ELLENSBURG, Wash.—A new conference means a new look for Central Washington football in 2022.
 
With the Wildcats officially beginning play in the Lone Star Conference in September, CWU head coach Chris Fisk wanted to give his squad something else to look forward to in the new season, while also taking time to honor Central's rich football history.
 
So after six seasons of wearing black helmets, the Wildcats will return to wearing the more traditional Crimson helmets in the fall.
 
"We always try to do something that is an energizer for our kids, something that brings energy to the program," Fisk said. "When we rolled this out, the kids loved it. They think it looks sharp. It is a throwback to the tradition that was built here a long time ago. Guys like Adam Bighill, Mike Reilly, Jon Kitna, they all wore the Crimson helmet so to get back to that tradition was important."
 
With the change back to Crimson, the Wildcats also revamped the basic look of the helmet shells. Instead of the player number on the right side and the secondary Wildcat head logo on the left, the new-look Wildcats will wear Riddell helmets with the official "CWU" athletics logo on both sides.
 
The helmets also feature a wide black stripe down the middle of the helmet. The stripe is flanked on either side with a thinner, white stripe. Player numbers are still on the helmets but are now located on the back just above the neck bumper. Double-digit numbers will be visible on either side of the black & white stripe.
 
The helmets also contain a 3-D raised front bumper with "CWU" in Crimson, trimmed in white with a black background.
 
Black facemasks and chin straps compliment the overall look of the new helmets.
 
The Wildcats open the 2022 season on Thursday, Sept. 1 at defending National Champion Ferris State. Central's first home game of the new season is Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. Western New Mexico.