‘Ol Crimson Returns To Happy Valley With Purdue Flag In Celebration Of Strength Of Tyler Trent
‘Ol Crimson, the iconic Washington State flag grouping that has appeared at every College GameDay broadcast since October 2003, returned to State College Saturday bearing an additional message of strength in memory of late Purdue superfan Tyler Trent.
‘Ol Crimson flew high above the GameDay crowd on Old Main last year in support of Tyler Hilinski, the Washington State quarterback who took his own life in January 2018. The flag and those who hold it continue their mission of destigmatizing mental illness in Hilinski’s memory through its support of the foundation Hilinski’s Hope. They added a No. 3 insignia to their red flag last year.
This year, the alumni who wave ‘Ol Crimson from GameDay to GameDay have added a Purdue flag to their arsenal of banners in celebration of the strength of Trent, who died of bone cancer in January after a five-year battle with the disease.
The added Purdue flag includes an inscription commemorating Trent and the flag’s first appearance on GameDay — before Auburn’s Texas matchup against Oregon in August.
Erik Falter, one of several ‘Ol Crimson bearers posted on the Hub Lawn Saturday, said that Purdue and Washington State collaborated to raise awareness.
“As far as I know, what has happened is because of Hilinski’s Hope, Purdue asked us if they could be along with ‘Ol Crimson at every GameDay, and asked us to help them in terms of raising the awareness on that,” Falter said.
Trent inspired football fans across the country with his story of strength and devotion to the Boilermakers.
“This is not just Washington State, this is something that’s important for college kids all over the country,” Falter said. “I think everybody needs to get more involved in this.”
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