What Went Into Making the 1965 Throwback WVU Football Uniform?

Now that WVU fans, both young and old, have seen the new 1965 throwback uniform, those who played a role in bringing this nostalgia to life are offering some insight in the creation of the look.

West Virginia director of athletics Wren Baker and WVU’s former lead graphic designer Kristin Coldsnow, who still held out with special projects, appeared in a video to better explain the inspiration behind the uniform that shines light on an era of the past.

“This was very different from our other alt unis. With the other alt unis, we go to take a lot of ownership in the process and there was a lot of story telling involved,” said Coldsnow.

"𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩."

The story behind the return of the 1965 uniforms 📽️@wrenbaker @KristinColdsnow pic.twitter.com/IAnWIrvQ00

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) May 6, 2025

And while she understands some fans are disappointed they didn’t incorporate the flying WV logo, Coldsnow said it was important to stay true to the original design since the flying WV wasn’t in existence 60 years ago.

“We wanted to remain authentic to the design.”

Baller felt it was necessary to create a throwback uniform instead of another new concept like the “Country Roads” or “Coal Rush” uniforms in an effort to pay homage to the past, especially with 2025 marking an anniversary of a special season.

“Reminding people of great eras and great memories from the past is really important,” explained Baker as why he felt it was necessary to create a throwback uniform instead of another new concept like the “Country Roads” or “Coal Rush” uniforms.

The Mountaineers won one of the program’s 15 conference titles in 1965, going 4-0 in Southern Conference play. And with the Backyard Brawl set to take place in Morgantown in 2025, it’s important to note West Virginia won the 1965 edition at old Mountaineer Field, 63-48.

It remains to be seen which home game WVU decides to wear this new throwback uniform.

Rich Rodriguez’s second tenure as head coach of the Mountaineers will officially kickoff at home on August 30 as West Virginia hosts Robert Morris.

For a related story, WV Sports Now offers a complete breakdown of the WVU football 2025 schedule.

Also, Kristin Coldsnow revealed her process in making the “Country Roads” uniform to WV Sports Now back in October.