Skip to content
 
Uni Watch

Well They’re Out There A-havin’ Fun…

By
sun alt

By Phil Hecken

…in the warm California sun.

Some uniforms those Sun wore, huh? Go to almost any of the myriad “worst uniform” lists and invariably (or inevitably), the Southern California Sun outfits will appear. Either the worst or the best, depending upon your perspective (or the amount of psilocybin in your bloodstream), the Sun shone brightly. Boasting the rather bright combination of magenta and orange, the Southern California Sun were an American football team based out of Anaheim, California (playing in Anaheim Stadium) that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. They went 13-7 in 1974 and 7-5 in 1975.

They were coached by former Rams great and Hall of Famer Tom Fears. Former USC greats Anthony Davis and QB Pat Haden played for the Sun in 1975, along with former Oakland Raiders QB Daryle Lamonica, also known as the “Mad Bomber.”

Opinions differed widely on the uniforms sported by the Sun. According to Helmet Hut:

The Sun had a great and unique uniform. An outstanding magenta home jersey was highlighted by orange numbers, certainly a uniform as bright as their nickname! The white helmet had a very memorable Sun logo that seemed to literally throw off heat. The wide orange stripe flanked by thinner purple stripes with large rear numbers topped the uniform off smartly. When they wore their orange pants, the look was “different” yet very effective and this remains one of the best professional football uniforms of all time.

But according to a certain ESPN scribe, “Uni Watch normally wouldn’t pick on the poor WFL, but the Sun’s orange and magenta combo was just too vile to ignore. And let’s not forget the white belt, for that country club seal of approval.”

Although the Sun played their last game more than 30 years ago, their memory lives on. I haven’t found any “gamers” on eBay, but there are a few Sun t-shirts available for purchase today. You can even select the Southern California Sun as your team in some modern gaming consoles.

What made the Sun choose magenta and orange for their colors? Well, it was the 1970s, a decade that also gave us this. Maybe it was the local produce; more likely, the colors were chosen to evoke a Southern California sunset, as well as the prevailing trend at the time toward bolder, less traditional colors.

Interestingly enough, this wasn’t even the first pro team to combine magenta and orange. The ABA’s Miami Floridians introduced the look in 1970. (A few years ago, the Heat reprised this in a throwback). Here’s another view — and check out a young Dr. J in that neato Squires uni.

I plan to explore the WFL and its uniforms, logos, and other minutiae in future entries. So if anyone has any pics, links, or any additional information, please send them my way.

(Special thanks to Rick Pearson for the wonderful Sun sketch and a few of the photos linked within this entry.)

 
  
 
Categories
NFL
Comments (117)

    While many people believe the team’s nickname came from a shortening of this link, in fact the team owner chose the name after reading an astronomy book about a link in the Milky Way galaxy held together by little more than its own gravity.

    Too bad there isn’t an NFL team in Los Angeles that could play a throwback game wearing those Sun uniforms.

    Well, I’ll give them points for, uh, creativity. It really evokes a, um, sunset or something viewed while high. Who thought that one up? Magenta and orange aren’t exactly a match made in heaven, and to stick them on a fairly traditional uniform design was a disgrace. But I do love that Floridians throwback.

    a USFL cousin of those uniforms would be Pittsbugh Maulers. i recall the Maulers purple and orange too be much darker in nature though.

    Arizona Diamondbacks had turquoise and purple as team colors for several years. Though I don’t think any of their uniform combinations were quite as jarring as the Sun…

    [quote comment=”309545″]Worst Uni-Match up ever:

    Creamsicle Bucs vs Sun[/quote]

    Don’t hate on the creamsicle Bucs! That kit was glorious. The logo was amazing.

    Regarding the Sun uni… while the colors are wild, I think the helmet is actually great. Shit like this is what being a uniwatcher is all about!

    I remember vaguely the Detroit Wheels of the WFL

    IN 1974, Cameron Yards, was very briefly the home of the Detroit Wheels on the World Football League. The Wheels where the first WFL team to run into financial difficulties and moved To Cameron Yards to enhance fan base and continue season. However, the IRS seized all uniforms and equipment plus that real nice Leather ball in an attempt to pay the numerous creditors. The team ceased operations. The league went under a year later.

    link

    Anybody watching ABC right now? Between them, Obama and Stephanopoulos are wearing Southern California Sun neckties. Sorta.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309549″]I remember vaguely the Detroit Wheels of the WFL

    IN 1974, Cameron Yards, was very briefly the home of the Detroit Wheels on the World Football League. The Wheels where the first WFL team to run into financial difficulties and moved To Cameron Yards to enhance fan base and continue season. However, the IRS seized all uniforms and equipment plus that real nice Leather ball in an attempt to pay the numerous creditors. The team ceased operations. The league went under a year later.

    link

    And they’re playing Chicago Fire. Only team I know of that ever had an earhole in their helmet logo.

    —Ricko

    The WFL ball was gold with 3M Day-Glo orange stripes, so it matched the Wheels unis.
    link
    Their colors were black, light gold and orange (I know, I know, looks red in that photo, but please let’s not go there again today). Their road jerseys were black with light gold numbers and wide sleeve stripe, both edged in orange.

    And, yes, they were the first team to fold. The league managed to finish ’74, and got stated again in ’75 (with some franchise shifts and renaming) but didn’t last the full season.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309552″]The WFL ball was gold with 3M Day-Glo orange stripes, so it matched the Wheels unis.
    link
    Their colors were black, light gold and orange (I know, I know, looks red in that photo, but please let’s not go there again today). Their road jerseys were black with light gold numbers and wide sleeve stripe, both edged in orange.

