Stanford Reveals Special Helmet, Apparel Collaboration for Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration Game

STANFORD - Stanford Football is celebrating Pacific Islander heritage during its season opener against Hawai'i with a twist on its classic home threads.

The Cardinal is teaming up with Island Avenue to design merchandise for the season opener. Coaches and Stanford staff will wear custom apparel for the Week 0 matchup, and the complete line includes tracksuits, shirts, hats, and more.

"The opportunity to work with Fa'avae in what he's doing with our Polynesian community made it really exciting to collaborate with him," said Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football Tavita Pritchard.

"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."

Select merchandise will be available for purchase throughout Stanford Stadium on Saturday.

"I always love celebrating different cultures, especially when we as a program can do so in unique ways like this," said Greg Valensizi, Director of Football Equipment. "At the end of the day, we're here to connect with and support our student-athletes, and this helmet, the collaboration with Island Ave., and the overall celebration for this game allow my staff to connect and celebrate an important culture within our program and the sport."

Sophomore safety Donte Utu, a native of Mānoa, Hawaii, added, "Seeing our culture being perpetuated materially with a Stanford logo means the world to me. 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."

 

"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!" says Landon McComber, a sophomore linebacker from Las Vegas. "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." 

In addition to the sideline gear, Stanford's traditional while helmet will feature a unique stripe across the center, with a tribal pattern that celebrates Pacific Islander heritage. The Cardinal is also wearing a red facemask on its white helmet for the first time since Nov. 25, 2017, against Notre Dame.

Tickets are available for Saturday's home opener here.

 

Celebrating Pacific Island roots.

Rep the culture on game day with the Island Ave x Stanford Football collab, worn by our guys and available at the Stanford Stadium Stores Saturday when the Cardinal takes on Hawaiʻi. pic.twitter.com/Rub3Y33AMR

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) August 25, 2026