WEST CHESTER, PA — A familiar game-day tradition at West Chester University carries special weight this September, as the campus prepares to remember alumnus and former Golden Rams football player Michael Horrocks ’85 on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Horrocks, the co-pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, was among those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when the aircraft struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His memory remains closely tied to WCU through a statue at John A. Farrell Stadium, where football players have developed a tradition of touching the statue’s toe as they take the field for home games.
That tradition will take on added significance Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Golden Rams host IUP for their 6 p.m. home opener.
The stadium will observe a moment of silence for Horrocks and the others who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, and a film tribute to Horrocks is also planned. Separately from the memorial observance, WCU will present a post-game fireworks display celebrating the football season’s home opener.
The university’s remembrance will extend beyond the stadium, with events on Sept. 11 inviting students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding West Chester community to gather for reflection and music.
A Morning of Remembrance
The WCU Student Veterans Group will host a 25th anniversary memorial ceremony from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, on the Academic Quad.
West Chester Police Chief Josh Lee will serve as guest speaker.
Jeremy Ruspantine, secretary of the Student Veterans Group and a WCU undergraduate social work major, will also speak, bringing a personal perspective that spans both the day of the attacks and military service that followed.
Ruspantine was a high school student sitting in class on Sept. 11, 2001. Years later, he served in Iraq at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah as a U.S. Army paralegal specialist in 2008.
The ceremony is open to both the university community and the public, offering an opportunity to pause together and remember those who died.
Event Details
- What: WCU Student Veterans Group 9/11 Memorial Ceremony
- When: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, 9-10:30 a.m.
- Where: Academic Quad, West Chester University, West Chester, PA; rain location: Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall
- Cost/Tickets: Free; open to the public
- More Info: http://www.wcupa.edu/
Music on the Quad Offers an Evening Tribute
Later that day, WCU’s Wells School of Music will bring the campus and surrounding community together for its 10th annual Concert on the Quad.
The free concert will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, on the Academic Quad, with Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall serving as the rain location.
The WCU Symphony Orchestra will perform Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” as a musical tribute marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The orchestra will also perform Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” narrated by West Chester University President Laurie Bernotsky.
Performances by the Criterions Jazz Ensemble and the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band are also on the program.
This year’s concert additionally recognizes America’s 250th anniversary and the opening of WCU’s home football season.
Horrocks Remembered at Home Opener
The weekend’s remembrance will continue at John A. Farrell Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Before and during WCU’s 6 p.m. home opener against IUP, the university will honor Horrocks with a moment of silence and a film tribute.
For Golden Rams players, the occasion also brings added meaning to the tradition surrounding Horrocks’ statue. Players routinely touch the statue’s toe as they enter the field, maintaining a connection between generations of WCU football and the alumnus whose life ended on Sept. 11, 2001.
The university will hold a fireworks display after the game as a separate celebration of the football season’s home opener.
Across the three gatherings, WCU’s remembrance will involve student veterans, musicians, athletes, and members of the surrounding community — offering different ways to reflect on the lives lost 25 years ago while keeping the memory of one Golden Ram particularly close to home.
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