    And, yes, they were the first team to fold. The league managed to finish ’74, and got stated again in ’75 (with some franchise shifts and renaming) but didn’t last the full season.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Hey Ricko, what the heck? No more “Benchies?” There’s nothing click-able in your name anymore.

    [quote comment=”309551″]
    And they’re playing Chicago Fire. Only team I know of that ever had an earhole in their helmet logo.
    [/quote]
    Gotta love the helmet/sleeves/pants/socks stripe continuity.

    Did the Fire become the Winds or was that a completely different franchise?

    link weren’t bad, but were a major step down from link.

    This was a great piece today. Love reflecting back on the WFL. Can’t wait for the Detroit Wheels!!

    [quote comment=”309542″]Too bad there isn’t an NFL team in Los Angeles that could play a throwback game wearing those Sun uniforms.[/quote]
    It’d be great if the Raiders hadn’t moved back north. I’m sure link would’ve loved the opportunity to get geared up for a magenta & orange throwback game.

    [quote comment=”309553″][quote comment=”309552″]The WFL ball was gold with 3M Day-Glo orange stripes, so it matched the Wheels unis.
    link
    Their colors were black, light gold and orange (I know, I know, looks red in that photo, but please let’s not go there again today). Their road jerseys were black with light gold numbers and wide sleeve stripe, both edged in orange.

    And, yes, they were the first team to fold. The league managed to finish ’74, and got stated again in ’75 (with some franchise shifts and renaming) but didn’t last the full season.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Hey Ricko, what the heck? No more “Benchies?” There’s nothing click-able in your name anymore.[/quote]

    Thanks, Mike. I didn’t anyone had noticed.
    One there now.

    Yes, the Fire ended in 1974. The became the Wind for the start of 1975 season. I remember they played 3 or 4 games then the went into deep freeze.
    I think they sold off their gear and assets in ’76 at a public auction. wish as a ten year old I could have had some cash.

    [quote comment=”309548″]
    Regarding the Sun uni… while the colors are wild, I think the helmet is actually great. Shit like this is what being a uniwatcher is all about![/quote]
    I’d agree with this. That logo on the white helmet actually looks pretty good. Pretty much any other color and that’s a terrible helmet.

    The magenta jerseys and orange pants are a disaster, but if they’d have gone monochrome white, it could have been a decent look. Magenta over white might have even been acceptable.

    I think their best bet would have been a completely different color scheme for the jersey and pants (azure/sky blue jerseys?) with that same helmet logo. Maybe even keep the logo on the jersey as a sleeve patch — kinda like how some teams have logos with colors in them that are completely different from their jersey colors.

    The only NFL team that comes to mind is the Ravens, but that’s a bad example because their unis blow. For a good example, I’d go with the Blackhawks. They’ve got all kinds of colors in both of their logos that don’t appear in the actual jersey.

    I worked at Play It Again Sports for 4 years and the colors of the franchise are magenta and orange. I like the color combo, personally and seeing those Sun uniforms brought back some memories.

    [quote comment=”309557″][quote comment=”309553″][quote comment=”309552″]The WFL ball was gold with 3M Day-Glo orange stripes, so it matched the Wheels unis.
    link
    Their colors were black, light gold and orange (I know, I know, looks red in that photo, but please let’s not go there again today). Their road jerseys were black with light gold numbers and wide sleeve stripe, both edged in orange.

    And, yes, they were the first team to fold. The league managed to finish ’74, and got stated again in ’75 (with some franchise shifts and renaming) but didn’t last the full season.

    —Ricko[/quote]
    Hey Ricko, what the heck? No more “Benchies?” There’s nothing click-able in your name anymore.[/quote]

    Thanks, Mike. I didn’t anyone had noticed.
    One there now.[/quote]

    is flickr the only place that benchies is online?

    [quote]is flickr the only place that benchies is online?[/quote]

    “Benchies” is ricko’s comic strip…and right now the only place it’s being hosted is rick’s flickr page…

    but i have a feeling that’s gonna change in the future

    Didn’t the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers have an earhole in their helmet logo?

    Sorry, no photo evidence…

    [quote comment=”309563″]Didn’t the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers have an earhole in their helmet logo?

    Sorry, no photo evidence…[/quote]

    like this?

    All the WFL teams wore white at home. The Birmingham Americans won the only title, their equipment was seized immediately after the game.

    The only thing worse than the SoCal Sun’s unis has to be Peter Cech’s (Chelsea) goalkeeper outfit – he’d look good on a deer stand with it…

    I remembered one of the syndicated Wednesday night WFL telecasts on TVS (mostly on UHF stations) – the road team was supposed to be the Houston Texans playing, but earlier in the day the franchise announced they had moved to Shreveport, LA. So the ‘Shreveport’ team played the game with the ‘HT’ logo removed from their helmets, their outfits were a very nice Packer-like green and gold.

    [quote comment=”309566″]http://www.throwbackmax.com/portbreakers1.jpg[/quote]

    Darn. Forgot about them. Was thinking the breakers were above the earhole. And I always really liked that helmet, too (insert forehead smack). Would like to find a patch of the round version of that logo and sew it onto a white blank baseball hat as a DIY project…but have never found one. The patch, that is; the white blank is a snap.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309568″]And it’s amazing how much old USFL footage still finds it’s way onto various TV commercials…[/quote]

    That’s cuz don’t have pay to use it. Public Domain now.

