Knox College Prairie Fire

In June 1993, Knox College entered into a new era with the adoption of Prairie Fire as the official nickname for its athletic teams. The name was selected by the Knox community after an extensive nomination and voting process, which included participation from students, alumni, faculty and staff. In its announcement of the new name, the College noted that Prairie Fire represented the best of Knox’s history and traditions. 

The name itself relates to the natural history of the Midwestern region and to a powerful force of nature. The massive fires that swept through the Illinois prairie were essential to restoring the vitality of the environment. Knox faculty and staff have captured and utilized this very power for more than 40 years in the annual prairie burns conducted at Knox’s Green Oaks Biological Field Station.

Prairie Fire also reaches back to the earliest history of the College as Knox’s founders originally intended to name their new school Prairie College. The Prairie Fire athletic logo—the first official athletics logo in College history—also carried on Knox’s athletic tradition by utilizing the College’s long-standing colors of purple and gold.

Today, the Prairie Fire name continues to embrace Knox’s proud history and traditions, but it also reflects the College’s bright future. With the largest recruitment class in recent history; a slate of successful teams, namely men’s and women’s soccer and women’s basketball; record-setting student-athletes; and improvements to our facilities, Knox athletics is entering an era of renewal. 

In February 2016, Knox unveiled a new Prairie Fire logo that reflects this era with a bolder and more dynamic look, one that represents the passion, pride, strength, and excellence of our athletics program and resonates with today’s generation of students.