4 up Pacific Islander, all we had was each other”: Stanford celebrates Pacific heritage

“Growing up Pacific Islander, all we had was each other; all the sacrifices our people had to make to give us the opportunity to play at the next level, especially at Stanford, make this a dream come true!”

Those are the words of Stanford sophomore linebacker Landon McComber, who says the university’s upcoming Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration is about much more than football.

Stanford Football will celebrate Pacific Islander heritage during its season opener against Hawai‘i on Saturday, unveiling a special collaboration that brings Pacific culture into its game-day look.

The Cardinal will take to the field in its traditional white helmets featuring a unique stripe across the centre, incorporating a tribal pattern celebrating Pacific Islander heritage.

The team will also wear red facemasks, marking the first time Stanford has featured the look with its white helmet since its 2017 game against Notre Dame.

Off the field, Stanford has teamed up with Island Avenue to create a special Pacific-inspired apparel collection, including tracksuits, shirts, hats and more. Coaches and Stanford staff will wear the custom pieces during the Week 0 matchup, while selected merchandise will be available for fans to purchase at Stanford Stadium.

Stanford football head coach Tavita Pritchard said the collaboration was an opportunity to highlight and support the university's Pacific Islander community.

“The opportunity to work with Fa'avae in what he's doing with our Polynesian community made it really exciting to collaborate with him,” Pritchard said.

“We get to create some synergy, especially with our Pacific Islander community, and highlight somebody who's in that space and somebody who's uplifting a bunch of other people within our community.”

For sophomore safety Donte Utu, a native of Mānoa, Hawai‘i, seeing his culture represented through the Stanford brand carries personal significance.

“Seeing our culture being perpetuated materially with a Stanford logo means the world to me,” Utu said.

“Polynesians make up less than 1% of our country’s population, so having this representation is so special to me, and I feel that my fellow Pacific Islanders would feel the same.”

McComber says being able to bring Polynesian culture into the team's game-day gear is something that represents Pacific Islanders far beyond Stanford.

“Being able to instill our Polynesian culture into the pieces of our game is truly something special! This not only feels special to us, but to the people representing all over the world.”

The celebration will see Stanford's Pacific Islander community recognised both on and off the field as the Cardinal hosts Hawai‘i for its season opener.

For the players, the special designs are a chance to honour their culture, their families and the generations who helped create opportunities for Pacific athletes to reach the highest levels of American college sport.