Courtyard of Honor for Michael Horrocks Veterans and Emergency Responders

09/20/2026

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Twenty five years later, Michael Horrocks is still part of every home game at West Chester University.

Long before becoming an airline pilot, Michael was a quarterback for the West Chester Golden Rams. After college, he served as a U.S. Marine before beginning his career in aviation.

On September 11, 2001, Michael was the 38 year old first officer of United Airlines Flight 175. He was also a husband and father. He never came home that morning.

Years later, his former teammates wanted future generations to know who Michael was. They helped create a scholarship in his name and raised money for a statue overlooking the football field.

Then a tradition began.

Before home games, West Chester players pass Michael’s statue and touch its foot before taking the field. So many players have done it over the years that parts of the bronze have been worn to a golden shine

Most of those young players never knew Michael. Many were not even born when he died.

But they know his name.

A quarterback. A Marine. A pilot. A husband and father.

Twenty five years later, he is still part of the team.

09/19/2026

ROCKS

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Before every West Chester University football game, players walk past a bronze statue standing beside Farrell Stadium. Many of them never knew the man it represents.

They still touch his foot.

Michael Robert Horrocks, a 1985 West Chester graduate and former Golden Rams quarterback, went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps before becoming a commercial airline pilot with United Airlines. He was also a husband and father.

On September 11, 2001, Horrocks was 38 years old and serving as the First Officer of United Airlines Flight 175, which was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He never returned home.

But at his alma mater, his former teammates refused to let his story disappear.

Years after his death, teammates led an effort to establish a scholarship in his name and create a permanent memorial at West Chester. Between 2008 and 2010, they raised approximately $150,000, culminating in the dedication of a life-sized bronze statue at John A. Farrell Stadium in September 2010.

The statue became more than a memorial.

It became a tradition.

Since its unveiling, West Chester football players have touched or tapped Horrocks’ left foot before practices and games as they head onto the field. After years of thousands of players repeating the gesture, the bronze on his foot has been worn down enough for a golden shine to appear beneath the surface.

For today's players, Michael Horrocks is someone they never had the opportunity to meet. Some were not even born when Flight 175 was hijacked.

Yet they know his name.

They know that he was a quarterback who once led the Golden Rams to a memorable 35-27 upset over the University of Delaware in 1983. They know that he served his country as a Marine. They know that he became an airline pilot, a husband, and a father.

And every time they touch that bronze foot before taking the field, they carry a small part of his memory with them.

Twenty-five years after September 11, Michael Horrocks is still part of West Chester football.

09/17/2026

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09/15/2026

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09/13/2026

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Amazing Love Story and has roots in Pennsylvania
Thank You Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees Organization

09/12/2026