    [quote comment=”309567″]I remembered one of the syndicated Wednesday night WFL telecasts on TVS (mostly on UHF stations) – the road team was supposed to be the Houston Texans playing, but earlier in the day the franchise announced they had moved to Shreveport, LA. So the ‘Shreveport’ team played the game with the ‘HT’ logo removed from their helmets, their outfits were a very nice Packer-like green and gold.[/quote]

    that’s great info! the texans moved after 11 games, and then their helmets went blank for that one game (which i had thought, but couldn’t confirm until you just mentioned it)…they then wore this decal on their helmets for the remaineder of the 1974 season…in 1975, the truncated season, they wore this decal

    here’s their full uni in action

    In defence of the Sun uniform, there’s obviously no denying it’s loud and asks for your attention, which personally, I think is a good thing.
    One of the things that attracted me to the game of football was exactly that sort of thing, the almost beautiful spectrum of colour that any football game threw up (and looking at that uni, I’m sure plenty felt like throwing up).
    I didn’t get into football until well after the WFL’s demise, but after countless Saturdays watching far duller uniforms in the form of ‘soccer’ teams over here on cold, dull afternoons, seeing uniforms like this would have been a positive eye opener. So I love uniforms that are bright and colourful, they are part of what attracted me to the sport, and that uniform is a cracker!

    Saw some Tampa Bay Bandit footage on an episode of THE MENTALIST this season.

    Anybody remember how much fun it was to watch Jim Kelly and the Houston Gamblers in Mouse Davis’ run & shoot?

    Donald Trump’s ego single-handedly destroyed a league that actually had the start of something big going by playing the spring. Both ESPN and ABC were more than pleased with their ratings (far better than anything else they’d aired in those time slots previously), and Miller Beer, the main sponsor, was sticking around, too. But Trump insisting they move to the fall absolutely killed whatever potential the USFL had.

    —Ricko

    Know who the runner is (#35)?
    link
    That’s Jim Nance, formerly of the Patriots.
    And, despite that they look like forest green in this night game photo, the Texans/Steamer wore kelly green.

    Don Maynard (yes, THAT Don Maynard) played for the Texans, too…but only home games (was in his contract). So obvsiously he never played for Shreveport.

    Also, I’m pretty sure that for’74 in Shreveport they were the Steamer. The ’75 team made it plural.

    —Ricko

    Ooops, wait. That’s the ’75 Steamers (can tell by helmet logo, duh; sorry about that). They may have changed to forest. But the Texans were kelly.

    [quote comment=”309574″]I’m pretty sure that for’74 in Shreveport they were the Steamer. The ’75 team made it plural.[/quote]

    did they ever make it plural? i thought they were always the “steamer” (and they definitely were in 1974)

    trusted source wiki doesn’t say but does have some good info

    [quote comment=”309576″][quote comment=”309574″]I’m pretty sure that for’74 in Shreveport they were the Steamer. The ’75 team made it plural.[/quote]

    did they ever make it plural? i thought they were always the “steamer” (and they definitely were in 1974)

    link doesn’t say but does have some good info[/quote]

    Maybe they didn’t. Remember in ’75 TV talking heads saying what sound like “Steamers” and later found magazine article with all the league’s logo that labelled the ’74 logo “Steamer” and ’75 version “Steamers” so I assumed they had indeed changed it. Hey, I could be wrong. No WFL TV that second year, so info was tough to come by.

    —Ricko

    Does anyone know which video game(s) you can play as the Southern California Sun in? Or any other WFL, or non-NFL or NBA team. Thanks.

    Remember something when you search those sites: The ’74 WFL bought all the uniforms from a single supplier and—no matter what someone contends to the contrary—Hawaii, Detroit, Houston-Shreveport and New York-Charlotte all wore the same basic “Steeler” light gold. Philadelphia’s pants were that color, too, but their helmets were a little darker, more like Pitt in the Dan Marino era.

    —Ricko

    It still bothers me that the Miami throwback of the Floridians uniform was so wrong, as they needed to make it “marketable” by including the word Miami, which was, to my knowledge, never there in the first place.

    Add to that the fact that the name of the team at the time was “The Floridians” with Miami not even being part of the name.

    The Floridians joined the Capital Bullets as the only two jerseys that I can ever remember in pro basketball that had no reference to the team name or city whatsoever. I know that the Warriors had “The City” for a time, but it was still a reference. The Bullets and Floridians just had the stripes with a logo or wordmark on the shorts.

    Some of the new Oregon uniforms are a throwback to those times, with a small Oregon wordmark on the shoulder.

    I’d love to hear some other thoughts on this one.

    [quote comment=”309568″]And it’s amazing how much old USFL footage still finds it’s way onto various TV commercials…[/quote]

    It’s all about licensing. Whoever owns the rights to all those old games has made it known that it’s a lot cheaper to use that footage than any college games (most of which are owned by Collegiate Images) or NFL games (god knows the price of NFL Films).

    There is one commercial now that uses football action from “Any Given Sunday” with the Shark logo at midfield.

    I am surprised that Vinnie Mac has not tried to get some XFL footage into the mix.

    [quote comment=”309582″]It still bothers me that the Miami throwback of the Floridians uniform was so wrong, as they needed to make it “marketable” by including the word Miami, which was, to my knowledge, never there in the first place.

    Add to that the fact that the name of the team at the time was “The Floridians” with Miami not even being part of the name.

    The Floridians joined the Capital Bullets as the only two jerseys that I can ever remember in pro basketball that had no reference to the team name or city whatsoever. I know that the Warriors had “The City” for a time, but it was still a reference. The Bullets and Floridians just had the stripes with a logo or wordmark on the shorts.

