Celebrate College Colors Day in Style!
Fashionable ways to cheer on Kentucky's college football teams!
Happy College Colors Day, y'all! I am just so excited that it's starting to look like fall, and that college football is back! I am so excited to be wearing my Kentucky Blue for College Colors Day, and I picked out a few great ideas for my friends who cheer on all the Kentucky D1 College Teams!
Draper James Tailgate Essentials
Have you seen the newest batch of tailgate-inspired items from Reece Witherspoon's Draper James line? So, so cute, y'all. I feel like the scarf is going to be necessary as the weather gets cooler.
Go Big Blue!
Now, if you've been reading HerKentucky for any time at all, it's no surprise that I ride or die with the Kentucky Wildcats, even if football isn't exactly our premiere athletic program. UK will always feel like the home team for me, in any sport. I lived in Lexington for over a decade, my beau and I hold three graduate degrees from UK, and I grew up on stories of my grandfather and his siblings attending the University in the '30s. The 'Cats and I, we go way back.
I personally believe that there's no such thing as taking your
Go Cards!
Y'all, I don't care what team you rep or what part of the Commonwealth you hail from. That Louisville win was ridic last night. Lamar Jackson was on fire, and my Cardinals fan friends were jubilant. That win deserves several days' worth of team-inspired outfits!!
Cheer on your Kentucky team!
Most of us can find a reason to cheer for just about every Kentucky college, if we look hard enough for a link. My parents each hold degrees from Morehead AND EKU. I have plenty of friends with ties to WKU and Murray State. And the list goes on. There are so many cute ways to rep your team. A Tervis Tumbler and a cap are, of course, standard equipment.
Let me know in the comments below what team you're repping today, and don't forget to visit the College Colors Day website to enter to win a trip to the 2017 National Championship Game! (please note that this post contains affiliate links.)
College Colors Day: Janet Wears Western Kentucky Red and White
Because everybody loves Big Red!
Janet Roe is here to tell us why we should all wear Hilltopper Red on College Colors Day. Janet writes KY Klips Blog, where she shares “klips” about her family and life in western Kentucky. She loves coffee, social media, bargain shopping and travel. You can find Janet on Twitter @kyklips. -- HCW
Every year, Kentuckians across the state support their favorite team on College Colors Day. Although many focus on the big city, big money, big name schools, there are also many other very special division one schools throughtout the state. Growing up in western Kentucky, I can not help but get excited when the red towels wave in Bowling Green at Western Kentucky University.
Sporting Hilltoper red on college colors day pays tribute to years of sports excellence by a little school in the hills of western Kentucky. WKU has been successful in various sports ventures, including “playing the the big boys” in the NCAA division one basketball championships. Coaches with storied histories, including Coach Jimmy Feix and Coach Ed Diddle have inspired countless players, students, alumni, and even everyday residents of the area.
Diddle arena, named for Coach Ed Diddle, provides the small school with a great sports facility and has often been used to host state tournament games and other conferences. Western Kentucky University has one of the most beautiful college campuses in the state with hills and trees and a natual beauty that is second to none. The name Hilltoppers even comes from the unique landscape of the college campus.
One of the most important reasons to wear Hilltopper red is Big Red himself. Years ago, fans started waving red towels in support of the WKU teams. From this tradition, a fuzzy smiling energetic creature unlike no other was born. Children young and even not so young, enjoy being hugged by the large red furball. Many fans also enjoy having their head disappear into the mouth of Big Red and posts of fans swallowed up by Big Red love can be found across social media. Even if you are not a Western fan, how could you not love watching such an adorable mascot?
Big Red has often been recognized for being such an unusal mascot and currenly once again in the running for Capital One Mascot Challenge. WKU’s Big Red represents a little school in western Kentucky alongside big school mascots like Joe Bruin from UCLA, Sparty from Michigan State University and Otto the Orange from Syracuse Unicersity. You can even find Big Red on Facebook at wkubigred and you can support Big Red in the Mascot Challenge using the hastag #CapitalOneBigRedWKU
Whether a multi-generation alumni or just a resident of the area, Western Kentucky pride runs deep. A small school with a big heart and a fantastic tradition of competitive sports teams, Bowling Green’s Western Kentucky Univeristy deserves the support of wearing Hilltopper red not only on College Colors Day but every day. We are blessed to have a school with red towel wavin’, Big Red lovin’, campus hill climbin’ students both past and present located in western Kentucky… Once again, proving that not everything great in the state of Kentucky comes from the big cities!
College Colors Day: Heather Wears UK Blue and White!
"I come from a family of fanatic Kentucky Wildcats fans... In fact, I didn't know there was any other kind!"
I can't really remember a time when I didn't wear UK Blue and White.
