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Oxford and Beyond

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú football team to wear special Western College-themed jerseys for Homecoming

RedHawks will be decked out in blue for game against Massachusetts; check out the video honoring the legacy of Western College

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University football players wearing Western College-themed jerseys pose on the Western campus of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University.
ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University football players wearing Western College-themed jerseys pose on the Western campus of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University.
Oxford and Beyond

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú football team to wear special Western College-themed jerseys for Homecoming

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University football players wearing Western College-themed jerseys pose on the Western campus of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University.
The spirit of Western College will run through Yager Stadium on Sept. 28.

To honor the legacy of the Western College for Women, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s football team will don special blue, white, and red jerseys as part of the celebration.

Featuring a dark blue base and white numbers with a red border, the jerseys display “Western College” across the front, with a ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú logo patch in the upper right corner. The patch can be tapped by phone to connect to a special website promoting this year’s Homecoming theme, “Celebrating the Spirit of Western: A Homecoming for Love, Honor, and Legacy.” There also is a honoring the legacy of Western College.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú patches and instructions to access the site will be available for fans in attendance as the RedHawks meet the University of Massachusetts at 3:30 p.m.

The unique jersey design mimics a 1970s-era throwback with its shoulder stripes and sleeve numbers, as this weekend’s festivities honor the 50th anniversary of the final Western College graduating class from 1974. The jersey details fuse the color scheme of Western’s blue and white with ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s red and white to recognize the merger of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and Western College and show the institutions coming together as one. The RedHawks will wear their traditional white pants with the matching red stripe for the Homecoming game, which will be broadcast on . The jersey combination includes ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s trademark white helmets, with the Beveled-M logo on either side.

“It is wonderful to see the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú RedHawks embrace the ‘Spirit of Western’ and honor the legacy and alumnae of Western College,” President Gregory Crawford said. “I, too, am excited to see the RedHawks take the field in blue Western uniforms as we celebrate Western College’s contributions to both ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and higher education, and honor the Western alumnae who are near and dear to our hearts.”

Founded in 1853 as the Western Female Seminary and renamed the Western College for Women in 1904, Western was renowned as a forward-thinking institution on the forefront of international and multicultural education.

closed in 1974, soon becoming part of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s campus, where it housed ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s oldest residence-based learning community and division, the School of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Studies/Western College Program.

As part of Homecoming, the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Alumni Association officially welcomes the Western College Alumnae Association as an affinity group.

“We are excited to honor the legacy and tradition of Western College,” ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Director of Athletics David Sayler said. “As our football team takes the field for Homecoming, these unique jerseys will add to a special atmosphere at Yager Stadium and help celebrate the enduring relationship between ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú and Western.”