NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State Redbird football fans driving down Main Street may have noticed a new flag flying high above the field at Hancock Stadium. The new red flag, sporting a large white "W" and a Redbird football helmet, signals the start of a new tradition for the Redbird football program under the direction of second-year head coach Brock Spack.
"This is a something I had wanted to get done for a couple of years and when I brought the idea to Brock, he was on board," Illinois State Associate Athletics Director for Development Doug Banks said. "I approached our friend Bill Frautschi and his staff at Den Graphix to design it and they did a great job. Every time we win, we will put that flag up immediately as the team moves to the Zoo to sing the fight song with our students to let everybody know that the Redbirds have won their game. We want it to become another tradition on game days, like the victory bell, and hope that it might catch on with other sports as well."
Spack hopes that this new flag will become a symbol of a winning culture for the Redbirds and one that will instill pride in its fans and throughout the community. The flag currently flies atop the flagpole by the scoreboard at Hancock Stadium, because the Redbirds headed into the offseason with a 22-20 win over No. 9 Northern Iowa in the 2009 season finale.
"We did something similar while I was at Purdue and I thought it would be a good way to start a new tradition here at Illinois State," Spack said. "I talked with Doug about doing this and he was already in the process of making it happen. I think the final product looks great, with the bright red flag and the white letter and helmet. Our school colors are vibrant and instill pride in our community. So, it's great to come to work every day at the Kaufman Building and see that flag flying over the stadium reminding us of our last win."
The Redbirds open the 2010 season Thursday, Sept. 2, against Central Missouri, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Hancock Stadium.
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