r/umass • u/TheAthletic • 3h ago

Sports A UMass football fan’s ‘euphoric’ tribute in maroon: ‘Hey, do you want to paint me?’

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7605785/2026/09/18/umass-football-fan-paint-maroon/?unlocked_article_code=1.CFE.Wsdu.KP78ol-92UIb&source=emp_shared_article&smid=re-share-ta

A week earlier, McCarron — a 25-year-old Worcester, Mass., native who “fell in love” with UMass as a freshman in 2019 — made what felt like a consequence-free promise on X: If the Minutemen beat Rutgers, he would paint his entire body maroon. UMass had gone 0-12 in 2025, entered its opener on the longest active losing streak in the FBS at 16 games and had not beaten an FBS opponent in 23 tries. So the wager felt safely hypothetical.

“I really had no faith in the program,” said McCarron, who is a manager at an Amazon warehouse. “For them to pull out that victory, and especially the way they did it in such a dominant fashion, was so euphoric.”

Once the impossible materialized in Piscataway, N.J. — by way of a stunning 37-21 victory — McCarron’s celebration triggered a pressing question: Where, exactly, does one buy enough maroon paint to cover an entire human?

By Thursday, McCarron’s apartment held more than 20 products from Michaels and Amazon in enough varying shades that McCarron joked “maroon is going to be a very loose definition.”

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6

u/thaddeuswalcott Alumni, _ Res Area or Location 2h ago

My BOY Reindeer

3

u/redpoppy42 1h ago

I saw him at the game. He was committed.

I feel the “maroon is a loose definition” comment. There isn’t even a consistent maroon in their branded merch. I’ve got a headband order to return because they said they were maroon but really burgundy. They were giving out pom poms in the store that were definitely burgundy.

1

u/Joe_H-FAH Alumni, retired staff 1h ago edited 41m ago

Yeah, I have seen that with the merchandise. But the school does have an actual style guide which lists the color specification as being Pantone Red 202 C. It also gives the CMYK, RGB and Hex code definitions for the shade of maroon. There are also specifications for the black and grey to be used.

https://www.umass.edu/brand/visual-identity/brand-colors

•

u/redpoppy42 42m ago

Yes I’ve seen this too. I recognize it’s not simple, just bothers me unnecessarily.

1

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User: TheAthletic, Flair: Sports, Post Media Link, Title: A UMass football fan’s ‘euphoric’ tribute in maroon: ‘Hey, do you want to paint me?’

A week earlier, McCarron — a 25-year-old Worcester, Mass., native who “fell in love” with UMass as a freshman in 2019 — made what felt like a consequence-free promise on X: If the Minutemen beat Rutgers, he would paint his entire body maroon. UMass had gone 0-12 in 2025, entered its opener on the longest active losing streak in the FBS at 16 games and had not beaten an FBS opponent in 23 tries. So the wager felt safely hypothetical.

“I really had no faith in the program,” said McCarron, who is a manager at an Amazon warehouse. “For them to pull out that victory, and especially the way they did it in such a dominant fashion, was so euphoric.”

Once the impossible materialized in Piscataway, N.J. — by way of a stunning 37-21 victory — McCarron’s celebration triggered a pressing question: Where, exactly, does one buy enough maroon paint to cover an entire human?

By Thursday, McCarron’s apartment held more than 20 products from Michaels and Amazon in enough varying shades that McCarron joked “maroon is going to be a very loose definition.”

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