Rudy goes retro with alumni gear

Every piece of Flyer gear has a story to tell, from a warm hoodie worn at a football game to a UD flag waving from a porch.

Soon, such items will get a second life with UD students who will use them to make their own Flyer memories.

The Flyer Enterprises student-run business group is expanding its Rudy’s Runway online store and pop-up shop to include repurposed and vintage gear. Called Retro Rudy’s, it will feature items donated from alumni and friends to be collected, cleaned and resold this fall to students.

“UD alumni have a strong spirit, and we want to connect them to the students through vintage gear — and stories,” said Carolyn Haney, CEO of Flyer Enterprises and a senior finance major.

Haney said most Flyer Enterprises businesses have been operating at limited capacity due to the pandemic. The leadership team turned the lull into an opportunity to innovate, and Retro Rudy’s was born.

“UD alumni have a strong spirit, and we want to connect them to the students through vintage gear — and stories.”

Dawn Williams Brown ’87, who has been mentoring UD business students since 2019, said it’s a perfect way to strengthen connections between alumni and students.

“And it’s an opportunity for students to get some really cool gear at reasonable prices,” said Brown, a business consultant based in Virginia.

Brown will be donating her V-neck Tommy Hilfiger red sweater with the Dayton Flyers logo, and she’ll send along the memory of gathering with her friends in Kennedy Union plaza after classes. “That was where everything happened,” she said.