Spokane, Wash. -- The Whitworth College Athletics Department, in conjunction with the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the American Red Cross, conducted "Helmets for Hurricane Relief" on

A Pirate student-athlete collects a helmet at Saturday's football game. Whitworth raised $1,700 for the Red Cross and hurricane relief.

Saturday afternoon during the Pirates' homecoming football contest against the University of La Verne. The effort raised $1,703 that will be deposited directly with the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

During a change of possession in the second quarter, the game was stopped briefly as Whitworth student athletes passed football helmets along every row of the grandstand in the Whitworth Pine Bowl. Helmets were also passed through the crowd on the grass hills north and south of the grandstand. Spectators were encouraged to place any amount of money they felt comfortable donating to the cause into the football helmets as they passed.

The concept was developed by Whitworth head coach John Tully.

"I woke up in the middle of the night after watching the hurricane coverage on the news," said Tully. "Like everyone else, my heart went out to the victims and I just tried to think of a way we could make at least a small difference for them."