The Toledo Walleye colors are gold and three shades of blue, which will be incorporated in the many primary and secondary Walleye logos. "The Walleye is something we can develop a story around," Mr. Napoli said. "On an annual basis, 50,000 people come to fish for walleye in the Maumee River and Lake Erie. The logo looks good on apparel, it's dissimilar from other sports teams, and you can spell it."

Hockey is scheduled to return to Toledo in the fall of 2009.

Mr. Napoli said he could unveil the football team's name and logo in the next six months, and the name will likely be chosen from the lists used for the hockey team. He said that, like the Walleye, the football team's name will draw initial support from some and opposition from others. "I've yet to see a sports franchise unveil a new team name or logo without some controversy," Mr. Napoli said. "We're prepared for that."

Mr. Napoli said another reason Toledo Arena Sports went away from "Woodpeckers" was a different franchise's move to incorporate the woodpecker into its own logo. The Williamsport Crosscutters, a minor-league baseball team in Williamsport, Penn., recently announced the woodpecker would be a part of its new marketing scheme.