The Boston College football program will continue its annual tradition of honoring former lacrosse player Welles Crowther by wearing its Red Bandana alternate uniform this fall. But rather than simply adding paisley to their accessories, the Eagles recently unveiled a brand new look where the pattern is far more prominent.
Crowther was an equities trader and volunteer firefighter from Nyack, New York, who lost his life in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He became known as the “Man in the Red Bandana” for the handkerchief he wore as a protective mask while saving as many as 18 people in the World Trade Center’s south tower before it collapsed.
Boston College first honored Crowther’s memory with a helmet decal in 2011, which expanded to the helmet stripe, gloves and cleats for an emotional upset of No. 9 USC in 2014. The Eagles are 3-3 in the annual Red Bandana game, also knocking off Florida State and Miami (Fla.) in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while wearing those accessories.
The new uniforms – which were unveiled just days after the program announced the return of its 1984 throwback road uniforms – are on Under Armour’s ArmourGrid template and feature the paisley patterns in the numbers, jersey piping, pants stripes, gloves and cleats. The helmet stripe has been removed, though, since it will no longer be included in the Eagles’ home or road uniforms, either.
While Boston College has not yet announced its opponent for the annual Red Bandana game, it’s worth noting five of the previous six games were primetime matchups. The Eagles are scheduled to host Texas State, North Carolina, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Louisville this fall.
Check out more photos of Boston College’s new Red Bandana alternate uniforms below:
Photos courtesy of @BCFootball on Twitter.