Colonels football brings the fire for Homecoming, supports Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department

The Colonels brought the heat last weekend in their victory over Stephen F. Austin University as they sported Firefighter Red to honor the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department.

The Colonels wore custom-made jerseys that featured the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department’s shield on the sleeve. Six of the eight oldest Fire Company mottos were also featured. Although the plans for creating these special uniforms for the Homecoming game had been in the works since the summer, members of the football team and the staff had no idea about them until their reveal on October 2.

“We did the reveal and it was really good,” Head Coach Tim Rebowe said. “Dr. Murphy came and we had people from the fire department come speak to the team. They talked about some of the similarities between being a fireman, an athlete and a football player.”

On the night of the reveal, the new gear was displayed on the Nicholls Equipment Twitter page for all to see. The account is run by Spencer Folse, head equipment manager for the Colonels, who hopes the page will give Nicholls’ athletes and students a sneak peak at the preparation that goes into getting the gear ready before game day rolls around.

“We’re just getting it underway and seeing how far we can go with it so we can show students what we do back here behind the scenes,” Folse said. “They usually don’t see the uniform combos until Saturday.”

Folse works with an equipment team in charge of everything from loading up the trucks full of gear for away games, to setting up and handling everything before, during and after the games. Folse and his team work closely with players to ensure each athlete has the gear they need for not only the games, but for each and every practice.

“With as much as we put into the team and with the success we’ve been starting to have, it’s a rewarding feeling knowing our contributions are helping this program move forward,” Folse said.

Rebowe said even though getting all the sizes right is always an issue, he decided to work exclusively with the team’s Adidas representative and to keep the equipment staff out of the creation of the fire department themed jerseys so the surprise wouldn’t be ruined.

“You have to plan ahead to get uniforms, so it’s amazing how we kept it in the wraps and it didn’t leak out,” Rebowe said.

With the home side of John L. Guidry stadium sold out for the homecoming game against Stephen F. Austin University, Rebowe knew exactly what he was doing when he said he wanted to pick the perfect game with the perfect crowd to honor the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department.

The Nicholls Athletics Department auctioned off the jerseys to its alumni, fans and donors after the game last Saturday as a way to recognize the fire department and to support the football program at the same time.

“It’s been years since something has been done around here like this. There’s not a lot we can do with the numbers we have because it’s a real expense,” Rebowe said. “You see it all across college football though, so I think it was a special treat for our players to see that they get to partake in something like that also.”

By honoring the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department, Rebowe’s aim was to recognize the whole community as well, since they are the ones who have supported the fire department over the years. The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department is one of the wealthiest volunteer fire departments in the country, and it is through the support of the whole area that allows the responders to take so much pride in what they do.

Protecting a population of about 15,000, the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department has been providing its emergency services since it was established in 1874. Rebowe said it takes a special person to volunteer like these responders do, and since the department is so popular in this area, he wanted to highlight the pride they have as a department.

“The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department does so much for this community and we wanted to honor the first responders,” Rebowe said. “It’s a tribute to the whole area, so that’s why we chose it.”