Aug 31, 2015 12:22 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of South Carolina (USC) made an alteration to its football team's helmets for the upcoming season to add a decal honoring the "Emmanuel 9."

It has now been two months since Dylann Roof entered Emanuel AME, a historically black church in Charleston, S.C., and killed nine people. USC unveiled the decal - a Palmetto Tree with 9 doves flying above it - on Sunday.

"Whether it's Greenville, Columbia, Charleston or any other cities in South Carolina, we feel a tremendous sense of pride in this state," Ray Tanner, USC's athletic director, said in a statement. "The tragedy that happened in Charleston doesn't just affect people in Charleston; it affects the entire state. We feel very much a part of that at the university. Coach Steve Spurrier and University President Harris Pastides felt very strongly that the 'Emanuel 9' should be recognized."

Gil Shuler, a graphic design artist in Mount Pleasant, S.C., came up with an idea to design a visual memorial for the Emmanuel 9 as USC officials sought a way to honor the victims as well.

"The day after the tragedy, I just felt like I wanted to do something to make me feel better anyway," Shuler said in the school's statement. "I came up with something and posted it on my blog. From there it sort of took off. My family goes back multiple generations in South Carolina, and I've run my business for 30 years in Charleston. I know tons of people here. When that tragedy happened, it just hurt the whole community - me, included."

Shuler also stated he will not benefit financially from the logo and USC will not make the helmet available for sale. Shuler wants any business in S.C. that want to use the logo to donate to Charleston's Emmanuel AME Church.

[Related]: click here to see a patch the Virginia Tech Hokies will wear to honor the two TV journalists who were shot and killed during a live report.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit