On Thursday at precisely 7 p.m. EST, the West Virginia football team revealed their highly anticipated black uniforms.
The mostly black uniforms feature white wordmarks, with the numbers being gray and the West Virginia state outline logo all over the jersey. Double stripes going down the side of the shoulder sleeves portray the safety stripes on a miner’s uniform, there is a similar design on the side pant legs as well.
The helmets are matte black and have specks of metallic gray paint, representing fresh-cut coal. The center stripe is a coal pattern that fades into a white gradient, which depicts a miner’s headlamp.
“Our staff did a great job with the design and rollout of our traditional complement of uniforms last week. But we wanted to have an alternate that our student-athletes would enjoy and would connect with West Virginians,” WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “If our football team was going to have a black alternate uniform, we wanted it to tell a story and it mean something to our fans. Every design element of the uniform has been researched, carefully thought out and implemented based on what our designers observed on their visit to the mine. Coal mining has a deep history in West Virginia, and the work ethic of coal miners is woven into the fabric of our culture. Our football team looks forward to honoring the rich tradition and history of West Virginia’s coal mining industry, and we are thankful to all our staff members who contributed to the design and implementation of these uniforms.”
The jerseys were released with the slogans ‘West Virginia Minded’ and ‘Built on Bravery’. These jerseys may be referred to as the ‘Coal Rush’ uniforms by fans, honoring the state’s rich mining history and may only be worn during select games. Along with the new set of jerseys WVU released during the Gold-Blue spring game, the jerseys will debut in the 2024 season.
Photo courtesy of WVU Athletics
