I’ve never been to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, but I’m a lot more curious about making a visit since reader J.D. Arendshorst told me about an exhibit currently displayed on the library’s web site: “Art of Football,” which features U of M football game program covers from 1894 through 2001. Since many of the covers depict football players of the day, the exhibit functions as a de facto timeline of football uniform history — not just for Michigan, but for the school’s opponents, and for college football in general.
Many of the programs have spectacular cover art that isn’t uni-related, so I’ll avoid discussion of those and let you discover them for yourselves by clicking through the site. Meanwhile, here’s a chronological look at some of the uniform highlights:
1897: This is the earliest uni-related image in the exhibit. That’s Michigan in the blue and gold, and the opponent is the University of Chicago. I’m too busy digging the striped stockings to wonder why some of the players are wearing vests.
1900: Once again, U. of Chicago is the opponent — and they appear to be wearing gaiters!
1900: This time it’s Michigan with the gaiters.
1906: Love that quilted/padded pant style. And here’s another 1906 design. If anyone from Nike is reading this, please start making those undersleeves, pronto!
1907: Hockey isn’t the only sport where the jerseys used to be sweaters.
1915: Arguably more notable for the crowd-borne “M” than for the unis.
1919: Not very revelatory from a uni standpoint, but what an amazing design! The typography alone is probably my favorite thing in this entire exhibit.
1922: Did Michigan ever wear red pants, or was this just artistic license?
1924: Chinstraps were apparently as optional as the helmets themselves.
1927: Whose knicker-clad leg is that in the foreground — the ref’s?
1928: Note that everyone’s now wearing helmets. Here’s another from the same year — completely new jersey template. And man, those hip pads!
1932 and 1933: In the early 1930s, the programs started featuring photography, giving us a much more realistic view of the uniforms and helmets.
1936: Back to illustration. How great would a poster of this be?
1937 and 1938: Bizarre series. According to the exhibit text: “San Francisco artist Michael Kady’s ‘Kid’ cover for the 1937 Michigan State program proved so popular with U of M football fans he was invited to do a whole series for the 1938 programs [here's another]. Kady’s own son served as the model for the Norman Rockwell-style paintings.”
1939: Again, quoting the exhibit: “Portraits of the opposing captain highlighted the 1939 programs in a style that mimicked LIFE magazine.” Dig that chenille chest logo!
1940: Compare those pants to today’s, and there’s really not so much difference.
1941: First sighting — at least on the program cover — of Michigan’s classic “winged” helmet design. The team first wore it in 1938, and of course the design itself originated at Princeton (further details here and here).
1943: Check out the little “M” logos on the socks!
1945: Starting to look, every so slightly, like a modern football team.
1952: Love that beret on the ref. (NFL refs used to wear these too, and the league even revived them during the 1994 throwback season, as you can see here.)
1953: Again with the “M” on the socks.
1957: Never knew Michigan wore numbers on their helmets until I saw this shot.
Things start looking pretty conventional after that, but you can see for yourself. Kudos to the Bentley Library for putting together such a kickass gallery, and to J.D. Arendshorst for letting me know about it.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Sabres are due to unveil their new uniforms tomorrow, but this image leaked yesterday. The colors (good) and logo (bad) are no surprise, but the real news is that front uni number. There’s some NHL precedent for wearing a number on the front, if you count some recent All-Star Games (these designs were used in 2000 and 2001, and these in 2002 and 2003). Too soon to assess this until we see the full uni, though. … Interesting note in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal (forwarded by Michael Reeves) regarding Texas Tech’s road game against UTEP last Saturday: “Texas Tech wore the combination of white jerseys with scarlet pants for the first time in 15 years. The last time the Red Raiders used that combination, according to Tech research, was in a 22-17 loss at Wyoming in 1991. A superstitious Spike Dykes scrapped the white-over-red after that. Tech was to wear white over white on Saturday. A Tech spokesman said the white pants didn’t arrive in time from Under Armour, which is the team’s apparel manufacturer.” … In a truly sublime development, Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema is apparently changing his necktie each week to match the school’s upcoming opponent. Full details here (with thanks to Mike Carr). … I was doing some photo research for another project and stumbled across something I hadn’t recalled seeing before: Mike Piazza wearing a hockey-style mask in 1998. He must have done that only for a very short period. … More mismatched sleeves on the gridiron, this time at the high school level: Norcross High in Georgia looks pretty normal from this side, but things look a little different once you get the full view. And in the unlikely event you were wondering who’s responsible for this hokum, note the shoulder logo. (Thanks to Byron Wages for the tip.) … Finally! A clear view of Jamie Moyer’s Liberty Bell stirrups. … I don’t watch Survivor, but Mayer Weisel does, and he notes that one of the current contestants from the Hispanic team is wearing faux stirrup socks.
#1 by Anthony on 09.15.06 8:34 am |
I always thought princeton copied the “winged” helmet design from Michigan, not the other way around.
#2 by Gregg on 09.15.06 8:35 am |
A shout out to MetsfanAZ, who (in yesterday’s comment section) requested the Mets’statistics in their pinstripe/blue hat combination. The Mets are
6-4 with that combo–does not include the two ‘86 throwback victories. (Incidentally, they are 3-1 with pinstripe/blue-black caps.)
#3 by Rich on 09.15.06 8:48 am |
1897, no helmets. That’s hardcore!
Stupid question coming: What’s a gaiter?
