The annual Ute Proud Game was held in the Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. The University of Utah dedicates a football game each year where players wear specially designed Ute Proud helmets and members of the Ute Indian Tribe perform traditional dances and songs at halftime. The University of Utah received the tribe’s support to use the name “Utes” in athletics in 1972. A Memorandum of Understanding formalizing its use was created in 2003. The University shared this month that on August 28th, the University and the Tribe renewed the memorandum of understanding which allows the U’s sports teams to continue using the name ‘Utes’. “This is a unique partnership in higher education,” shares Lori McDonald, vice president of Student Affairs. “This agreement is a wonderful example of how a state university can work in collaboration with a sovereign nation to support each other.” The updated agreement includes detailed guidelines for Ute student scholarships, as well as a pledge from the university to send U of U Health mobile clinics to the Ute Indian Reservation in the Uinta Basin. Learn more at attheu.utah.edu.
Photos: University of Utah Official Facebook page