BTW School Colors - Did Crimson & Gray change to Red and White??

[Galen Ollison]

Deborah Young asked: "Galen do you or anybody remember why the school colors were changed? Was it maybe too hard to find/get the Crimson and Grey colors?"  That's a good question to start a discussion on. 

To my knowledge the school colors were never officially changed, it was just the displayed colors on uniforms and award jackets that varied.

We still sing in our Booker T. Washington Alma Mater, "Gray and Crimson we adore ...".
I recall seeing Red and Gray BTW letter jackets in the neighborhood all of my pre-BTW days until about 1960. After that, and certainly after my September 1961 8th grade enrollment at BTW, I never recall seeing gray in an award jacket again. It was either red and white, or solid red as my '66 varsity track jacket was. 

It seems that most schools who state their colors as "crimson", like the colleges Harvard and Alabama, actually use a slightly-darker than medium red color like ours on their team uniforms and in published school materials. I've never seen on any teams colors the same "crimson" that comes up in my web graphics work, which looks like (as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it) a "deep purplish-red".

Help us out .... What do YOU think -- or know -- about the history of our school colors?? 

[Hazel L Salter-King]

Right again Teresa!  The majorette's uniforms looked almost exactly like ours at the top.  Slight variation, but definitely the same colors; gray & crimson with the white plume. (Did I spell that right?)

[Teresa Catherine Hill]

Vicki. ypu are so right,and I think the majorrettes' uniforms matched the band uniforms.Is this correct or am I dreaming?

[Vicki Carol Smith]

Something else has occured to me .... our band uniforms were grey with crimsom accents.  I guess those colors were easier to find in band uniforms.

 

[Hazel L Salter-King]

You know how my memory is Vicki.  But you are correct, and I do remember that our "fight colors" are red and white.  How great that you remembered!

[Fulton R. Mosby]

My brother thinks it may have been 56 when the change came about.  My older brother was in that class of 56. (he has passed on)

[Deborah Young Love]

Hey Vicki...Now wasn't that very creative and unique...to have "fight colors," plus a "fight song." No other school had "fight colors." That's a good eye opener for me. Yeah for the Bulldogs! May the Grey and Crimson rein high...for Evermore!

[Vicki Carol Smith]

I seem to remember that on the old programs at football games it stated that red and white were our "fight colors" rather than our school colors.  Our school colors were, and remain in the lyrics of our school song, "grey and crimson" we adore ......

[Mary Frances (Lott) Jones]

hello Fred

The 1954 Basketball jackets was crimson and grey, I use to wear my coz Cuney Clemmons jacket.

[Deborah Young Love]

Carolyn...true, true, true I knew that, because your uniform on your picture is Red and White...but with me being the youngest...hahahaha...now you bring up  another good question...{and it may call for some campus "research"}...but it would be "interesting" to know...from anyone on campus.... exactly "WHEN" we began using the Red and White colors? It appears now that we have a "LONGER" history of the color Red and White.

[Carolyn Hill Morris]

Deb, our majorette uniforms were red and white as shown in the photo here on campus.  That was '57 and before.