Rutgers football will honor the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, with a special uniform combination when it takes the field against Boston College on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The Scarlet Knights unveiled the uniforms Monday ahead of Friday night’s matchup at Alumni Stadium, featuring a predominantly scarlet look with “NEVER FORGET” displayed down the side of their pants.
The helmets feature another particularly significant detail: the number 37, honoring the 37 Rutgers alumni who were among
those killed on Sept. 11.
Honoring Rutgers’ 37 Lives Lost
The No. 37 on Rutgers’ helmets provides the most direct connection between the uniforms and the university.
Thirty-seven Rutgers alumni lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks.
For a university located less than 40 miles from Manhattan, the attacks are not simply a historical event. The proximity of New Brunswick and the surrounding New Jersey community to New York City has given Rutgers a particularly personal connection to the anniversary.
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has previously discussed the importance of educating his players about Sept. 11, particularly because many of the players on his current roster were born years after the attacks.
That makes the tribute about more than the uniforms themselves.
It is also an opportunity for Rutgers to pass the memory of those lost on to another generation.
A Meaningful Game For Boston College
The uniforms will debut in a game that was already going to carry significance before the 9/11 anniversary was taken into account.
Boston College’s annual Red Bandanna Game will take place Friday, honoring former Eagles lacrosse player Welles Crowther.
Crowther, a Boston College alumnus and former lacrosse player, died while helping others escape the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. His red bandana, which he wore over his face while helping people through the smoke, became the symbol of the annual Boston College tradition.
Each year, the Eagles honor Welles’ bravery with special uniforms designed similarly to the red bandana, with “For Welles” on the nameplate of every player’s jersey.
Boston College released its own uniform for this year’s contest, as they will be wearing white jerseys with the red bandana design on their sleeves. They have also declared the game a White Out according to their X account.
More Than Just a Football Game
There is also something fitting about the timing of this matchup.
Both Rutgers and Boston College will enter Friday night looking for a response after disappointing Week 1 performances. Rutgers was stunned 37-21 by UMass at home, while Boston College fell 34-15 to Cincinnati. What looked like a relatively straightforward early-season matchup has suddenly become an important opportunity for both teams to get back on track.
But there will be more at stake than simply bouncing back from a loss.
Rutgers will take the field wearing “NEVER FORGET” and No. 37 on its helmets, honoring the 37 Rutgers alumni who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Boston College will wear its Red Bandanna uniforms in honor of Welles Crowther, the former Eagle who died while helping others escape the South Tower.
The Red Bandanna Game has become one of Boston College’s defining football traditions. After a tribute game for Welles and the 21 other BC alumni who lost their lives that day took place in 2011, the tradition has been held annually since 2014, when the Eagles wore the uniforms for the first time and upset then-No. 9 USC. Since then, BC has continued to designate a home game each season in Crowther’s honor.
There have been plenty of memorable moments since. In 2023, the Eagles nearly pulled off a stunning upset over #3 Florida State, falling 31-29 to the eventual 13-0 ACC Champions. The next year, BC trailed Michigan State 13-6 at halftime before rallying for a 23-19 victory in a rainy, emotional game at Alumni Stadium.
That history doesn’t mean the uniforms somehow give Boston College an automatic advantage. But it does show how much the Red Bandanna Game has come to mean to the program and its players.
Rutgers will now enter that environment carrying its own tribute and its own reason to play with purpose.
The football still matters. The result still matters. For bowl game purposes and even for the morale that this season will be worth salvaging for both teams and their fanbases.
But on Friday night, the uniforms will serve as a reminder that some games are about more than what happens between the lines.
To support me and my work, please follow @arnavsarkar1000 on X!