I was born into a family of fanatic Kentucky Wildcats fans. Come to think of it, I didn't really know that there are any other kind of UK fans.
My family's history with the University of Kentucky goes back to the 1930s, when my grandfather and his siblings travelled from their rural Knott County home to Lexington to attend the University. I can't imagine how long it took to drive there, how difficult the journey must have been, or what campus looked like at the time. I do know that my granddaddy always had a unique perspective about UK; when I once mentioned visiting the Funkhouser Building, he let me know in no uncertain terms that he had not been a fan of the building's namesake.
Construction of the M.I. King Library on UK's campus, 1930, via University of Kentucky.
Like many Kentucky families, we are all Wildcat fans no matter where we matriculated. The University and the Wildcats are part of our family's story. Watching the games and cheering for the 'Cats -- Well, that's just what we do. My great-uncle recalls the Bear Bryant - Adolph Rupp years in great detail, my father can describe listening to the storied '66 Championship on a transistor radio, and I can even tell you who my very first favorite UK player was.
I ran into this guy at the 2007 Music City Bowl.
The Lilly Pulitzer UK Wildcat. My favorite thing in the history of ever.
Today, on College Colors Day, I'm wearing UK Blue and White because that's what my family does. I'm wearing Blue and White because my fiancé and I collectively hold three graduate degrees from the University of Kentucky and because some of my favorite memories involve trips to UK football and basketball games. I'm wearing Blue and White because I always want my Wildcats to win. But, most of all, I'm wearing Blue and White because I can't really imagine doing anything else.
Football...Schmootball
We don't all have the same reasons for learning about sports!
I know considering my less than enthusiastic support of Kentucky basketball, this next confession is not going to come as a huge surprise to y’all but…
I don’t really like football.
I went to the occasional high school football game to flirt with boys and stare jealously at the homecoming queen. I went to the occasional intramural football game to flirt with boys and stare jealously at other sorority girls. I went for the boys is what I’m trying to say.
The running and falling down and running and falling down and running and falling down. Not interested. I just didn’t get it and didn’t really care to.
Until, one of those boys I was always flirting with flirted back. We fell in love and I discovered that this boy LOVED – no LURRRRRRRVVVVEEDDD – him some football. He enjoyed all sports and watched ESPN obsessively but football was his passion. Eventually, I decided that despite this very obvious character flaw this boy had plenty of other endearing characteristics and that I would make this boy my husband.
In an effort to show said boy how much I loved him and how committed I was to him, I decided I would learn to love football and the first step seemed to be to figure out what the hell was going on. I couldn’t ask the boy because this tremendous gift of my time and energy was going to be a surprise Christmas present. So, I bought a copy of Football for Dummies and dug in.
I read the entire thing (I swear!) and began to determine that all that running and falling down had a purpose. I started to see the choreography and expertise in the plays and even learned when to cheer and why. However, the book emphasized that even if you didn’t become an expert, if you could learn some of the lingo the rest would come eventually. In particular, the authors beat into me “the frozen tundra of Lambeau field.” Remember this phrase they promised and you could survive any football conversation you found yourself in.
Christmas came and I wrapped up the book proudly and presented it to the boy. He was touched and so excited to finally have a girlfriend who wouldn’t bitch and moan through every game and whine when did SHE get to watch ER!?!
Only one thing…
My lessons didn’t quite take. I have now been married to said boy for nine years and I still don’t give a rip about football. I retained a tiny amount of the technical information from Football for Dummies. I can identify the quarterback. I still can fake cheer in all the right spots. However, at the end of the day, I still find the game LONG and more than a little boring.
Of course, if I NEED to I can still talk a good game…especially the frozen tundra of Lambeau field.
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
College Colors Day: Beth wears U of L Red and Black!
Beth keeps her House Divided civilized on Game Day!
Beth with Dr. Liebschutz.
This College Colors Day post comes from my friend Elizabeth Leibschutz-Roettger, a dedicated U of L fan who also serves the University of Louisville as Director of International Programs at the College of Business. Thanks to Beth for sharing her experience in a House Divided! -- HCW
I was born a Louisville fan! My Dad, a Louisville native, earned his Bachelors of Science and Medical degrees from the University of Louisville. After a residency in Iowa (go Hawks!) and an Army post in Louisiana, he brought his family back to Kentucky, settling in Danville. Growing up a UofL fan in Danville, I had to be tough skinned. From a young age, I knew being a UofL fan set me apart from my friends. (Literally... sometimes they would not acknowledge me during rivalry games!)