#4 by Phil on 09.15.06 8:49 am |
You would think that Eastbay would be up to date…
Link Name
http://www.eastbay.c...
If you want to shop by team you need to click on that teams helmet. Too bad about a half dozen of them have been replaced by new helmet logos.
#5 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 8:51 am |
RE: Referee’s beret… I don’t think it’s a beret so much as a “Jeff Cap”
RE: Norcross High School. Yesterday someone mentioned St. Joe’s Prep here in Philly. I was unable to find a photo, but the uni’s are the same. Just replace the blue with Maroon. And unless my eyes deceive me, those uniforms come from Oregon.
#6 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 8:53 am |
Side note: I just noticed the tracker on the side of the page.
CLASSIC!!!!!! Shows just what one can do with an IP address without malice intended!!
Fantastic job!!
#7 by Dane on 09.15.06 8:55 am |
The thing I love from this picture from above is while the refs are wearing the berets, and the ’skins appear to be in throwbacks, the Colts lineman #79 is wearing Reebok Pumps. I think that was the same style that Art Donovan used to wear…
#8 by Andy Head on 09.15.06 9:00 am |
Gaiters: http://en.wikipedia....
They’re striped vertically in the two pictures Paul specifically referenced above…
#9 by BDH on 09.15.06 9:19 am |
Soccer club’s shirt logo reads Link Name>The Referee’s a Wanker
#10 by BDH on 09.15.06 9:20 am |
Apparently I’m the wanker
http://www.thesun.co...
Link
#11 by Terry on 09.15.06 9:25 am |
Maybe I’m a traditionalist – I am not particularly fond of having numbers on the front of hockey jerseys. I just think they look weird. I know it is a lot more common in NCAA college hockey, but I prefer just seeing the logo on the front and that’s it.
Baseball, basketball and football on the other hand, must be mandatory!
#12 by Stormy on 09.15.06 9:28 am |
Chris Doran said:
Is nice! I like!! [/Borat]
#13 by Bill on 09.15.06 9:31 am |
Thanks, Paul, for the look into the football art at Michigan. The art-deco style on some of the program covers is just treeeeeeeemendous! Man, I wish all schools and pro clubs would use it for their covers.
#14 by Natron on 09.15.06 9:33 am |
Terry said:
Generally I agree with you, I’m not a big fan of numbers on the front of hockey jerseys either, but on the right looking jersey, it can look pretty classy.
#15 by DG Lewis on 09.15.06 10:00 am |
I don’t usually adhere to the “that’s very cool” school of commenting, but… That’s very cool. The design of the 1917 vs. Cornell program is just amazing.
#16 by Sammy44 on 09.15.06 10:01 am |
I can’t believe nobody has commented on the fact that in this pic the coach is wearing the same
uniform pants as the players. Did football coaches
used to only do this during practice or did they
wear the knickers during games also?
Pic
#17 by Chad on 09.15.06 10:01 am |
Hey Paul…i assume you know of this site, the helmet project. It has all historical helmets throughout history as best as the webmaster can compile. He alreay had Michigans numbered, winged helmets in his collection.
http://www.nationalc...
#18 by Teebz on 09.15.06 10:10 am |
Natron said:
Buffalo’s new jersey hardly have the history that Boston College does. Personally, the numbers are for sleeves and back. Hockey doesn’t need more numbers on the jersey, especially on the front.
#19 by Teebz on 09.15.06 10:13 am |
OMG! My bad! That should read Boston University, not Boston College! I apologize to all for my obvious brain-fart.
#20 by Rico Suave on 09.15.06 10:21 am |
I noticed during last night’s Twins-Indians game that new DH Phil Nevin had some issues with the “A” at the end of “Minnesota” on the front of his jersey:
Nevin
So it seems that the nameplates on the back are just one piece, but the letters on the front are attached individually?!
#21 by Natron on 09.15.06 10:23 am |
Teebz said:
Don’t misunderstand me… I, do not condone the Sabre’s unis in any way shape or form, as I noted in no uncertain terms yesterday. I’m simply stating that a number CAN look good on the front of a hockey jersey – just not on Buffalo’s.
#22 by Rico Suave on 09.15.06 10:23 am |
hmmm… Try this link…
#23 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 10:25 am |
Chris Doran said:
Everyone act normal. *Someone* just made an appearance.
#24 by Bob Sullivan on 09.15.06 10:27 am |
In a previous UniWatch, you linked to an early football uniform site, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It detailed that the vests were originally worn to help hold on to the ball. The vests gave way to those sleeve and chest patches of canvas, and eventually were eliminated altogether. So the vests came first.
#25 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 10:29 am |
John Ekdahl said:
Well hello Phil!!!
#26 by Dan on 09.15.06 10:31 am |
Maybe this *someone* can actually help me, or anyone else…im a senior at Providence College, and a die hard Friar basketball fan…I would pay a lot of money to buy an authentic Men’s Basketball jersey (made of course by our friends at NIke)
however, because we’re a small school, Nike doesn’t produce replicas…I refuse to buy the cheap immitations our school store sells, so is there anyway I could special order one from nike? or am i wasting my time?
#27 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 09.15.06 10:32 am |
wow…
so much to comment on today…
1927: Whose knicker-clad leg is that in the foreground — the ref’s?
looks like a member of the chain gang
http://bentley.umich...
