IIRC, Georgia actually licenses the G from the Packers.

Originally Posted by: KRK 

They did get permission from Packers, Inc. I don't know if they have to pay a license fee or not. I always thought it was gratis.

Originally Posted by: wpr 

The Georgia "G" Helmet
In 1963 after becoming the Bulldogs' Head Football Coach, Vince Dooley redesigned the football uniform choosing a red helmet with a black "G" on a white background as the dominant feature of the new uniform for the 1964 season.


He discussed with his staff that a forward-looking "G" would be an appropriate emblem for the helmet of the Georgia team. Dooley had just hired John Donaldson, former Georgia player from 1945 to 1948, as backfield coach. John was keen on the idea of a new image and volunteered his wife, Anne, who had a BFA in commercial art from UGA to design a logo for the new Georgia helmet with the general specifications Dooley had outlined. Dooley accepted Anne's original "G" which fit his vision for a forward look to Georgia's new emblem.

Since the Georgia "G"- though different in design and color- was similar to Green Bay's "G", Coach Dooley thought it best to clear the use of Georgia's new emblem with the NFL team. Athletic Director Joel Eaves called for permission which was granted. However, since its inception in 1961, the Green Bay "G" has been redesigned several times and now looks like Georgia's original 1964 "G." Georgia is proud that the Packers apparently liked the special nuances of the Bulldogs' forward-looking "G."

Georgia's oval "G", eventually replacing Georgia's old block "G" as the official UGA symbol, has stood the test of time. It made its first appearance in the opening game in 1964 and was an immediate hit with the Georgia fans, especially after Dooley's first three teams were so successful--highlighted by the 1966 SEC Championship.

georgiadogs.com  wrote:

espn.com  wrote:

Who had the G helmet logo first? 



The Green Bay Packers are coming to Atlanta to take on the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship in one of the biggest games in the city's history.

On Sunday, the Packers' helmet, which features an oval G on the sides, will remind fans of a local team's helmet logo, the Georgia Bulldogs.

So which came first?

A Packers team equipment manager under legendary coach Vince Lombardi came up with the team's helmet logo in 1961. He designed the shape of the logo to represent a football and the G to mean Green Bay.

A couple years later in Athens, Georgia, Vince Dooley was redesigning the team's uniforms, including changing the helmets from silver to red, according to the school. His idea was to have a black G on a white background on the helmet. John Donaldson, a newly hired backfield coach, volunteered his wife, Anne, to help with the redesign. Anne had a degree in commercial art from the university, and created the G logo as we know it today, matching Dooley's "forward looking" vision he had for the G.

While the Georgia's G dimensions and colors were different, the university still sought approval from Green Bay to use the logo. The Packers granted it. A year later, Grambling State also designed a G logo for its helmet, and the Packers also granted the school permission.

Georgia's G designed in 1963 is slightly slimmer compared to the Packers' G. It has remained the same since, while Green Bay's logo was slightly altered to have a gold border in 1980.

So no finger pointing, Packers fans. Georgia didn't copy the Green Bay G, and even if they did, Green Bay let them.

The History of the Packers "G" 
It’s amazing to me that the same logo in two different colors can conjure up such vastly different sets of emotions. One of my favorite teams, The Green Bay Packers, shares a logo with my least favorite team, the Georgia Bulldogs. And as much as I see the oval “G” in red and black on the backs of cars in my home state of Georgia and have a brief moment of hatred toward that person, the same mark in green and yellow makes me happy. I don’t know what I’d do if I became colorblind.

I had hoped to get this post up before the Packers’ first (and now last…) playoff game, but I’ve been without Internet for days. Alas, here it is after their defeat.

In 1961, head coach Vince Lombardi asked Packers equipment manager George “Dad” Braisher to design the team a logo. He came up with the original Packers football-shaped “G” logo. The “G” stood for Green Bay, although multiple sources have incorrectly reported that it stood for “Greatness.” It did not have the gold stroke around it that it does today. That was added in 1980.


n 1964, then-Georgia football coach Vince Dooley liked the way the Packers’ helmets looked and thought it would work well for his team. Prior to 1964, Georgia had worn plain silver helmets . Georgia tweaked the logo slightly, making it shorter vertically and adding a colored stroke on the outside. The Packers granted Georgia permission to use the logo since they were so similar. (Add to that the most common spot color among college sports teams, the 3rd most common mascot, and a non-original fight song and you’ve got the most unoriginal school in the country. Rant over.)

In 1965, Grambling State began using the logo, also with the Packers’ permission. Their mark is closer to the Packers’ original mark, but still tweaked slightly.

So while all 3 teams have continued to use the logo, and all 3 are slightly different, it all started in 1961 with the Packers’ equipment manager.

I’ve outlined all three logos below, both all together and then with each highlighted individually so you can see the slight differences.