I thought it rather appropriate on this windy and rainy day to highlight a little bit of Furman University history: “The Purple Hurricane.” In the 1920s, the Furman University football team first used the title “The Purple Hurricane” to refer to their team; it was a moniker that would endure for over 30 years.
The 1920s was a golden age of football for Furman University. Under the leadership of coach Billy Laval, the team won 6 state championships, sweeping such teams as USC, Clemson, and Duke year after year. Indeed, football was such an integral part of campus life that Furman actually had two football teams: “The Purple Hurricane” for upperclassmen and “The Little Hurricane” for freshmen.
Special Collections at Furman University’s James B. Duke Library is currently hosting an exhibit that showcases memorabilia from “The Purple Hurricane” including a complete football uniform from the mid-1920s, featuring the distinctive bulls-eye logo. You can see the uniform in person by visiting the 2nd floor of the James B. Duke Library or by browsing the online exhibit: F.U. All the Time! Furman University Memorabilia 1826-2013.
To learn more about “The Purple Hurricane” during their hey-day in the 1920s, view related student yearbooks and newspapers which are available online through the Library’s Digital Collections.
Neline,
The information from this blog post was collected from the Furman University’s student newspaper (The Paladin) and yearbooks (The Bonhomie) as well as the Special Collections and Archives website.