1932 and 1933: In the early 1930s, the programs started featuring photography, giving us a much more realistic view of the uniforms and helmets.
these sweaters…
http://bentley.umich...
a few years back i tried to have one custom done for my high school… expensive! 3-400 bucks (translation 1 mitchell and ness jersey)
1937 and 1938: Bizarre series. According to the exhibit text: “San Francisco artist Michael Kady’s ‘Kid’ cover for the 1937 Michigan State program proved so popular with U of M football fans he was invited to do a whole series for the 1938 programs [here’s another]. Kady’s own son served as the model for the Norman Rockwell-style paintings.â€
this series
http://bentley.umich...
http://bentley.umich...
reminds me of this series
http://www.moviepost...
http://artfiles.art....
http://artfiles.art....
http://imagecache2.a...
Stormy said:
if i remember correct stormy, you either work or have a connections with a wnba team. so not only do you like the wnba, but you are a borat fan? that is killer!!! sascha baron cohen- a comedic genius and the most underrated in the world. cant wait for his movie to come out in november!
in the meantime, an article for you…
http://www.dailymail...
#28 by Nolan on 09.15.06 10:46 am |
Stormy said:
Is is necessary to show us how bad our addiction to this site is? If the first step is admitting you have a problem, well, I’m not ready to walk.
#29 by SD Chris on 09.15.06 10:48 am |
Chris Doran said:
I saw this show up yesterday and laughed my ass off when I saw the “Visits From Nike” counter. And low and behold, we have spotted one of the enemies already today!!!
#30 by redhotfro on 09.15.06 10:50 am |
http://i45.photobuck...
#31 by redhotfro on 09.15.06 10:54 am |
Sorry. Screw up on my part.
#32 by redhotfro on 09.15.06 10:56 am |
One more time
Michigan
#33 by MetsfanAZ on 09.15.06 11:05 am |
The Worldwide Leader has a scrolling preview of all the big college games this weekend. Their pic for Auburn has the Russell uni even though they are now the U. of UnderArmour. The others seem to be up to date.
#34 by MetsfanAZ on 09.15.06 11:08 am |
Gregg said:
Thanks Gregg, I think what this says more than anything is that in 70ish home games so far they should wear their “home” uni more often.
#35 by Steven on 09.15.06 11:08 am |
redhotfro said:
Wonderful O-h!
#36 by C.N. on 09.15.06 11:16 am |
Everyone complains about how bad the Nike uniforms, undershirts, etc. (incidentally, if someone from Nike is here, go screw yourself), but UnderArmour is just as bad. They have taken classy looks from Maryland, Texas Tech, and Auburn, to name a few, and screwed them up royally as well.
#37 by Pat Taylor on 09.15.06 11:27 am |
The leg in the 1927 picture appears to be from a member of the chain gang.
#38 by Gregg on 09.15.06 11:34 am |
MetsfanAZ said:
Agreed. And this, given that the pinstripes are still their “official” home uniform. Sure it is. And while I’m on my rant…I can take the black uniforms, and I can take the white uniforms. What I can’t take is the pinstriped uniforms worn with black sleeves and the black/blue hats. That just rubs me the wrong freakin’ way.
#39 by Jason on 09.15.06 11:42 am |
Steven said:
I-O!
#40 by Buckeye Mike on 09.15.06 11:42 am |
Steven said:
Well since no one else had the greatness of mind to reply,
I! O!
#41 by Anthony Memme on 09.15.06 11:44 am |
todd krevanchi (krvanch) said:
You won’t be disappointed. It’s awesome
#42 by a arauz on 09.15.06 11:46 am |
Chris Doran said:
HaHaHaHaHaHa !!!
Brillant!
#43 by Nolan on 09.15.06 11:51 am |
C.N. said:
UA’s claim to fame initially was that any player using their product bought it themselves. They didn’t have any paid endorsers and therefore the players used it because it was the best product at the time. Then, the dollar signs in their eyes got huge and now they only seem to want to compete heads up with Nike. Including but not limited to random piping.
New Balance isn’t looking that much better in my eyes. Anyone remember the “endorsed by no one” shirts? Now what?
Side note: Under Armour is now in
High School
#44 by sh on 09.15.06 12:04 pm |
Not football related, but found this pic today in an SI baseball gallery: 1964 Phillies
It would appear that the ‘P’ on the batting helmet is a raised logo similar to the Japanese WBC helmets.
The Dressed to the Nines doesn’t show batting helmets.
I don’t recall reading anything here before, but have other MLB teams ever used a style like this?
#45 by Mark on 09.15.06 12:06 pm |
Steven said:
here’s an I-O from Cincinnati! Go Bucks!
#46 by David on 09.15.06 12:14 pm |
Mike Piazza wore the hockey-style catcher’s mask for a few days after he had been hit hard by a backswing (If I remember correctly, it was from the bat of Gary Sheffield).
#47 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 12:28 pm |
I just noticed during Sportscenter that the Rangers have cut the big “T” logo into the grass (or painted) on the batter’s eye.
How long have they been doing this? It’s new to me.
It looks great, though.
#48 by Luke on 09.15.06 12:28 pm |
C.N. said:
I’ll agree with Maryland and Texas Tech, but they left Auburn’s unis virtually untouched, with the exception of their logo and the font of “AUBURN” at the neckline. Still a classy uniform for the Tigers.
Old: http://graphics.fans...
New: http://sports.espn.g...
#49 by Luke on 09.15.06 12:31 pm |
And notice in that first Auburn picture, all of the Russell Athletic logos have been photoshopped out, as all those shots are from 2005.
