When it comes to UW-Madison’s official school colors, there is no gray area. They are cardinal and white. According to Arthur Hove, a historian of UW-Madison, cardinal and white have generally been accepted as the school’s colors since the 1880s. In fact, The Daily Cardinal, the university’s first student newspaper, was established in 1892. That’s not to say red is wrong, however. Cardinal is obviously a shade of red. So that’s why you’ll hear cheers of “Go Big Red!” during Badger football games, see the Grateful Red in the student section at the Kohl Center and alumni and students wearing The Red Shirt™. Badgers like to rally around red.