    Some of the new Oregon uniforms are a throwback to those times, with a small Oregon wordmark on the shoulder.

    I’d love to hear some other thoughts on this one.[/quote]

    You’re absolutely right. No mention of “Miami” on those ABA Floridians’ unis. Wasn’t on any on their original orange and royal sets from their first year, either. Just said “Floridians” in standard basketball style on chest. They never were the “Miami Floridians”. Not that I recall, anyway.

    They surely did have nice style of courtside assistance, though.

    link

    —Ricko

    I take it back. They FRANCHISE was known as the “Miami Floridians” in orange and blue years. Sorry about that. But in the hot orange and magenta years, no “Miami”. Was remembering that I don’t think the UNIS ever said “Miami” in either version, as far as I know.

    —Ricko

    it is my opinion that Jay Kaplan (the artist who did all that awesome link) should do a poured resin show on uniforms from the ABA and WFL. Those bright, outlandish designs would be awesome in that medium! What do y’all think?

    Phil — Another tremendous weekend entry. Major kudos on your ability to pick unique topics & explore/expound upon \’em in such an interesting & informative manner. Bonus points for pulling other UWs into the mix via collaborations & shout-outs. I know I\’m not the only one to be continually impressed by the work you\’re doin\’ here.

    But, to paraphrase the great Arlo Guthrie, that\’s not what I came here to talk about today.

    Two quick quasi-uni questions (for which I\’ll apologize in advance if they\’ve been previously addressed):

    1) Is there a standard/approved/official format for the AZ Cards logo when it\’s appearing on hats, shirts, or the like. I notice on sideline shots yesterday that sometimes the bird was facing to the left, sometimes to the right. Obviously the helmet has two versions (one per side), but was wondering if there\’s a standardized version for other gear.

    2) What are the small, somewhat sparkly lapel pins that all the NFL studio crew are wearing (sorry for lack of screen grabs, but Curt, Jimmy, Terry, Howie, & Michael all have \’em on left lapel)? Are these secondary microphones, or some strange fashion accessory?

    Thanks in advance for any & all input.

    I thought of the Pittsburgh Maulers, too. I had a cheap transfer Maulers shirt that I wore long after the team had expired.

    Overall, the team wore a link so the effect wasn’t so bad. Some of the link almost make them look Bearish.

    [quote comment=”309558″]Yes, the Fire ended in 1974. The became the Wind for the start of 1975 season. I remember they played 3 or 4 games then the went into deep freeze.
    I think they sold off their gear and assets in ’76 at a public auction. wish as a ten year old I could have had some cash.[/quote]

    They kind of fell down to “Earth”

    Personally I would take the Suns uni over either the Buffalo Bills monochrome dark blues or Seattle Seahawks monochrome blue/greys.

    Especially with Buffalo Bills’s combo – how many dark blue/red uni’s do we really need to see – Houston Texans and New England Patriots have it pretty well covered. More variety is desperately needed, not just in the NFL – but most of the leagues – I would like to see a rich green/beige combo – yes it would probably be a bit ugly – but it beats the same old/same old.

    [quote comment=”309564″][quote comment=”309563″]Didn’t the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers have an earhole in their helmet logo?

    Sorry, no photo evidence…[/quote]

    link[/quote]

    I notice when I see print ads for TVs, they’ll have a simulated picture of a football game- they’re wearing those helmets.

    Not completely uni related but i was in attendance of the titans/ravens game yesterday and i noticed that once the ravens ran out on the field that they removed the tarp that both teams usually stand on so that they were standing on the grass underneath the tarp. Does anyone know why this was done?

    on the right side of McNabb’s new helmet, between the space where the ear hole is, and the back of the helmet, there’s a Dymo label stuck on the side; think it has his name on it, maybe it designates ‘backup helmet.’ tried to get an SS but couldn’t yet.

    [quote comment=”309580″]Does anyone know which video game(s) you can play as the Southern California Sun in? Or any other WFL, or non-NFL or NBA team. Thanks.[/quote]

    I have to second this request, I would love to know which game the SoCal Suns are in.

    [quote comment=”309597″][quote comment=”309580″]Does anyone know which video game(s) you can play as the Southern California Sun in? Or any other WFL, or non-NFL or NBA team. Thanks.[/quote]

    I have to second this request, I would love to know which game the SoCal Suns are in.[/quote]

    The screen shot is definitely from a Madden game, looks like a slightly older PC version – they used to be very customizable with communities making custom uniforms I believe.

    [quote comment=”309587″]Phil — Another tremendous weekend entry. Major kudos on your ability to pick unique topics & explore/expound upon \’em in such an interesting & informative manner. Bonus points for pulling other UWs into the mix via collaborations & shout-outs. I know I\’m not the only one to be continually impressed by the work you\’re doin\’ here.

    But, to paraphrase the great Arlo Guthrie, that\’s not what I came here to talk about today.

    Two quick quasi-uni questions (for which I\’ll apologize in advance if they\’ve been previously addressed):

    1) Is there a standard/approved/official format for the AZ Cards logo when it\’s appearing on hats, shirts, or the like. I notice on sideline shots yesterday that sometimes the bird was facing to the left, sometimes to the right. Obviously the helmet has two versions (one per side), but was wondering if there\’s a standardized version for other gear.

    2) What are the small, somewhat sparkly lapel pins that all the NFL studio crew are wearing (sorry for lack of screen grabs, but Curt, Jimmy, Terry, Howie, & Michael all have \’em on left lapel)? Are these secondary microphones, or some strange fashion accessory?

