Homecoming football game fiasco: When green and gold went out of style
During Homecoming Week, it’s a tradition that students wear school-colored outfits to display their USF spirit.
The 2014 Homecoming football game was no exception — with one twist.
The shirts distributed ahead of the game were purple – the main school color of the Bulls’ opponent, the East Carolina Pirates.
The USF Campus Tradition Board printed 1,200 purple shirts used to honor the “Once Upon a Homecoming” theme that year. Purple was chosen because it was an approved accent university color at the time.
Out of the 1,200 t-shirts that were ordered, 200 were given away until the oversight was brought up by a student. The Board discontinued the 1,000 remaining t-shirts.
The shirts were purchased with $5,600 from student Activity and Service (A&S) fees.
“It’s a student committee,” Center for Student Involvement Monica Miranda said to the Oracle at the time. “They didn’t realize purple was the color of the opposing school.”
The situation was covered nationally by outlets such as Sports Illustrated.
USF football would end up losing the game 28-17 to East Carolina – an outcome fitting to the situation.
Here is a look at The Oracle’s coverage of the purple shirt fiasco.
– Aaron Mammah, Sports editor
Blurb
More Stories
Thank you to Oracle readers and supporters
Dear reader: In April, we told you of The Oracle’s challenges as we transition to a fully-digital paper – from budget cuts to a lack of updated technology. We asked for your help and you stepped up. Through your contributions, we raised over $800 just one month after announcing our new fund with the USF […]
Florida’s ‘Stop Woke’ law could endanger USF students’ education, professors say
Elizabeth Aranda has been educating students on Latino history for over two decades. Aranda, a USF sociology professor, said she wouldn’t be able to do her job if Florida’s “Stop Woke” law were put into effect. “Imagine you are an orchestra conductor but you’re missing every third page of the musical score,” Aranda said. “There […]
USF’s decision to replace ‘cultural icon’ Pollo Tropical is disappointing, students say
Upon arriving in Tampa, junior criminology major Ana Hernandez said she felt a certain culture shock. Hernandez, who moved from Venezuela to Miami as a child, found it hard to find familiar food as often as she did in Miami, where the Hispanic community is bigger. USF’s on-campus Pollo Tropical, located just a brief walk […]
New USF residential hall at the Sarasota-Manatee campus to open in August
USF Sarasota-Manatee will open its first residential hall in late August, joining Tampa and St. Pete as a residential campus. With a $43.95 million price tag, the new building will serve as both a student center and residential hall. It will open on Aug. 23, the Friday before fall classes begin. The dorm will allow […]
USF professors discuss 2024 primary: ‘Do not skip this election’
The clock is ticking with less than a month left to register by July 22 for this year’s primary election. With critical races like local school boards and Senate on the line, USF professors are urging students to make their voices heard this election season. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan is a political science professor and the […]
USF men’s soccer faces former AAC foe UCF in new 2024 schedule
USF men’s soccer is set to play against ranked teams such as Hofstra and former rival UCF in its new 2024 schedule released on Monday. Both teams are ranked on the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Top 25 Poll, compiled by the largest soccer coaches organization in the world. Hofstra is currently ranked 17th, while UCF […]