for CHS, Canton turned to resident and graphic designer Jeff Eagles.

“Both my sons played soccer at Danny’s summer soccer school in Canton for years,” said Eagles. “At one point, we were talking about what I do, and at the time I worked for [then Canton-based] Reebok in the Sports License Division. Any products created with any sports licenses went through this group. We were the design agency for the pro teams when they went through any branding extension or rebranding.”

Eagles had just finished working on the visual identity for the National Hockey League’s Las Vegas Knights when he gave Canton Public Schools a unique opportunity to go through a professional rebranding, courtesy of his team at Reebok. Erickson convened a committee of Canton student athletes, coaches, teachers, and community members to work with Eagles and his team. He still describes the process with awe.

“We walked into one of the work rooms and they had this huge presentation on the walls,” said Erickson. “There were so many photographs of actual bulldogs — their paws, the arch of their back and their jowls. It was remarkable. Another wall had every bulldog mascot you could imagine from across the country. And another wall was full of things that just say Canton, like the Viaduct.”

Owen Ford proudly reps
his hometown Bulldogs.

“We treated this the same way we would have any of our pro teams,” said Eagles. “We decided to make this exciting for the community. We had the tools and talent to tap into. We brought the committee through the initial concept design. We brought in students, because they are the future stewards of the brand.”

Canton was the first school district Eagles and Reebok ever took through this process.

“It was remarkable,” said Erickson. “Here we are, 10 years down the road and the bulldog really stuck.”

In addition to designing the official bulldog, Reebok created the official letter ‘C.’ If you look closely, you’ll see one of the arches of the landmark Canton Viaduct is incorporated into it.

“Two of my kids graduated from CHS, and my youngest is currently a sophomore,” said Eagles. “It has been super rewarding to see them in the uniforms with the logos I helped design.”

Though this was Eagles’ first school project, it wasn’t his last. He has since moved on to ’47 Brand, a headwear and apparel company based in Westwood, where he serves as the senior director of product design. He also works on school projects through his personal business, Jeff Eagles Creative.

As for coming up with a name for Canton’s mascot, Erickson hinted he might be open to a naming contest in the near future.

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