West Virginia Mountaineers football release new uniform to honors state’s mining heritage

The black alternate uniforms will be worn by West Virginia football during the 2024 season in honor of the state’s coal heritage and the miners who work underground to provide energy worldwide.

Black alternate uniforms serve as an additional uniform set for the Mountaineers to showcase on select occasions after the unveiling of new blue, gold, and white uniforms at the annual Gold-Blue Spring game. During a day spent with actual miners, the ideas and designs for the black alternate uniform came to be.

West Virginia Mountaineers 2024 Coal Rush Football Jersey

According to WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker: “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. 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.”

Miner safety emphasizes the use of reflectors throughout a mine, which play a vital role in underground work, safety, and navigation. A key emphasis of the jersey is on elements that bring light to the darkness. To further enhance the reflective twill on the black jersey, the wordmark “West Virginia” and outline of the state are in white.

The design elements of the jersey were carefully chosen to reflect the coal mining industry of West Virginia. The sleeve and collar feature a unique pattern that was sourced from a photograph of a sheared mine wall. The colors were applied using vectorization to bring it to life. A reflective stripe is also included on the sleeves, similar to what can be found on a miner’s uniform for safety. Additionally, the arm cuff pattern resembles the blade of a mine shearer, an important tool in any successful mining operation.

A reflective safety stripe on the side panel of the black pants is also incorporated along with the pattern of the sheared wall of coal seen on the jersey sleeves. The state outline is embroidered on the upper right leg panel.

Completing a miner’s uniform and ensuring complete safety is the helmet. The experienced miners, also known as “Black Hats,” will wear black matte helmets as part of their attire. On the field, their helmets showcase an outline of the state and small specks of metallic gray paint, resembling freshly cut coal. The center stripe on the helmet mirrors the coal pattern seen on the uniform but with a gradient from white to transparent, imitating the illumination from a miner’s headlamp to provide visibility and safety in underground mines.

Retired West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney and Gaither Frazier from the Leer Mine in Grafton, WV aided athletic department graphic designers Kristin Coldsnow and Phil Lynch in their visit to the mine to experience a day’s work. Thanks to the cooperation of Leer Mine officials and Nike, WVU’s black alternate uniforms were brought to life, honoring the hardworking and courageous spirit of West Virginia coal miners.

The “Built on Bravery” Collection has been developed by the WVU to support the coal-themed black uniform. We collaborated with CLC and WVU Athletics to create a product line that complements the new football jersey and celebrates the coal industry through collaboration with members of the coal community. In the fall and early next year, fans can expect the Collection to be available in stores.

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