#50 by J-Rob on 09.15.06 12:47 pm |
Luke said:
I agree, Auburn looks pretty good.
#51 by Riff on 09.15.06 1:08 pm |
This pic shows that these are the same as these, only colored differently. Note the jagged edge by the armpit and the insert over the shoulder, it matches SC’s seam between the underarm gusset and shoulder yoke. I think these are SC’s template as well.
#52 by 13monkeys on 09.15.06 1:24 pm |
For those interested in the new Buffalo Sabres jerseys:
I stumbled upon this interesting site which contains a lot of cool designs made by a fan who has been trying to get the Sabres to reinstitute the blue and gold for years now.
Sabres
Looks like he put a ton of work into these and many of them look cooler than what the Sabres settled on.
On a side note I have heard that, in order to appease some of the negative lashback they have received already from Sabres fans, they will be wearing throwback uniforms (Buffalo over crossed sabres) for some games this season.
Side note 2: The Bruins have dumped the Pooh bear and will wear their 80’s throwback, Black with the simple spoked wheel, for home conference opponents.
#53 by Riff on 09.15.06 1:24 pm |
Why in the world was Jake Delhomme wearing turf shoes on real grass last weekend?!
#54 by Lincoln on 09.15.06 1:36 pm |
13monkeys said:
New to the site? This has all been discussed before.
#55 by Paul Lukas on 09.15.06 1:40 pm |
sh said:
The Cubs still use the raised appliqué today.
#56 by a arauz on 09.15.06 1:43 pm |
C.N. said:
UnderAmour has indeed made Maryland look bad, but not as horrible as West Virginia made them look. Wow, I thought they would score 42 points in that first quarter.
#57 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 1:50 pm |
Teebz said:
AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH! Thanks for the apology, but confusing BU/BC is NOT COOL!!! It’s like mixing up Michigan/Michigan State . . . or, or, I don’t know what!!
BTW, I think the Terriers were undefeated (or maybe 1 loss) in those sweaters last season!
#58 by Banker Bill on 09.15.06 2:05 pm |
As a hockey fan/player/official, there is no better hockey to watch for sheer passion than the Beanpot tournament every year – aside from the great hockey, usually you get great Unis. Of course, BU jerseys look classic, but I’ve always liked BC as well. Even though they don’t play in that tourney – I like Maine and UNH too. Understated – good color schemes – just nice unis.
#59 by Paul P on 09.15.06 2:08 pm |
Really cool uni related news out of Bruins camp (and no, I’m not going to say that they got rid of Pooh bear)
Reading through the daily training camp blog on the team website, I read that Hannu Toivonen is going to be wearing a Denis Lemieux replica mask!!
If you got to this page: Bruins Video on the top right hand corner, there are video links. Click on the one that says “Expectations High in Bruins Camp”, and at 1:51 you can see the mask in Hannu’s locker above his right shoulder.
How great is that mask?!
#60 by Banker Bill on 09.15.06 2:11 pm |
Maybe I’m weird – but the new Sabres jersey isn’t half as repulsive to me as I thought it would be – I like it better than the new (Disney doesn’t own us anymore, so please no more Mighty) Ducks unis.
Opinion question – since it’s time to start thinking pucks again – what NHL uni (other than the Sabres and Ducks) needs a major overhaul?
#61 by Paul P on 09.15.06 2:12 pm |
Lets try that again
Bruins
#62 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 2:15 pm |
Banker Bill said:
I couldn’t agree more . . even though we have a running joke about Northeastern’s uniforms. It seems they change EVERY Year!! Actually I think the Maine jerseys (the home ones) were mentioned as one of the classiest designs in College Hockey.
Black Bears Home Jersey
I still think these are better!
Go Terriers
But I might be biased
#63 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 2:24 pm |
Banker Bill said:
I love the UNH unis. Of course, I’m a little biased. That’s where I went to college.
#64 by a arauz on 09.15.06 2:53 pm |
Mr. Met –
must be nice to have your own personalized lid.
M&N
#65 by Nolan on 09.15.06 2:53 pm |
Banker Bill said:
Needed or not the Stars are in the last year of this design. Reportedly based on the switch to the slim fit sweater.
#66 by a arauz on 09.15.06 2:54 pm |
a arauz said:
Aarrrgh! Webmaster, can we have a link-posting for dummies guide?
M&N
#67 by Banker Bill on 09.15.06 2:59 pm |
Jonathan said:
Had to see the latest Northeastern jersey – that dual-colored “N” is rather obnoxious…. a friend of mine went to UNH and when I told her I was a hockey nut, she gave me a personalized UNH jersey as a present – nicest gift anyone’s gotten me in a long time.
#68 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 3:00 pm |
a arauz said:
There’s a cut-and-paste code right above the “Say It” button.
Replace put_link_address_here with the actual link address (be sure it’s the full one with http)
Replace Link Name with whatever you want the link to be named (the underlined green text)
#69 by Chris on 09.15.06 3:06 pm |
sh said:
Johnny should be holding meetings with Pedro with the sleeves cut like that. (You may say that it is just the way the picture is “cut and pasted” but I did a quick google image search and you can see the cut in a couple of his baseball cards).
