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Friday, July 3, 2009

Our new team grows in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, MA JUNE 30, 2009 – The NBA Development League’s team in Springfield announced it would be known as the Armor. The announcement took place at the MassMutual Center, where the team will play its home games beginning in 2009-10, and included the unveiling of the Armor’s primary and secondary logos.

The name “Armor” pays tribute to the historic Springfield Armory, which has served as a symbol of strength and stability for Western Massachusetts and the United States as a whole since George Washington authorized its creation in 1777.

“I’m thrilled that the identity of our basketball team pays homage to an institution as revered as the Springfield Armory,” principal team owner Michael Savit said. “I am confident that the Springfield Armor, like the Springfield Armory, will provide a source of pride throughout the Pioneer Valley.”

Depicting a strong, armored figure holding a basketball, the logo was developed by Springfield-based Six-Point Creative Works. The five colors featured in the primary logo are red, blue, black, silver and orange. Both the alternate and extracted logos include four of those colors.

The team’s identity was determined following the results of a Name the Team poll, which enabled fans to cast a vote for options including Armor, Colonials, Founders, Spirit or a write-in candidate. Housed on the team’s Web site, www.armorhoops.com, the poll’s availability spanned from April 20 through May 1 and garnered an outpouring of votes.

“The Springfield Armor, like its historic namesake, is going to contribute mightily to the City of Springfield,” said James E. Rooney, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, which owns the MassMutual Center. “But instead of rifles and muskets, this enterprise is going to produce good times for families, a new sense of team and city pride, and most importantly, bring basketball to the city that gave this great game to the world.”

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