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WTD: Win The Day…or Wither The Ducks?

Duck Header


By Phil Hecken

Wither the Ducks? No, certainly not — not from a football standpoint, anyway. Their resounding victory over Kansas State (Chip’s last game?) cements their status as a new powerhouse on the block. But what about those uniforms? Are the Ducks done as the team that redefined the “uniform as art” (and I use that term loosely)?

For more than a decade now, the Ducks have been innovators and envelope-pushers, mixing random colors (or at least non-school colors) with “technological” improvements, creating a hype that is more famous (or at least as popular) as the football they actually play. And they’ve gotten quite good at both. In fact, I’d almost say the football talent has surpassed the outrageous costumes we’ve come to expect week in and week out.

No, the Ducks didn’t invent the “alternate” uniform, or the special game uniform or the shiny helmet — but they have made an art of never repeating a single uniform combination once during a 13 (or 14) game season. When you have only two official colors (“thunder” green and “lightning” yellow), that’s no easy feat. So over the years, the Ducks have introduced black and gray (setting off two of the more copied trends — BFBS and GFGS), and varying shades of green. Add in those extra “colors” and you can see how the Ducks can easily go a full season with no repeats. Just look at a decade or so of their traditional season-ending “Civil War” game against in-state rival Oregon State, and you’ll probably never see a uniform repeated.

If you’ve followed Uni Watch at all over the past four years, you know I feature a weekend segment during the college football season called the “Duck Tracker.” Three trackers (Mike Princip, Jake Hurley and Tim E. O’Brien) have dutifully tracked each and every costume the Ducks have worn since the 2009 season — this year’s Tracker, Tim E., will have a review of this year’s season following this section. He’ll go into excruciating detail in breaking down the combinations and elements of 2012 uniforms, and give you a “Top 13” list of his favorite combinations.

And if you’ve followed Uni Watch for any of these past four years, you’ll know that I have drunk the Duck Kool Aid — swallowed it whole — it caught me hook, line and sinker (I had a few more clichés I’ll spare you from). I really can’t explain it (actually, I tried to broach it, years ago), but I’ve both secretly and outwardly loved the Duck uni-shenanigans for years. It actually goes against almost every fiber in my body to do so, since I generally like conservative uniform design, and I like consistency. But the Ducks have been fun, my guilty uni pleasure for years — the ONE team I not only enjoyed doing their thing — the ONLY team I’d ever accept doing it. Selfish you say? Maybe so, but when everyone does something unique, it’s not unique anymore, and it ruins it for everyone, including the ones who “invented” it. It’s kind of becoming that way for me with the Ducks — and it’s actually the Ducks who are doing it on their own.

To wit: 2012 started out so positively, on such a gorgeous note, with such a wonderful uniform (and in school colors, no less!), I was ecstatic. Week 2 was almost as good — that gray/yellow/gray is a glorious look. But, like all good things — it wouldn’t last. Indeed, the boys from Eugene quickly fell into dreary, drab patterns, or odd (‘green’/white gray, green/white/black, yellow/green/black) combinations. Sure, there were a few highlights (love the all white look), and some beauties thrown in — but even one of their previous “best” (non-school color) looks, the “Ninja Duck” couldn’t be pulled off because they don’t have a black helmet. Not that they need one, mind you. But with 3,245 possible combinations, and the wearing of black tops and pants, you’d think they’d incorporate a black hat.

So, as the season wore on, I still looked forward to asking “what will the Ducks wear this weekend?” and hoped they’d surprise me with a throwback (like they did a couple years ago), but it didn’t come. I kept hoping for an “all green” (the bright green — not that drab olive thing) or maybe an all yellow. I heard rumors they’d matchup against KSU in something like this, but it didn’t happen. No, they let me down again, instead trotting out looking like this. It’s just not doing it for me anymore.

In a climate where (it seems like) a third of the schools trot out some new uniform gimmick each week, it’s becoming less and less enjoyable to watch a game — let alone know who’s playing — these days. The “gimmick” that was for years absolutely OWNED by the Ducks isn’t as much fun anymore — and certainly less so for the Duck-watcher. It’s now becoming played out — and with UO winning games (and recruits) on the field, maybe they won’t need the gimmicks anymore. But if they stop with those, and stop winning, then what will they do? As long as Uncle Phil’s money and influence is still around, I won’t bet against them doing what got them to where they are. I just wish they hadn’t hooked me on the uni-drug in the first place. Withdrawal will be a bitch.

Wither the Ducks? Not likely — but I can’t say I’m that much of a fan anymore. I’ll finally watch them more for their football than for their unis.

