West Virginia and Wyoming will both ditch their traditional school colors to wear all-black uniforms at their respective college football games this weekend. They are both going to honor the coal industry.
It creates a unique conversation about the role of these two states in the greater context of the United States.
Which college football program gets to claim the rights to coal? There is a lot more to the conversation than you might initially think.
Wyoming is the leading producer of coal.
The school colors for the University of Wyoming are brown and gold. Never before in the 132-year history of their college football program have the Cowboys not worn their school colors during a game.
This is the first time since 1893.
In lieu of its traditional colors, Wyoming will instead wear black. The details are silver.
The uniforms are an homage to the coal industry in partnership with the Wyoming Mining Association.
Cowboy Tough x Miner Mentality 🤠⛏️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/1vtAPHbgV1
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) October 13, 2025
The state of Wyoming accounts for roughly 41% of total coal production in the United States, with somewhere around 240,000 thousand short tons per year. I was not previously aware of that reality.
The vast majority of coal is mined from the Powder River Basin, a region known for low-sulfur coal.
Low-sulfur coal is mostly used for power plants on the West Coast because it is preferred for cleaner burning. That presents a challenge for Wyoming as demand for natural gas and renewable energy continues to rise. Coal production within the state has dropped every year since the late 2000s so it now must invest in technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) to extend the life of its coal sector.
These new uniforms are a nod to the importance of the industry.
West Virginia is the second-leading producer.
Unlike Wyoming, the University of West Virginia is not going to debut alternate uniforms on Saturday. The Mountaineers first wore their ‘Coal Rush’ uniforms in 2024. This will be the second year in a row.
It's not crazy… it's Coal Rush. pic.twitter.com/AcCSkMwiRr
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) October 9, 2024
Most people likely think of West Virginia when they think “coal.” And for good reason!
However, it actually ranks second in the United States in terms of total coal production, with approximately 85,000 thousand short tons per year. The underground mining in the Appalachian region produces bituminous coal with higher sulfur concentration than the coal of Wyoming, most often used as energy to make steel.
These ‘Coal Rush’ uniforms are presented in partnership with ‘Built on Bravery,’ a mine rescue team based out of the University of West Virginia. Here is a look at last year’s look:
It is another very cool nod to a very important industry within the region.
Rich Rodriguez has direct ties to the mines.
Both of these two schools deserve to wear ‘Coal Rush’ uniforms. They are both equally as important.
However, the Mountaineers have an even more direct link to coal.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez grew up in a coal mining community. His family worked in the mines.
“It’s a great idea, first off. The coal mining industry in the state of West Virginia is in the fabric of the state,” Rodriguez said of the uniforms. “I grew up in Grant Town, which is a coal mining community. My grandfather was the first one, he was a coal miner, he came overseas. My father was a coal miner.”
He wants his team to know the true importance of the Coal Rush game.
“It’s kind of an honor we get to have to bring that coal mining industry to the state of West Virginia and I hope they understand how hard that profession is and how they don’t have it quite as bad,” Rodriguez continued. “I’ll probably bring that up this week.”
I did not know this! For the head coach to have grown up in the world his team will now honor is very cool.
Meanwhile, approximately 1,500 miles to the west, Wyoming is going to be wearing a very similar uniform that tell a very similar story. I highly doubt the crossover was planned, and as fun as it is to debate who most deserves to claim coal, to have them both honor the industry on the same day is a great coincidence.