#70 by todd krevanchi (krvanch) on 09.15.06 3:09 pm |
Anthony Memme said:
how did you get to see it? movie festival? the trailers on youtube are hilarious…
i’ve been trying to explain the whole ali g/borat/bruno thing to my buddies. they just dont seem to get it. when the movie releases im not sure if i want to get them drunk before the movie or let them have a go at it sober…
#71 by Bob on 09.15.06 3:10 pm |
the nike uniforms that the high schools have are purchased by the schools i believe. i know that nike has a site where you can design and purchase team uniforms from a certain number of templates. i dont remember the website but i am still looking
#72 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 3:16 pm |
Nolan said:
I shudder to see the design Reebok has planned… Not just for Dallas, but for all the teams.
Hockey sweaters should be worn loose and free flowing!!
#73 by ard on 09.15.06 3:17 pm |
Bob said:
this site allows you to design uniforms
#74 by Beefalo on 09.15.06 3:19 pm |
Although the Sabres uniforms might not be ready to be unveiled, one retailer has their hats up for sale already.
Sabres Hats
#75 by Richard on 09.15.06 3:25 pm |
todd krevanchi (krvanch) said:
i just saw the trailer last night in the theatre, and it was hysterical. the man’s a genius.
#76 by Richard on 09.15.06 3:32 pm |
and keeping Borat on topic – he has a nice suit as a uniform…and wears a swimsuit that would make a certain oregonian happy (green and yellow colored).
#77 by AMS on 09.15.06 3:32 pm |
NHL uniforms in need of a makeover:
Dallas, for sure
Washington, for sure
Tampa Bay could use a new typeface
and someone needs to tell thr flyers to get rid ofthe black sweater…orange/white all the way.
my beloved penguins would make me a happy man by going back to the late 80s/early 90s duds, but it won’t happen.
#78 by Fraser on 09.15.06 3:36 pm |
The new Sabres kit makes me sick
The NHL does need to make its teams rethink their designs and come up with some better stuff for next year when the jerseys get slimmer. Most of the teams are hideous now…And I am a hockey fan. ugh.
#79 by Steve on 09.15.06 3:43 pm |
Gregg said:
October is right around the corner, and the Mets did not wear the blue hat neither in 1999 not in 2000. I know MLB premeires their new jackets and sweatshirts in the playoffs (and I know the Mets hate to pair the blue hat with the black jacket), but I’d love to see the Mets in blue this postseason.
Perhaps a cause someone here will take up.
#80 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 3:53 pm |
AMS said:
those jerseys were not truly orange… more like a reddish orange…
#81 by AMS on 09.15.06 4:08 pm |
those jerseys were not truly orange… more like a reddish orange…
either way, they beat the black the flyers wear at home now…
#82 by Andy Head on 09.15.06 4:32 pm |
Banker Bill said:
Ugh… definately Columbus (what the hell is a Blue Jacket, anyway?). I also hate Colorado (but maybe partly because I’m a Red Wings fan) and Vancouver — but the Canucks’ alternates with the stick logo are pretty classy…
#83 by Andy Head on 09.15.06 4:34 pm |
Ugh… now I’m doing it. Must be Friday.
Canucks’ stick logo
#84 by Matthew on 09.15.06 4:35 pm |
Andy Head said:
It’s the third cousin, twice removed, of the Yellow Jacket.
I really don’t know what it is either, but I still think it’s cool name.
#85 by Paul Lukas on 09.15.06 4:43 pm |
Steve said:
Sooner than you’d think. Stay tuned.
#86 by Kevin K on 09.15.06 4:46 pm |
I live in Ann Arbor, and am a HUGE Michigan fan, and have seen a lot of the exhibit. I recently had to research the early years of the university and while looking around I came across a lot of those pictures and many more. Just like Paul, those striped socks were the first thing that jumped out at me. Gotta love them.
Go Blue!
#87 by Nolan on 09.15.06 4:49 pm |
Matthew said:
Amazingly, it’s a Civil War reference…I know, I know, we are officially out of ideas.
#88 by Valjean on 09.15.06 4:58 pm |
Great piece on the UM exhibit. And not uni-related, but anyone else notice that the price of the program stayed the same for (at least) *21 years*! (1924-45, at a quarter … then doubled by ‘52.)
OK, there was this thing called the Great Depression in there (not to mention WW2), but the economics are just stunning — can you think of *anything* sports-related that costs the same now as 1985?
#89 by Teebz on 09.15.06 4:59 pm |
Jonathan said:
I wasn’t confused by them. Rather, I was writing a report for work while reading UniWatch. I went back to the report, which deals with a donation to a local Community College, and accidentally wrote “college” instead of “university” when I swapped back to UniWatch. I mean, any school who produce players like John Cullen, Mike Eruzione, Shawn McEachern, Chris Drury, and 15-year man Rick DiPietro should never be confused with BC.
Again, I apologize for the glaring error!
#90 by Teebz on 09.15.06 5:05 pm |
I have to say that the slim-fitting jerseys are quite an abomination to the game of hockey. My collection of NHL jerseys will only be pre-2008.
Reebok is, in my opinion, as bad as Nike. They took a rather simple idea and made it into a league-wide Oregon joke. Why can’t people leave well-enough alone?!?!?!?
#91 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 5:11 pm |
Teebz said:
For invoking the name of Shawn McEachern (the fastest guy I’ve ever seen in person on a pair of CCMs) you are hereby forgiven.
In all fairness thought a couple of BC guys have turned out okay (Leetch, Guerin)
#92 by Lincoln on 09.15.06 5:14 pm |
According to the tracker, there are now 25 view by Nike.