Through my allegiance to UofL, I have experienced the jubilation and disappointment of great victories and painful losses. One of those losses came on the gridiron in the fall 2006 against Rutgers University. Had Louisville played better that evening, I might have met my husband, Bart, as we were watching the game with mutual friends. As chance would have it, we would cross paths again in 2007 (thanks again to our mutual friends) the evening of the UofL/UK game. UofL lost the game; which made me give second thought about going on a date with a UK fan I met that evening. One of the greatest triumphs was watching the Cardinals win their National Championship game in 2013 with my Dad on his 70th birthday (even more meaningful as he passed from brain cancer a year later). The National Championship game is just one of many cherished memories of watching UofL play through the years with my family.
Beth and Bart -- a House Divided
And while always a UofL fan, my dedication to Louisville continues to grow stronger. Our house divided rivalry is a special bond for my husband and me. I think of us as modern day Montagues and Capulets (without the grisly ending!). It is not uncommon to find my little family on Sundays in the spring at Patterson Field watching UofL baseball with our young son who loves running the bases when the game is finished. He loves the “Cardinal Bird School” (but can be heard frequently saying, “Go Big Blues” too). And I am not just a fan of the UofL athletics. I also work for UofL as the Director of International Programs in the College of Business. Furthermore, I will earn my PhD from the University of Louisville and join my Dad in its ranks of alumni.
Beth and Bart
Now when I go home to Danville and other areas of UK strongholds in my youth, I see more and more representation of the University of Louisville. While I know much of the growth in popularity is connected to our athletic successes, I also know the University of Louisville continues to provide a quality education for the students who enroll each year. From football to Fulbright, UofL is a university where great things are happening. As a member of the Louisville community, a student, and a life-long fan I genuinely believe Louisville First, Cardinals Forever #L1C4.
College Colors Day: Alexia Wears Murray State's Navy and Gold!
For Alexia, cheering for Murray State is a family affair!
This College Colors Day guest post comes from my sorority sister Alexia Schempp Couch, a Murray native and Transylvania alumna. Alexia, a middle school science teacher, lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. -- HCW
Confession time: I haven’t lived in Murray, KY in over 20 years. However, I still get excited any time I see something blue and gold, hear my Racers mentioned in a sports article or see my friends' Facebook pictures of their family dressed for a Murray State Racer football or basketball game!
My obsession with the Racers has always been there. My dad was a theatre professor at Murray State for over 30 years, it is my mom’s alma mater, and my grandfather was on their basketball team in the 1930’s when they still played in Lovett Auditorium. I have been going to games as long as I can remember. At the football games I loved the atmosphere almost as much as the game.: the 101st Airborne division paratrooping the game ball to the 50 yard line, the Racer band would perform the amazing halftime shows and saying hi to the announcer (“Hi, Pete”) , the announcer saying hi back to them over the loudspeaker (“Hi Racer Band!”), and my favorite tradition of a horse running a victory lap around the track surrounding the football field when the team scored a touchdown.
In the winter basketball season was in full swing. We would go to at least one game a week. When I lived in Murray the games were still played at Racer Arena. It was small, it got hot, it got extremely LOUD, and it was GREAT! It only held 5500 people, but for big games closer to 6000 fans packed in. Because it was so intimate you could see the players, get into the game and sing along with the Pep Band. The sea of blue and gold was crazy and usually intimidated the visiting team. I remember one game, close to the end of a season, where us winning meant we clenched the regular season championship. As the clock ticked down the entire arena was chanting and making the hand motions for “O-V-C” (Ohio Valley Conference). I remember cheering for Martin and Mann in the 80’s and Popeye Jones in the 90’s.
Since moving out of the state I do not get to see my Racers play live. However, that has not stopped me from being a huge fan. I have been known to stream the game on my phone connected to an HDMI cable to the television to watch it. I have even Facetimed my parents (who have also moved from Murray) to show them the game when I could get it through my cable company and they could not. I’ll find the game being broadcasted on the local Murray radio station online and listen to it. I get excited to hear the basketball announcer, Neil Bradley, say “One minute, one minute left in the game.”) My Maryland-born children cheer for the Racers, loved Isaiah Cannan and Ed (the hair) Daniels, and watched them win the CollegeInsider.com Tournament with me this year. They have not been to a MSU basketball game since 2009, but constantly ask when we can go back to see them play.
Repping the Wildcats and the Racers on the classroom door.
Where I live now people tend to cheer for professional teams. However, I’m an NCAA girl through and through! During THE tournament I put my Murray State sign up on my door (along with another sign, because I am from Kentucky!) Murray State is my favorite team to cheer for and I can’t wait for this season to begin! I’ll be watching with my Blue & Gold pompom and my Racer shirt waiting to see if Cameron Payne can lead the Racers back to the NCAA tournament and hopefully past that second round to the Sweet 16. GO RACERS!