    Thanks in advance for any & all input.[/quote]

    1) cardinals gear usually has the bird facing link

    2) the lapels they are wearing are for link

    [quote comment=”309547″]I always thought the Memphis Southmen had a pretty slick logo(very seventies).
    link

    Why a Bear though? Any correlation with the Grizzlies?

    I know they moved from Vancouver, where bears might actually be found.

    [quote comment=”309595″]on the right side of McNabb’s new helmet, between the space where the ear hole is, and the back of the helmet, there’s a Dymo label stuck on the side; think it has his name on it, maybe it designates ‘backup helmet.’ tried to get an SS but couldn’t yet.[/quote]

    Close ups of the McNabb helmet label… so happy to see that I wasn’t the only one who picked up on it.

    link

    link

    When Carney pulled off his helmet after the 47 yd miss, did anyone notice that he was wearing earplugs? Is this normal for kickers or just something Carney does?

    [quote comment=”309602″][quote comment=”309547″]I always thought the Memphis Southmen had a pretty slick logo(very seventies).
    link

    Why a Bear though? Any correlation with the Grizzlies?

    I know they moved from Vancouver, where bears might actually be found.[/quote]

    Southmen were actually double-nicknamed. They were the Memphis Southmen AND the Memphis Grizzlies. When the Toronto Northmen relocated to Memphis before ever playing, they re-christened themselves the “Southmen”. Somebody pointed out to Canadian owner John Basset that the term meant virutually nothing in U.S. vernacular so “Grizzlies” was kinda slid in there as an alternate ID.

    —Ricko

    Some of the Giants are wearing LT 2.1’s, aren’t they?

    Very close to a white shoe. Actually I think it’s more white than black. I wonder if Nike actually computes the square inches of each color. LOL

    Here’s a picture from the Champions Hockey League, and their uniforms may be the future of the NHL. They have the Reebok wordmark on the back of the jerseys as opposed to the Rbk vector logo.

    link

    No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.

    [quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.[/quote]

    Exactly.

    The SoCal Sun played in Anaheim Stadium, which was at that time strictly a baseball stadium (before it was expanded for the Rams. link talks about a radio broadcast where the announcer promoted an upcoming road game in San Antonio by proclaiming ‘The San Antonio River runs through the middle of downtown Los Angeles’ – who continues to live in L.A. radio infamy.

    Two pictures from the KHL All-Star game played outdoors outside the Kremlin (link and link) – an event that I’m worried the NHL is use up it’s outdoor gimmick on in the future

    Whoops, here’s the other link

    Arizona and San Diego could both end up hosting conference championships, and the Cards are now the worst team ever to host a conference championship…

    It’s 26 and snowing in Pittsburgh, the fans are going nuts with the towels. I’d think a SoCal team has no chance.

    Then they score two minutes in.

    [quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.[/quote]
    As long as McNabb doesn’t Delhomme himself next week, we might be seeing an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl in Tampa

    Watching the cardinals game (on TV’s in suites) through binoculars (supercross event in phoenix), it looked like there was something yellow on the right chest area of the Card’s coach’s jackets. Anybody know what this was?

    [quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    Eariler this year when the Steelers and Chargers met it end 11-10 and no NFL game had ever end 11-10. I am sure the 11 is the reason for both not a very common football score.

    the screen shot of the video game football so cal suns looks to me (an avid football gamer) to be ESPN’s All Pro Football 2k8. EA Sports has aquired the licenses for all football likeness from 2006 all the way through 2010, but the deal has since extended to 2012. Take Two Interactive was producing a great NFL 2K series right as EA bought them out. Point is that last year 2K tried to get back in the football market by using retired players (jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Etc.) since EA hadnt aquired the license for their use. This is most likely the scenerio for the use of old USFL or WFL teams because they couldnt use the NFL teams likeness either. sorry for the life story. just felt like I would clear everything up.

    [quote comment=”309601″][quote comment=”309587″]Phil — Another tremendous weekend entry. Major kudos on your ability to pick unique topics & explore/expound upon \’em in such an interesting & informative manner. Bonus points for pulling other UWs into the mix via collaborations & shout-outs. I know I\’m not the only one to be continually impressed by the work you\’re doin\’ here.

    But, to paraphrase the great Arlo Guthrie, that\’s not what I came here to talk about today.

    Two quick quasi-uni questions (for which I\’ll apologize in advance if they\’ve been previously addressed):

    1) Is there a standard/approved/official format for the AZ Cards logo when it\’s appearing on hats, shirts, or the like. I notice on sideline shots yesterday that sometimes the bird was facing to the left, sometimes to the right. Obviously the helmet has two versions (one per side), but was wondering if there\’s a standardized version for other gear.

    2) What are the small, somewhat sparkly lapel pins that all the NFL studio crew are wearing (sorry for lack of screen grabs, but Curt, Jimmy, Terry, Howie, & Michael all have \’em on left lapel)? Are these secondary microphones, or some strange fashion accessory?

    Thanks in advance for any & all input.[/quote]

    1) cardinals gear usually has the bird facing link

    2) the lapels they are wearing are for link[/quote]
    Hey there is a small correction. I missed the fox studio show today but there are now 2 different lapel pins the Fox guys are wearing this one link and the other is this link the lapel pins are the organizations logos

    Never knew the NY Giants to wear white at home, but in looking through YouTube, I saw the second game of the ’87 season between the Giants and Cowboys, with the Giants wearing white at Giants Stadium. For the record, the Giants lost 16-14 when Raul Allegre’s 46-yard attempt went left with under 10 seconds left.