#93 by Andy Head on 09.15.06 5:14 pm |
Nolan said:
I wondered if maybe it was something along those lines, but dismissed it… at least they didn’t try to use some sort of corny mascot to really make it obvious.
#94 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 5:21 pm |
Lincoln said:
Yeah, I’m a little skeptical of that . . .
What’s the methodology for actually tracking that? Posters with nike.com e-mail domains?? I’m probably being to webmaster specific and not Uni-specific today, so I’ll stop now.
#95 by DenverGregg on 09.15.06 5:27 pm |
TexTech had used a cool number template before UA screwed that up.
Notice that the New Balance unis are worn by the team where the backup punter stabbed the starter. Bad karma for New Balance, or conspiracy by a scared supplier?
Best college hockey uni has to be the NoDak Fighting Sioux (and I say that as a Denver fan).
NHL unis that need replacement:
– Columbus (looks like an explosion in a flag factory); and
– San Jose (no teal in hockey!).
#96 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 5:31 pm |
Jonathan said:
No need to be skeptical. Every hit to this website is logged by IP address. Every hit that matches Nike’s IP addresses (which I have) is counted and displayed under Visits From Nike.
It’s legit.
#97 by Jim on 09.15.06 5:33 pm |
The U of C beat Michagan in 1897 (21-12) and in 1900 (15-6). Go Maroons!
#98 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 5:38 pm |
DenverGregg said:
I’m not sure about that . . .anything with this much green in it can be a little tough on the eyes.
Although it does make for a very festive matchup when the Sioux play Wisconsin
#99 by Jonathan on 09.15.06 5:41 pm |
Lincoln said:
I’m sorry I doubted you, John.
Kinda frightening that someone in Beaverton has that much time on his hands, though. (although I’ve been in and out of the blog all-day, so people in glass houses . . . yadda, yadda, yadda . . .)
#100 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 5:48 pm |
Jonathan said:
Apparently, they monitor websites that show interest in the company (or are critical). Todd Krevanchi mentioned that a couple days ago.
Do I have that right, Todd?
No worries abouting doubting the coding. The internet isn’t exactly known for its honesty.
#101 by The Kid on 09.15.06 6:04 pm |
Hey Paul, on the topic of that picture you found of mike piazza wearing the hockey style mask. I remember when that happend. Must have been about 4 or 5 years ago. The game before he was hit by the backswing of a Braves batter and was pretty bloody. The Backswing hit him right around the temple/ear area which is the place with the least amount of protection on the old style masks, and one of the most heavily padded areas on the hockey style masks. I couldnt find a picture of Piazza all bloody, but im sure it does exist.
#102 by Chuck Ryals on 09.15.06 6:09 pm |
new Sabres jersey looks ok to me from that picture. While I do not care for the number on the front, it looks better on the top of the jersey, as compared to the bottom.
#103 by Aaron on 09.15.06 6:28 pm |
Andy Head said:
The reason they are called the Blue Jackets is because Columbus is the city where the BLUE JACKETS that the Union wore during the Civil War were manufactured. It’s can be a very cool name if they only incorporated something of Civil War into the jersey/logo, but I guess in this politically correct world they wouldn’t allow something warlike in public view.
#104 by 13monkeys on 09.15.06 6:40 pm |
I read the site most of the time, I usually don’t wade through the comments though. That pesky work thing always gets in the way.
Lincoln said:
#105 by Andy Head on 09.15.06 6:45 pm |
Aaron said:
Ah, finally an explaination I understand. Still don’t think I agree that it’s the best possible name for a 21st-century hockey team, but at least I get it now.
#106 by Art on 09.15.06 7:19 pm |
The counter seems to be slightly deceptive. Everytime you try to look at a new page, it counts as a “visit.” So looking at comments on one post, going back to the homepage, viewing another post’s comments, etc. , all count as a unique visit.
But I guess it is confirming that Nike is indeed looking at everything.
#107 by Mike from Queens on 09.15.06 7:51 pm |
Banker Bill said:
A whole bunch can do much better. As I’ve said here before, I hate the Devils jerseys only because when your name is reminiscent of hellfire and demons, a fucking NJ monogram demonstrates a total lack of creativity.
I don’t think enough teams use green, but thoseDallas jerseys are weak. Especially that third jersey. Yuck.
I hate the Blackhawks jerseys. No Indian politicking, I just don’t like it. I know it’s classic, but so are monarchies and despotism.
The Florida Panthers need to wake up and figure out something fresh and new. This was never good in the first place, let’s not settle for mediocrity.
I usually don’t fuss much about older jerseys, but the Washington Capitals’ current jerseys are pathetic compared to these beauties: dark,white.
Totally agree about the Vancouver Canucks. Change the name back to the Millionaires and throw these on their backs. I think this was also one of their unis
As I heard someone mention a while back (pre-blog?), I concur that the teams from Buffalo should stop using a fucking Buffalo in the logo. The Sabres have no excuse for this. Or, even this (though I dig the number on the front). You want a buffalo in your logo? Become the Buffalo Buffaloes and get it over with.
I simply don’t like Carolina’s unis. Don’t know why, really. I like the logo, but something bugs me about it.
I’ll probably be crucified for saying this here, but that Nashville Predators third jersey is awesome. I don’t like the shiny silver bits, but those are some cool jerseys.
