Pirate Treasures -- From Scarlet to Red to Orange!
Orange Coast College's Pirates have always been pirates, but they haven't always been orange.
That singularity deserves examination.
Pirates and orange go together like crimson and clover. And, as broadcaster Paul Harvey used to express it, "Now, for the rest of the story." OCC didn't embark upon its quest for athletic success sporting orange joie de vivre. It was an acquired taste.
At the outset, our school colors were undeniably somber. It took 50 years to correct that.
OCC's colors in 2021 are as significant as they ever will be… in fact, more so. But, if you think for a moment that this story was predictable, you're mistaken. Our tale is filled with twists and turns.
The Pirates are currently (and finally!) decked out in orange and blue and have been so for a quarter-century. Prior to that, our little piece of Eden, our demi-paradise, was ensconced in red. For decades citizens of this realm – whether intentional or not – flew red banners that became bleached in the midlatitudes' sunshine, causing them to fade to a sort-of-orange. Unauthorized banners flew from masts in various shades of Sunkist coral. People drew "logical" conclusions from that bleaching, including: "Orange Coast must be orange, not red!"
We were confused.
Beneath this artifice we were as red as Erik the Viking's chest hair, causing vexation within Pirate Nation. I, who esteem logic and balance above all, touted publicly from my PR pulpit that we should bathe our lovely selves in tones of papaya, peach, apricot, melon, carrot and, of course, atomic tangerine. Orange swelling upon orange. Ultimately, I prevailed.
This essay is meant to document, before it's forgotten, the origin of Pirate colors -- orange and blue -- on OCC's campus.
I've been challenged by one critic who insists that orange and blue are not Pirate colors. Say again? If not orange and blue, what then? Further, a historian added that flags of red and black have adorned pirate ships since days of Avon's Bard.
I happen to know a bit about Jolly Rodger, and I see things differently. Aargh! I'm a lifelong Pirate.
Exhibit A: East Carolina University's Pirates are located in Greenville, NC. Greenville is a hundred miles from the nearest seagull, yet there's a strong affinity between the university and Blackbeard the Pirate, who plied the waters off the Outer Banks. Blackbeard's tales are legendary in the Carolinas but, as far as we know, he never spied the bluffs of Newport, or the treasures of Fashion Island.
Wrought of orange and blue, East Carolina U. is not. That fine institution hoists a banner of (wait for it, wait … wait … wait …) purple and gold. Do purple and gold seem like "piratey" colors to you? Me neither. Purple borders on … lavender. Trust me, I once attended an East Carolina football game and I've visited that campus.
ECU's mascot is (and does the cosmos have an answer for this?) "PeeDee the Pirate." PeeDee? OCC's mascot is "Pete the Pirate." Pete was named in 1948 for Coast's founding president, Dr. Basil H. Peterson, who was known to friends and colleagues as "Doc Pete." Alas, I know not of PeeDee's derivation.
Again, I ask: Are purple and gold Pirate colors?
Exhibit B: Seton Hall University's Pirates, in South Orange, NJ. Are Seton Hall's colors orange and blue? No, they're pirate blue, gray and white. Pirate blue? There's no such thing. That's as artificial as "beet red" or "grassy green."
Exhibit C: Hampton University's Pirates of Hampton, VA. Reflex blue and white is what they pledge their loyalty to. Reflex blue? That's what occurs when I consume a half-gallon of mint chip ice cream before bedtime.
Exhibit D: Ventura College's Pirates of Ventura, CA. They have it right. Their colors are orange and black.
The core shade of any school's color palette should be active. "Pirates" eschew competing under a reactive flag. Something that inspires confidence is what's needed … like the color ORANGE!
OCC was founded in 1947 and opened its doors in the fall of 1948. The school's mascot and colors were chosen during the spring of '48. The selection was made by student government leaders at OCC's two feeder high schools, Newport Harbor and Huntington Beach.
The students agreed not to choose their dominant high school color for OCC's "branding" palette. That ruled out the chance of an orange and blue combination (Newport's colors were blue and gray; Huntington's orange and black.). All other colors, however, were on the table (well, maybe not "Pirate Blue").
The school's mascot was "Pete the Pirate," and the voting wasn't even close. For a college preordained to have a close relationship with the sea (sailing, rowing, swimming, surf team, sand volleyball, Marine Science, Sailing Center, etc.), it seemed appropriate for Coast to select a nautical pastiche in which to place its mascot.
The selection of Coast's colors, however, proved significantly more difficult. The voting produced … maroon and gray. Aargh! Those dreary tones couldn't excite a carnival barker. And, they never clicked with the student body.
That blunder was corrected in 1957 during the school's 10th anniversary celebration. Student government leaders voted to change the colors to scarlet, black and white. Those colors were deemed "Pirate appropriate" for ensigns, emblems and costumes. But, they still didn't say Orange Coast.
Frankly, when I enrolled at Coast as a 17-year-old freshman in the fall of 1962, I had a visceral response to the school's colors, and it had everything to do with unintended incoherency. Prior to the first football game that year, I had no idea as to what our colors were. OCC's gridders took the field on opening night wearing … RED.
"Wait a moment," I complained to the person sitting next to me in the student rooting section. "Something's wrong. We're ORANGE COAST, not RED COAST." Our biggest rival, Santa Ana College, was red and black, dating back to 1915. We needed to be different.
Thirty-three years later, in 1995, OCC's 50th Anniversary Planning Committee (meeting to lay the groundwork for a 20-month-long celebration, Feb. 1997-Sept. 1998) discussed "re-branding" the institution. Our discussion sessions were bracing and enthusiastic.
After months of deliberation, the committee recommended that the school's colors be changed and that a new logo be implemented. We further addressed changing the mascot from a Pirate to a Dolphin. Fortunately, that proposal didn't get off the ground.
The committee ultimately agreed upon the colors orange, blue and white. Those colors, reasoned committee members, communicated the "Coast Zeitgeist."
In the spring of 1996, the committee's chair – myself -- was tasked with selling the idea to the campus at large. I presented the committee's recommendation to college president, Margaret Gratton. Margaret loved it. I then took it to the Athletic Division and its coaches, the President's Cabinet, the Administrative Cabinet, the Planning and Budget Committee, the Faculty Senate, and the Classified Cabinet. All groups, without exception, supported the proposal.
The final decision, however, would be made by the Associated Students. If they bought into the concept, the color change would take place. If not …?
Athletic director, Barry Wallace, and I presented the plan to the Associated Students during an informational session. The following week, an open forum was sponsored by the ASOCC. I made a presentation to that gathering and answered questions. Several athletes spoke on behalf of the motion. It passed, and OCC adopted its colors on April 18, 1996.
Because of cost of uniforms, the athletic teams were allowed to implement the colors within three years. Most made the change immediately.
Orange and blue have now been Pirate colors at Coast for 25 years. They're evident throughout the campus, and resonate with the message, Orange Coast College.
Orange and blue are the unambiguous symbol of OCC!