    Gotta love YouTube

    [quote comment=”309618″]Been changing those pins every week all season, haven’t they?[/quote]

    I think for the first half of it they went to with the CHF pin and the last couple of weeks of the regular season it was the ALZ pin. The ALZ pin was also worn for the Fox BcS pre/post game shows.

    Nobody asked, but…

    The original figures for the leading template were Chargers RB Paul Lowe (left) and Lions DB Wayne Rasmussen (I mention it cuz after sitting here most of the day I finally remembered who the left one was, LOL).

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309613″][quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.[/quote]
    As long as McNabb doesn’t Delhomme himself next week, we might be seeing an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl in Tampa[/quote]

    It’s sad when such important games are being lost, as opposed to being won. Arizona has greated benefit from two quarterback implosions – and in the words of an old SCTV skit, Delhomme blew up reeaal good!

    Those KHL unis – especially the 2nd picture – looks out of table top hockey. (whose sales I suspect really bite now – when you’re competing against EA hockey – no doubt there is a table top hockey salesman sitting in some bar somewhere right now, lamenting what once was, next to the overhead projector salesman)

    [quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.[/quote]

    Not criticizing you at all, Kurt. Far from it, just that you bring up an interesting point:
    Is that kind of thing a reason FOR the BCS or AGAINST it?
    Better to go by record and have the top two teams play, or risk a supposedly “bad” team slipping in there because of a playoff system?

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309622″][quote comment=”309613″][quote comment=”309608″]No game in NFL history has ever ended with a 23-11 score..amazing.

    The Cards and the Eagles are NOT the two best teams in the NFC.

    But they ARE the best teams playing right now. Which is what the Giants did last year.[/quote]
    As long as McNabb doesn’t Delhomme himself next week, we might be seeing an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl in Tampa[/quote]

    It’s sad when such important games are being lost, as opposed to being won. Arizona has greated benefit from two quarterback implosions – and in the words of an old SCTV skit, Delhomme blew up reeaal good!

    Those KHL unis – especially the 2nd picture – looks out of table top hockey. (whose sales I suspect really bite now – when you’re competing against EA hockey – no doubt there is a table top hockey salesman sitting in some bar somewhere right now, lamenting what once was, next to the overhead projector salesman)[/quote]

    I miss tabletop hockey. Required more than great thumbs. And was tough to be any good while sitting on your ass.

    Freddy McFly, Brandon:

    Thanks for the info (Cards logo & pregame show lapel pins).

    Seemed odd to see two different versions of the Cardinals logo on the sidelines (same bird, facing two different directions, that is). I realize that many logos need to be reversed on helmets so that they’re always facing forward, but I thought there was usually only one “official” version for hats, shirts, etc.

    Wonder how decisions like this are made (if indeed they are made).

    I bet if the Eagles advance to SB XLIII and are wearing white jerseys and green pants versus the Cardinals next Sunday, with the NFC team having the uniform choice this year, they will select white jerseys (and wear green pants) as they have done in all the playoff victories on the road. Similar to the Steelers in SB XL. The Eagles lost both previous SB’s in green jerseys, and we know how superstitious the team is with Andy Reid not shaving until their season ends.

    [quote comment=”309625″]Freddy McFly, Brandon:

    Thanks for the info (Cards logo & pregame show lapel pins).

    Seemed odd to see two different versions of the Cardinals logo on the sidelines (same bird, facing two different directions, that is). I realize that many logos need to be reversed on helmets so that they’re always facing forward, but I thought there was usually only one “official” version for hats, shirts, etc.

    Wonder how decisions like this are made (if indeed they are made).[/quote]
    If you look at all the stuff they sell on their website, there are MANY items that have the bird facing left. Almost all the shirts and jackets with the logo on the left breast, for example.

    Buffalo has a similar logo that could face both ways as on the helmet but you never see it facing left by itself- other than to face front on shoes and hats.

    Speaking of helmet logos and defunct leagues, LA Express of USFL had an italics “LA” (with tracers). Letters slanted to the right on the right side of the helmet, to the left (back slant) on the left side.

    And, lest anyone forget, that was Steve Young’s first stop in pro football.

    —Ricko

    [quote comment=”309614″]Watching the cardinals game (on TV’s in suites) through binoculars (supercross event in phoenix), it looked like there was something yellow on the right chest area of the Card’s coach’s jackets. Anybody know what this was?[/quote]

    Yeah it has something to do with the Reebok design. I forget what it is.

    [quote comment=”309627″][quote comment=”309625″]Freddy McFly, Brandon:

    Thanks for the info (Cards logo & pregame show lapel pins).

    Seemed odd to see two different versions of the Cardinals logo on the sidelines (same bird, facing two different directions, that is). I realize that many logos need to be reversed on helmets so that they’re always facing forward, but I thought there was usually only one “official” version for hats, shirts, etc.

    Wonder how decisions like this are made (if indeed they are made).[/quote]
    If you look at all the stuff they sell on their website, there are MANY items that have the bird facing left. Almost all the shirts and jackets with the logo on the left breast, for example.

    Buffalo has a similar logo that could face both ways as on the helmet but you never see it facing left by itself- other than to face front on shoes and hats.[/quote]

    Do you have a screen grab or something of the Cardinal logo going both ways? I thought as well that most logos faced towards the right on official merchandise, such as hats, i.e. the logo on the right side of the helmet. As far as I know, the Eagles are the only team whose official logo always faces left: link

    overheard the equipment manager at the michigan-iowa game today saying he ordered 1989 throwbacks for the michigan-osu game next saturday. they are honoring the ’89 championship team and are supposedly going to wear the blue ones they won the title game in. osu hasnt decided on white or grey, but they are not expected to wear anything different.