Sorry for the long post, but hockey never gets its due so I had to get it out of my system. If most of these links are broken, I hope Ek just deletes the whole post like nothing ever happened.
#108 by DenverGregg on 09.15.06 8:04 pm |
Jonathan said:
Green in unis is like money in my pocket – there can never be too much of it.
I agree with the dislike of the Canes unis – maybe they have too much red.
The Pred’s mustard unis are alright, except for the reflector tape.
Can’t agree about the like of the old-style Caps though. It just looks little-league.
#109 by Brian from Short Island on 09.15.06 8:13 pm |
CBJ’s right shoulder patch is a Civil War hat…
#110 by Brian from Short Island on 09.15.06 8:14 pm |
found a photo
#111 by Chris Doran on 09.15.06 9:05 pm |
Mike from Queens said:
Agreed about not enough hockey!!
The old Sabres logo was self-explanatory a Buffalo over two crossed swords, or sabres as it were Sabres old school
The Canucks have looked much worse
How’s this for green?
#112 by C.N. on 09.15.06 9:28 pm |
J-Rob said:
It’s OK. I like the old plain font a lot better. Also, the new font is the same one the mens’ basketball team uses on their jerseys, which can’t be good karma for the football team.
#113 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 9:47 pm |
Art said:
I don’t know what’s “deceptive” about it.
The counter counts you once a day in the Unique Visits and counts every time you load a page in Page Views. So if you refresh the homepage 20 times today, it will count it once in Unique Visits and 20 times in Page Views.
As for the Nike count… It wouldn’t make much sense to show “Unique Visits” for them because it would basically only register 1 per day. Their entire office accesses this site from the same IP range. I’m more interested in how many times they check this site per day, as I’m sure most other people are.
Understand the difference?
#114 by Tim Mc on 09.15.06 9:51 pm |
I’ll probably be crucified for saying this here, but that Nashville Predators third jersey is awesome. I don’t like the shiny silver bits, but those are some cool jerseys.
Not at all, I agree whole heartedly. also, (IMO) gotta love the Colorado 3rds
#115 by mallrat on 09.15.06 10:12 pm |
Not uni-specific but nothing beats the Providence University “Skating Friar” So old school and simple it’s wonderful, despite the fact that the team wearing it rarely is wonderful. Wow that’s a run-on sentence.
#116 by Kyle on 09.15.06 10:16 pm |
Fraser said:
You know, the more I look at them, the more I like the color changes and even the number on the front, but god, that logo…
Of course I also graduated from a school that calls itself the Purple Tornado, and ran out onto the soccer field myself on more than one occasion in a purple top, purple shorts, and purple socks, so I may not be the best judge of uniform quality.
#117 by Jill on 09.15.06 10:20 pm |
The thing that kills me about the whole Nike hatemail after the USA Today article is that a group of people who sit around and discuss uniforms all day probably buy a lot of athletic equipment so you shouldn’t piss them off.
I’m sure the guy didn’t know it would be found out that he works for Nike. I’ve always liked Nike products, sure there are ugly things I would never wear, but most of their products are good. For a while, they were the only company making tennis shoes I could wear that wouldn’t fall apart after a few weeks.
Do other companies also monitor this site, like Reebok or Under Armour?
#118 by Kris McInnis on 09.15.06 10:31 pm |
Luke said:
Well, it could be worse.
I will say though, I got an up-close look at the new jersey at the campus bookstore and the neckline typeface looks pretty goofy. I can’t remember for sure, but I believe it was a Corp. Gothic font. The point is the sariffed edges, on TV, make it look like some cutesy second-grade bulletin board heading.
#119 by Sammy on 09.15.06 10:31 pm |
Banker Bill said:
You’re right. I thought the buffaslug would look awful, but the uniforms are actually acceptable otherwise. I haven’t seen them on a player yet, though.
I’m going through the list of last season’s unforms, and some thoughts:
Atlanta needs to do something. They’ve had the same boring uniforms for a while, and the logo is totally ineffective. I’ll leave what exactly to do with it up to the Reebok designers.
The Red Wings have the most perfect, un-screwed-around with designs in the league. Keep it that way.
I’m tired of the current Kings design. This might be the only team in sports that I give permission to use (royal) purple, but they still don’t do it right.
I’m not a fan of the Canadiens third jersey, the white with a blue stripe. The other two are great, however.
The Devils should come up with something fresh. A new logo, and/or a black alternate (as overused as it is)?
The Islanders need to get as far away from the pumpkin uniforms as possible. Burn them alongside the Cap’n whatever-his-name-was ones.
I like the Ottawa white uniforms, but not the red or black ones. The profile senator logo is far superior. And the random black wave reminds me of the mid-90s Cleveland Cavs unform.
I like the newer Coyotes design, as well as the old one, although Paul described it as his least favorite hockey uniform ever. Maybe they could do a throwback to that one this year, their 10th anniversary of the move to Phoenix.
I agree with an earlier poster that the Sharks need major help. The teal needs to be thrown out, in addition to the boring logo. Maybe the shark equivalent of the Florida Panther’s logo, with huge teeth in the foreground.
I don’t like the Capitals. Period. Do something.
Well, that’s all in my humble opinion. Uniforms at nhluniforms.com
#120 by John Ekdahl on 09.15.06 10:33 pm |
Jill said:
I’ve never seen anyone from Under Armour here (that doesn’t mean they haven’t visited). I only really check into it when a comment is ugly. Truth be told, I never would have known Nike even visited the site. I only checked because this particular person posted two comments in a row that were nasty and profanity-laced. I was surprised to find out where it came from.
