If you’ve ever scrolled through college football Twitter or caught an afternoon game in Las Cruces, you've seen him. The mustache. The twin revolvers. The grim determination of a man who looks like he just stepped out of a dusty 1880s saloon. This is Pistol Pete, the face of the New Mexico State football logo. But honestly, the story behind that cowboy is a lot weirder than a simple "mascot chooses a tough guy" narrative. It involves a $10 legal fee, a legendary gunfighter, and a very strange year involving a lasso that almost caused a campus-wide mutiny.
Most people assume the logo is just a generic cartoon. It isn't. It’s based on a real person named Frank Eaton, a man who allegedly witnessed his father’s murder and spent his life hunting down the killers. That’s heavy for a Saturday afternoon kickoff.
The Weird History of the $10 License
Here is a fun fact for your next trivia night: New Mexico State basically rents their primary logo. Back in 2014, things got a little awkward between NMSU and Oklahoma State University. See, both schools use Pistol Pete. Both mascots look incredibly similar—same hat, same stache, same vibe. OSU claimed they had the trademark since the 1920s and basically told the Aggies to pack it up.
Instead of a massive legal shootout, they reached a bizarrely civil agreement. New Mexico State pays Oklahoma State exactly $10 a year. That’s it. For the price of a cheap burrito, the Aggies get to keep their iconic gunslinger on the helmets. There are some rules, though. The university has limits on how many items they can sell with the "Classic Aggie" mark, and it can't be used for general student recruitment anymore—just for the gritty, competitive world of NM State athletics.
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The Lasso Larry Debacle
You can't talk about the New Mexico State football logo without mentioning 2005. This was the year the university tried to "modernize" and "soften" the image. They took away Pete's pistols. They gave him a lasso. They even tried to change his name to just "Pete."
Fans hated it.
Students started wearing shirts that asked, "Who brings a lasso to a gunfight?" The new logo was mocked as "Lasso Larry." It was a classic case of a marketing department trying to fix something that wasn't broken. The backlash was so intense—even getting roasted by national news anchors—that the guns were back in the logo by 2007. It turns out, Aggie fans like their mascot a little dangerous.
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More Than Just a Cowboy
While Pete gets all the glory on the TV broadcasts, the university has a deep catalog of secondary marks. If you look at the older gear, you’ll see the "Triangular Logo" from the late 60s. It wasn't just three random triangles; it was designed by a student named John Bryan to represent the land-grant mission of the school: education, research, and public service.
Breaking Down the Visuals
- The Colors: It’s not just red. It’s Aggie Crimson (specifically PMS 208). They pair it with "White Sands" and black.
- The Font: The athletics department uses a custom "Aggie Alphabet" font that feels blocky and industrial.
- The State Shape: The current university logo (not the sports one) is a simplified outline of New Mexico with "NM State" inside it.
The football helmets often feature a "State" script or the "Pete Head" logo. This variety allows the team to play around with different uniform combinations, especially during "Crimson Fridays" or special rivalry games.
Why the Logo Still Matters
In a world where college sports logos are becoming increasingly corporate and "minimalist," the New Mexico State football logo is a breath of fresh air. It’s messy. It’s historical. It’s a little bit aggressive. It represents a school that identifies with the "Aggie" spirit—which, in their words, means people who have perfected the ability to nurture life in an unforgiving desert.
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Whether he’s on a matte black helmet or a classic white one, Pistol Pete isn't just a drawing. He’s a reminder of a real-life legend who outshot the cavalry. And for ten bucks a year, he’s the best bargain in college football.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to buy gear or use the logo correctly, keep these things in mind:
- Respect the Crimson: Always use the official PMS 208 C. Anything lighter looks like Oklahoma, and anything darker looks like a mistake.
- Check the Guns: If you're buying vintage gear, look for the 2005 "Lasso" version. It’s a rare collector's item because it was so short-lived and widely disliked.
- Look for the Script: The "Script State" logo is officially part of the athletics archive and is often used on the more stylish, "throwback" style merch.
The Aggies have survived conference moves, logo controversies, and legal threats from bigger schools. Through it all, the cowboy with the two guns remains.