    [quote comment=”309604″]When Carney pulled off his helmet after the 47 yd miss, did anyone notice that he was wearing earplugs? Is this normal for kickers or just something Carney does?[/quote]

    After their performance today, I think that ALL of the Giants will be wearing them for some time.

    Most of all O.C. Kevin Gilbride for calling a QB sneak on 4th and Inches instead of giving the ball to their 265 pound battering ram!

    If I see Kilbride, I might just pull a Buddy Ryan on him:

    The NFL has pt the kybosh on any videos of it, so here is a dramatic representation:

    link

    [quote comment=”309630″]Do you have a screen grab or something of the Cardinal logo going both ways? I thought as well that most logos faced towards the right on official merchandise, such as hats, i.e. the logo on the right side of the helmet. As far as I know, the Eagles are the only team whose official logo always faces left: link[/quote]

    Jacket, for instance…

    link

    A right-facing Eagles logo is rare but sometimes happens with the wordmark for some reason…

    link

    Also on the main logo on their NFL Shop page…

    link

    [quote comment=”309628″]Speaking of helmet logos and defunct leagues, LA Express of USFL had an italics “LA” (with tracers). Letters slanted to the right on the right side of the helmet, to the left (back slant) on the left side.

    And, lest anyone forget, that was Steve Young’s first stop in pro football.

    —Ricko[/quote]

    i remember an A-Team episode where B.A. (Mr. T) played football as part of a case they were working on. his team used the LA Express uniforms.

    [quote comment=”309619″]Never knew the NY Giants to wear white at home, but in looking through YouTube, I saw the second game of the ’87 season between the Giants and Cowboys, with the Giants wearing white at Giants Stadium. For the record, the Giants lost 16-14 when Raul Allegre’s 46-yard attempt went left with under 10 seconds left.

    Gotta love YouTube[/quote]

    i remember that game…somewhat vividly…was giants one and only attempt to impose the “blue jersey jinx” on the boys…

    obviously, it didn’t work

    on another note, congrats to all philly fans, eagles fans and the eagles themselves…to borrow a phrase the giants used last year during their run “we (eagles) wanted it more”

    …

    was a tough game to watch, but it was great nonetheless, as i watched the game at my parents house (after i shoveled them out, lol) with dad, just like we had done throughout the playoffs last year

    even tho the g-men lost, i never thought a scant three and a half months ago i’d ever be watching a game with my dad again, so, in the big picture…was a great day!

    g’luck to the eagles here on in…you are on a giants roll…all the way to XLIII

    /looks like an all-penny SB…

    Watching tonight’s Blackhawks-Predators game, and with the Preds having a ton of injury callups, it appears that both Michael and Mark Santorelli are in uniform tonight. Michael is wearing number 53, and “MI. SANTORELLI” on his nameplate. Haven’t seen a shot of Mark yet to see if he’s also going PFNOB (partial first name on back.)

    Sorry for the double post, but here’s something WFL-related: the league may have given us the first example of uniform templating. For the league’s first season, in 1974, every team (except for Birmingham, for some odd reason) wore the same striping pattern on their helmets, sleeves, and pants, along with the same two-color block numbers. So, the only way for a team to express its on-field identity was via its colors, and its sock stripes. And I gotta say, the Sun succeeded on both counts. This could also go a long way toward explaining some of the WFL’s other unusual color combos, like the Stars’ athletic gold jerseys and black pants, the Florida Blazers’ red jerseys and purple pants, the Hawaiians’ brown, orange, and gold combo, and the Portland Storm – forerunners to the Orlando Thunder, in bright green jerseys with blue pants.

    Plus, hey, it was the 70s.

    I happened to be watching A Few Good Men on TV late last night. I never noticed it before, but Tom Cruise wears real stirrups in the scenes where he’s playing softball. Despite him wearing mismatched pants and shirt, the stirrups are a highlight.

    Kudos to the wardrobe director/manager for that addition!

    [quote comment=”309607″]Here’s a picture from the Champions Hockey League, and their uniforms may be the future of the NHL. They have the Reebok wordmark on the back of the jerseys as opposed to the Rbk vector logo.

    link

    I direct you to read link. Paul has corporate confirmation that the wordmark is not being used on NHL jerseys next season. No word on future seasons, but I doubt it.

    [quote comment=”309639″]Sorry for the double post, but here’s something WFL-related: the league may have given us the first example of uniform templating. For the league’s first season, in 1974, every team (except for Birmingham, for some odd reason) wore the same striping pattern on their helmets, sleeves, and pants, along with the same two-color block numbers. So, the only way for a team to express its on-field identity was via its colors, and its sock stripes. And I gotta say, the Sun succeeded on both counts. This could also go a long way toward explaining some of the WFL’s other unusual color combos, like the Stars’ athletic gold jerseys and black pants, the Florida Blazers’ red jerseys and purple pants, the Hawaiians’ brown, orange, and gold combo, and the Portland Storm – forerunners to the Orlando Thunder, in bright green jerseys with blue pants.

    Plus, hey, it was the 70s.[/quote]

    Precisely, as I mentioned earlier, all unis were from same supplier…except Birmingham. Very cookie cutter.