There was one comment in this site’s infancy that originated from a Reebok IP. It wasn’t really that bad, and I asked the commenter to relax, and everything was fine. I don’t know whether anyone from Reebok still visits. I’m sure someone does occasionally, but there’s been no problems with them so I don’t feel the need to go with the “big brother” treatment.
I have no problem doing it with Nike after the other day, though.
#121 by Jim on 09.15.06 11:21 pm |
The Blue Jackets have had a civil war-themed alternate logo. I am not sure if they use it anymore though…
http://www.chriscrea...
#122 by Brian from Short Island on 09.16.06 12:31 am |
better look at the “hat” logo from before
here.
Minnesota’s third is the best jersey in the game, but it doesn’t seem compatible with the new “sleek” uniform. I hope that doesn’t cause its demise.
#123 by Terry Mark on 09.16.06 1:04 am |
#124 by Terry Mark on 09.16.06 1:11 am |
#125 by Jeff E. on 09.16.06 9:07 am |
Jim said:
Not on their uniforms, but they’ve kept “Stinger” as the team mascot. I guess he’s a bluejacket (a yellowjacket with blue skin?) ;-)
The earlier post about the Union jackets being produced here is correct. I think I also read that because Ohio contributed a lot of soldiers to the Union and the jackets were made here, that a lot of Ohio soldiers were referred to as “Bluejackets”. But I might be wrong about that though.
#126 by Heath on 09.16.06 9:31 am |
#127 by Brandon on 09.16.06 10:14 am |
Bob said:
My school Don Bosco Prep is sponsored so we get all of our stuff for free and last year we were sponsered by Nike and we had a great jersey but this year we’re sponsored by RBK and they ruined our classic jersey design heres the old im lookin for pic of the new now, i was just surprised that Nike didnt ruin our jerseys but RBK did.
#128 by Kelli on 09.16.06 10:51 am |
I don’t see any women wearing this team’s jersey anytime soon.
Club America
#129 by Kris McInnis on 09.16.06 11:03 am |
Brandon said:
Found one for you. Conveniently, in this particular game, they’re playing a one-sleave-y team….
#130 by Ben on 09.16.06 11:19 am |
why do I get the feeling that Tommy Lasorda has taken a little too much slim-fast lately. From his official blog-http://tommy.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/2006/09/beautiful_dodge.html
#131 by Matt on 09.16.06 11:34 am |
Gameday just had a segment/puff piece on Oregon’s unis. Where was PL?! Couldn’t they sit down with their ESPN brethren?
Anyway there are apparently 384 possible color combos. Something like 2 helmets x 2 shoes x 2 sokcs x 3 tops x 4 pants x 4 belts?
#132 by Miguel on 09.16.06 11:37 am |
Kelli said:
Bimbo is a Mexican food company. It actually owns many American snack companies. Many, many Mexican women wear this kit with pride in support of the Aguilas.
#133 by Ben on 09.16.06 11:41 am |
found a few more awesome uni pics in the mlblogs
Ozzie Smith with as far as I can tell real stirrups- ozzie’s stirrups
and I’d say Casey Jones has there ever been a real Mudville team?
#134 by Not so Big Al on 09.16.06 12:02 pm |
Paul Lukas said:
I know more than one uniwatch denizen that’s gonna be w/ you, Paul. You go, boy.
#135 by Not so Big Al on 09.16.06 12:06 pm |
Andy Head said:
Good point, Andy… I’ve frequently wasted my time thinking about this, myself: I can see the whole Ol’ Miss thing as the birhtplace of the rebellion…. but what the f**k has Las Vegas rebelled against? Good taste?
#136 by Chris Doran on 09.16.06 12:07 pm |
Kris McInnis said:
And that would be the aforementioned St. Joseph’s Prep Hawklets in Philadelphia….
#137 by Not so Big Al on 09.16.06 12:09 pm |
John Ekdahl said:
Do those Nike visit pre-date Paul’s USAToday interview ?
#138 by John Ekdahl on 09.16.06 12:11 pm |
Not so Big Al said:
I installed the counter program at 00:30 EST on 9/15, so any visits before that are not counted.
#139 by ThresherK on 09.16.06 12:25 pm |
Matt said:
Unless someone gets the idea to wear 2 different color shoes, or two different color socks, at once. Of course, that’s as unimaginable as 2 different…color…sleeves.
#140 by Not so Big Al on 09.16.06 12:26 pm |
Jim said:
You are spot on, also notice the bug is wearing a Kepi hat, a bit askewed ala a rapper, but that’s a Kepi, nontheless. A Kepi was the standard forging hat worn by all Union infantry, artillary and cavalry, except the cavalry usually switched to a slouch, wide brimmed hat… ok, that’s enough civil war history for today, kiddies.
#141 by Not so Big Al on 09.16.06 12:29 pm |
Heath said:
Close, not the Meadowlands, but the New Jersey PineBarrens, a bit to the south and west in the southern portion of the state.
#142 by Kelli on 09.17.06 3:57 am |
Miguel said:
So much for the fun of that.
#143 by Mike on 09.18.06 1:31 pm |
1927 – Just a guess, but I would say the leg (and shadow) are Feilding Yost’s. He retired after the 1926 season. In addition, he was the one who built Michigan Stadium and this was the inaugural game.