Cullowhee, N.C. – Highlighted by the first scheduled home night game and the return of a postgame fireworks extravaganza for the first time since the 2021 season, Western Carolina Athletics and Catamount Football today unveiled the start times for four of the remaining five home dates at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field for the 2025 fall season.
As previously announced, WCU's first home game will kick off in twilight and conclude under the lights with a 6 p.m. start in the home regular-season opener, with the next four home dates each owning afternoon starts. The Catamounts' home dates on Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Oct. 11, and Nov. 8 will each kick off at 2:30 p.m. The kickoff time for the regular-season home finale against mountain rival East Tennessee State has yet to be determined.
(Game times are subject to change.)
Broadcast details for each game will be released this summer.
Western Carolina opens its 2025 season against instate foe Gardner-Webb with the evening kickoff at 6 p.m. It's the first meeting between the Catamounts and Runnin' Bulldogs in Cullowhee since 2019. Fireworks will again light up the western North Carolina sky with a postgame extravaganza, presented by Ingles, and media partners iHeartMedia and 99.9 FM Kiss Country, and Star 104.3.
After a trip down I-40 to face ACC-foe Wake Forest and first-year head coach Jake Dickert at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, the Purple & Gold returns home for back-to-back home dates beginning with a third-straight in-state opponent as it hosts former league rival Elon on Saturday, Sept. 13, with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The two renewed the series after an 11-year hiatus with the Catamounts clipping the Phoenix 24-17. It is the first series meeting in Cullowhee since 2013, a dramatic come-from-behind 27-24 victory in overtime that saw the home squad tie the game inside the final 10 seconds of regulation.
WCU's Sept. 13 game is chock-full of game day festivities, including the annual "White Out Whitmire," as all fans are asked to wear white as the Catamount football team will again wear its all-white uniforms at home. Western Carolina will also celebrate its 14th annual Freshmen Run, a tradition celebrated as one of the best in NCAA FCS football. All WCU freshmen will have the opportunity to run through the pregame on-field tunnel to lead the Catamounts out. The spectacle partners with the WCU Office of Admissions, as future Catamounts, high school and community college counselors are welcomed to experience the best gameday atmosphere in the Southern Conference during our
Paws Game Day Experience (click here for more information).
In addition, Sat., Sept. 13, is Catamount Football Alumni Day, as all former WCU football players, coaches, and staff, are invited back to Cullowhee for the special weekend. Coinciding with WCU's second home date, the Catamount Club will also host its
annual Bob Waters Memorial Golf Tournament at the Sequoyah National Golf Club in Cherokee on Friday, Sept. 12.
The following weekend, the Catamounts open Southern Conference in Cullowhee by welcoming the Samford Bulldogs to Whitmire Stadium / Waters Field on Saturday, Sept. 20, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. WCU has won two straight in the head-to-head series, including an exciting 47-42 road win a season ago and a dominating 30-7 home victory back in 2023. Western Carolina University hosts its
annual Family Weekend festivities that include the league-opening football game.
After consecutive weeks on the road, the Catamounts return to Cullowhee for their lone October home date by hosting chromatic rival Furman on Saturday, Oct. 11, with a 2:30 p.m. start. The day has been dubbed Heroes Day, as all current and former military members and all first responders, including police, fire, and EMS personnel, will be admitted free. Western Carolina University also celebrates its longstanding relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) with special discounted admission prices for members of the EBCI tribe, as we recognize the long history and tradition of the Cherokee Indians on EBCI Day.
The first of consecutive November home dates for the Catamounts open on Saturday, Nov. 8, with the annual Homecoming game in a crucial SoCon match-up with the Mercer Bears, and the final scheduled 2:30 p.m. start time. The Catamounts look to leave the Bears in a purple haze as all fans are asked to "
Wear Purple," to match the football team, as the Catamounts will be decked out in all purple for the critical home SoCon matchup. WCU looks to halt a series skid against the Bears and claim its first series home win since 2015.
The start time for the next week's "Blue Ridge Border Battle" trophy game against ETSU has
yet to be determined as the Catamounts celebrate Senior Day. WCU has won three of the last four in the head-to-head series with the Buccaneers, but looks to reclaim the traveling trophy in the series following last year's three-point decision. WCU throttled the Bucs 58-7 in the most recent meeting held in Cullowhee.
In addition to the bulk of WCU's home kickoff times being announced, several road opponents have also released the scheduled kickoff times as the schedule continues to inch toward completion. The Catamounts' Sept. 27 return trip in nonconference home-and-home with Campbell is slated for a 3:30 pm kickoff in Buies Creek. The Citadel also announced a 2 p.m. start time for the Oct. 18 meeting in the South Carolina Lowcountry in Charleston, and Chattanooa's Homecoming game on Sat., Nov. 1, in the Scenic City is slated for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
UPDATE: Wake Forest announced today (May 29) that WCU's meeting with the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem on
Saturday, Sept. 6, will kick at 2 p.m., and be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra (
paid subscription required). Tickets at Wake's Allegacy Stadium can be purchased through
GoDeacs.com/Tickets.
Season tickets for the six-game home 2025 schedule are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office and start at just $99 for adults and $70 for youth 12 and under. A
Catamount Family Four Pack that includes two adult reserved season tickets and two youth reserved season tickets is just $250 – that is less than $11 per ticket. Season ticket options include general admission, reserved bleacher bench, and chairback seats, with a Family Zone four-pack in Section FF.
A $10 transaction fee will be charged for all season ticket orders, including credit card, cash, and check.
Fans can purchase tickets through the Catamount Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at
CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
Catamount Nation is also encouraged to
join the Catamount Club, and current Catamount Club members are reminded to renew their memberships before the end of June.
Single-game ticket sales and game day parking for the 2025 home opener will go on sale in July ahead of the remainder of the home games in early August. The unofficial opening of the 2025 SoCon football schedule begins with SoCon Media Day on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Greenville, S.C.
Details regarding the event will be released in the coming weeks.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
Western Carolina Football – 2025 Home Schedule & Promotions:
Aug. 30 – vs. Gardner-Webb – 6 p.m.
Promotions: Whitmire At Nite / Postgame Fireworks
Sept. 13 – vs. Elon – 2:30 p.m.
Promotions: White Out Whitmire! / Freshmen Run / Paws Game Day Experience / WCU Football Alumni Day
Sept. 20 – vs. Samford – 2:30 p.m.
Promotions: WCU Family Weekend
Oct. 11 – vs. Furman – 2:30 p.m.
Promotions: Heroes Day / EBCI Day
Nov. 8 – vs. Mercer – 2:30 p.m.
Promotions: WCU Homecoming 2025 / Wear Purple!
Nov. 15 – vs. ETSU – TBA
Promotions: Blue Ridge Border Battle / Hall of Fame Day / Senior Day