    Did anyone manage to notice near the end of the Steelers/Chargers game, CBS throws up a graphic showing the playoff tree. The NFL logo on the upper left corner was the new logo, but definitely was the old “rounded” font. You could tell that part of the logo was the new logo, the blue section w/ the stars & football, as there were clearly the eight stars. Unfortunately we were at my sister’s house and were unable to get a screengrab (and wasn’t able to watch in HD, dammit)

    Larry Drew II, point guard for UNC, is rocking RNOB (Roman numeral on back… which reminds me, I should probably go RNOB too if I ever get a jersey).

    Per usual, no pictures.

    Do you have a screen grab or something of the Cardinal logo going both ways? I thought as well that most logos faced towards the right on official merchandise, such as hats, i.e. the logo on the right side of the helmet.

    These are obviously old ones (one much, much older than the other), but this is what I was talking about:

    1.link
    2. link

    On a couple of sideline shots from Saturday’s games, I noticed that on hats, the bird was facing right, but on a shirt/sweatshirt its was a-lookin’ the other way (maybe to make sure that the ghosts of the previous few decades weren’t gonna sneak up on ’em?)

    Hansbrough’s uni American Flag is really slanted tonight. Doesn’t seem to be the case with anyone else for the Heels. Anyone know if this has happened all season or is just an occurrence tonight?

    [quote comment=”309644″]

    Do you have a screen grab or something of the Cardinal logo going both ways? I thought as well that most logos faced towards the right on official merchandise, such as hats, i.e. the logo on the right side of the helmet.

    These are obviously old ones (one much, much older than the other), but this is what I was talking about:

    1.link
    2. link

    On a couple of sideline shots from Saturday’s games, I noticed that on hats, the bird was facing right, but on a shirt/sweatshirt its was a-lookin’ the other way (maybe to make sure that the ghosts of the previous few decades weren’t gonna sneak up on ’em?)[/quote]

    Getting teams overconfident. Make ’em think Cardinals don’t know if they’re coming or going.

    ba dum bum

    [quote comment=”309631″]overheard the equipment manager at the michigan-iowa game today saying he ordered 1989 throwbacks for the michigan-osu game next saturday. they are honoring the ’89 championship team and are supposedly going to wear the blue ones they won the title game in. osu hasnt decided on white or grey, but they are not expected to wear anything different.[/quote]

    WOW!!! What a innovation for a throwback!

    Does that mean a navy blue jersey with gold numbers? I am so excited!

    How is that different from what they have been wearing for the last gazillion years?

    [quote comment=”309649″][quote comment=”309631″]overheard the equipment manager at the michigan-iowa game today saying he ordered 1989 throwbacks for the michigan-osu game next saturday. they are honoring the ’89 championship team and are supposedly going to wear the blue ones they won the title game in. osu hasnt decided on white or grey, but they are not expected to wear anything different.[/quote]

    WOW!!! What a innovation for a throwback!

    Does that mean a navy blue jersey with gold numbers? I am so excited!

    How is that different from what they have been wearing for the last gazillion years?[/quote]
    Didn’t those jerseys have a horizontal word mark with a great big “M” and a smaller “ICHIGAN” on them?

    [quote comment=”309647″][quote comment=”309644″]

    Do you have a screen grab or something of the Cardinal logo going both ways? I thought as well that most logos faced towards the right on official merchandise, such as hats, i.e. the logo on the right side of the helmet.

    These are obviously old ones (one much, much older than the other), but this is what I was talking about:

    1.link
    2. link

    On a couple of sideline shots from Saturday’s games, I noticed that on hats, the bird was facing right, but on a shirt/sweatshirt its was a-lookin’ the other way (maybe to make sure that the ghosts of the previous few decades weren’t gonna sneak up on ’em?)[/quote]

    Getting teams overconfident. Make ’em think Cardinals don’t know if they’re coming or going.

    ba dum bum[/quote]

    You could have just used the first photo as evidence. On Leinart’s shirt, the bird is facing left. On his hat, it’s facing right. On a related note, I’ve always loved this logo

    link

    Oh, yeah…

    I was flipping through a bunch of old magazines tonight, deciding which ones to keep and which to shitcan. I picked up an issue of SPIN from about ten years ago and flipped right to an “Inconspicuous Consumption” column where some cat named Paul Lukas was putting razors to the test. It was the Gillette Mach 3 vs. a Schick model — Protector or somesuch.

    The verdict? They both sucked in their own ways.

    [quote comment=”309616″]the screen shot of the video game football so cal suns looks to me (an avid football gamer) to be ESPN’s All Pro Football 2k8. EA Sports has aquired the licenses for all football likeness from 2006 all the way through 2010, but the deal has since extended to 2012. Take Two Interactive was producing a great NFL 2K series right as EA bought them out. Point is that last year 2K tried to get back in the football market by using retired players (jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Etc.) since EA hadnt aquired the license for their use. This is most likely the scenerio for the use of old USFL or WFL teams because they couldnt use the NFL teams likeness either. sorry for the life story. just felt like I would clear everything up.[/quote]

    Thanks, that’s exactly what I wanted to know.

    A very interesting website i stumbled upon with definite uni-watch interest! I don’t know if its been mentioned before, so just in case:

    link

    They are trying to compile a complete photo index of Texas high school football helmets.

    Here’s how off-kilter those Sun and Thunder uniforms are:

    You can’t buy football uniforms that color anymore. All of the major suppliers will sell you white, yellow, vegas gold, forest and kelly green, three kinds of blue, orange, purple, and sometimes brown … but no fuchsia, and no neons.

    Am I the only one who sees the tops of the Floridians’ socks and thinks of Neapolitan ice cream? Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, it’s all there.

Comments are closed.