West Virginia’s football program unveiled a black alternative design on Thursday, just days after revealing a completely new jersey set. The black uniforms pay homage to the state’s history of coal mining.
„Our staff did a great job designing and releasing our traditional uniforms last week, but we wanted to have an alternative that our student-athletes would enjoy and that would connect them with West Virginians,“ said Athletic Director Wren Baker in a press release interview.
The black jerseys prominently feature the same wordmark „West Virginia“ as the new white road jerseys of the Mountaineers, with reflective silver numbers representing safety and navigation in a mine.
Both the collar and sleeves feature a coal-like pattern sourced from the Leer Mine in Grafton, West Virginia, with the latter also sporting a reflective stripe mimicking the safety stripes on a miner’s work gear.
In addition, the sleeve cuffs are adorned with a serrated pattern reminiscent of a mining shearer blade, a tool considered the backbone of mining operations.
The aforementioned coal-like pattern and safety stripes are extended to the side panels of the black pants, which feature the flying „WV“ in a white state outline on the right hip.
The uniforms are completed by matte black helmets with the same state logo on the sides and metallic gray speckles reminiscent of freshly mined coal’s sheen.
The center stripe also bears the same coal-like pattern as the jerseys and pants, transitioning from white to transparent to simulate the light of a miner’s headlamp.
„If our football team were to have a black alternate jersey, we wanted it to tell a story and mean something to our fans,“ said Baker. „Every design element of the uniform was researched, carefully considered, and implemented based on our designers‘ observations during their visit to the mine.
„Coal mining has a long history in West Virginia, and the work ethic of miners is deeply ingrained in our culture. Our football team looks forward to honoring the rich tradition and history of coal mining in West Virginia, and we are grateful to all of our staff who contributed to the design and implementation of these uniforms.“
It is unclear when the jerseys will make their debut on the field, but it would not be surprising to see them in the season opener against Penn State, provided it is a night game at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.