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Boston College will honor 9/11 hero Welles Crowther with red bandana-themed uniform accents

Graham Watson
Former Boston College lacrosse player Welles Crowther was killed saving a dozen people during the attacks on Sept. 11.

Boston College has plans to do something pretty awesome when it hosts USC this weekend.

The Eagles will honor former Boston College lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who was killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, by wearing shoes, gloves and a helmet with a red bandana design. The Boston College coaching staff will be wearing red bandana-inspired clothing and the school will hand out 6,000 red bandanas to students to wear during the game.

Crowther died after saving at least 12 people from the south World Trade Center tower before it eventually collapsed.

Crowther, who was known for wearing (or holding in his pocket) a red bandana his father gave him as a child, was working as an equities trader in the building, but he spent his free time as a volunteer firefighter and had designs on making that his full-time career.

He used those firefighting instincts to lead two groups of people to an open staircase and out of the building. He went up and down 17 flights of stairs to help evacuate people twice. He went back up the staircase a third time, but never made it down.

The Crowther family will be in attendance for the game against the Trojans, and the program termed the day “Service Day” to honor other members of the Boston College community who have been in service of others.

Boston College already honors Crowther with the "Welles Remy Crowther 5k Red Bandanna Run" to support a charitable foundation established in his name.

If you’re not familiar with Crowther’s story, ESPN did an amazing piece in 2011 called “Man in the Red Bandana,” which focused on Crowther’s life and his sacrifice. I recommend watching it with a red bandana to wipe away the tears.

For more Boston College news, visit EagleAction.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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