The Western Kentucky football program recently announced it will wear helmets inspired by its mascot, Big Red, during Thursday’s game against UTEP (8 p.m. ET on ESPNU).
This marks the first time since 2006 that the Hilltoppers will wear red helmets, which feature Big Red’s eyes and eyebrows on both sides and will be paired with their red home jerseys and pants.
A full-bodied Big Red decal previously appeared on WKU’s black helmets, with the mascot throwing a football in a win over Rice in 2022 and position-specific versions for a loss to Liberty last season.
The Hilltoppers also wore the quarterback version of Big Red, who was designed and built by student Ralph Carey in 1979, on their white helmets during their victory over Toledo on Sept. 21.
The rest of WKU’s uniform was unveiled in 2023 and features a striping pattern on the sleeves and sides of the pants that was copied by several Nike programs this offseason, including Baylor and Purdue.
This likely won’t be the last time we see the red helmets this season, either, as the Hilltoppers originally teased the lids this summer with a script “Tops” wordmark and a 1997-2002-inspired stacked “WKU” logo.
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