That can’t be too bad a thing, can it?

. . .

I now turn the rest of this over to Tim E. O’Brien, who’ll take you through the Tracking he’s been doing all season, capped by a list of his best-to-worst uni combos.

________________

Uni Analysis: Tracking the Ducks
By Tim E. O’Brien

After my first season tracking the Oregon Ducks I figured I would do what I’ve done over at the Hoosier and NUni Trackers in the past: Do an element by element analysis of that season’s uniforms.

The unique challenge with Oregon is the fact that the Ducks wore 16 unique elements this season not including shoes socks and gloves. Conservative teams like Indiana only have five elements. More common place, teams like Northwestern made a few changes over the season, but only have 10 elements. Sixteen is close to tops in the nation this season (though, I believe Maryland led the nation with 19 elements).

Enough talk, let’s take a look at the elements and see how they fared this season:

HELMETS

Yellow Helmet: 3-0 52.3 PFPG 16.3 PAPG
These are by far my favorite helmets the Ducks wore this season. They aren’t their most successful offensively or defensively, but they were undefeated (this is a theme for most elements…).

Carbon Fiber Helmet: 3-1 42.3 PFPG 19.3 PAPG
As far as design is concerned, this isn’t a bad helmet. As far as record and offensive production are concerned, this is the worst helmet Oregon wore. Due to the loss and the use of it in four uniform combinations, expect to see little of it in 2013.

Green Helmet: 4-0 52 PFPG 18.5 PAPG
I’m not a fan of this helmet, it’s my second to last favorite helmet this season, but the Ducks had great success in it, including winning the Fiesta Bowl. Tough to argue with success.

“Black”/Rose Bowl Helmet: 1-0 49 PFPG 0 PAPG
This is my least favorite helmet. Especially when you compare this to the white and yellow helmets, the Rose Bowl lid looks like a bad joke. The worst part of the joke is that Oregon, HGI and Nike refer to this helmet as “black”. Yeah, ok…

White Helmet: 1-0 62 PFPG 51 PAPG
A really nice helmet, a really great game. Expect to see more of this in 2013. I look forward to that.

JERSEYS

Fighting Ducks Jersey: 2-0 54.5 PFPG 27.5 PAPG
Best. Jerseys. Ever. These might be my favorite Oregon anything ever. There’s so much right with these and so little wrong.

Yellow Jersey: 1-0 42 PFPG 25 PAPG
Really solid jersey, unfortunate they only used them once. Expect black, white and/or green to bookend this jersey in 2013 (Who knows, maybe Phil’ll get his wish and they’ll even break out this look next year).

Green Jersey: 2-0 56 PFPG 7 PAPG
Originally broken out for the Rose Bowl, these jerseys have been nothing short of dominant. Three and oh, 14 points allowed in the regular season and a BCS bowl win (and the Grandaddy at that!). That’s success.

White (Iridescent Wings) Jersey: 3-0 48.3 PFPG 20 PAPG
A BCS bowl was won in this jersey as well.

White (Gray Wings) Jersey: 3-0 51 PFPG 32 PAPG
A second white jersey isn’t new for the Ducks (god forbid they play 5 games in the same jersey…), but the differences between these two jerseys are so slight it’s easy to forget that they’re different. The Irridescent wings jersey’s wings are nice, these numbers are nicer. Combine those aspects into one and then come up with a yellow or black heavy road jersey for 2013, please.

Black Jersey: 1-1 42 PFPG 15.5 PAPG
When I first saw this jersey, I was unimpressed. The Colorado and Stanford games changed that opinion. What a great jersey that can be paired with almost any helmet. Unfortunately, the Ducks lost in this, so its success is now in doubt.

PANTS

Yellow Pants: 2-0 52.5 PFPG 29 PAPG
All of these pants are pretty simple. No design, just a color and a swoosh. If you like yella (Phil), these pants are for you.

Gray Pants: 4-1 42.6 PFPG 20.6 PAPG
The Gray pants work nicely with a lot of what the Ducks wore in 2012 thanks to gray accents and multiple gray/silver/mirror helmet elements. The Ducks may have worn these pants one time too many though (Really, Oregon? One pair of pants in five games? What are you, Penn State?).

Black Pants: 4-0 57.5 PFPG 20.8 PAPG
A Great offensive output and a decent defensive effort, but I think these black pants have pretty much run their course – at least they have in my book. #GetARealBlackHelmet

White Pants: 1-0 62 PFPG 51 PAPG
Only worn once – at USC – expect them, and the the white helmets, to make more appearances next season.

Green Pants: 1-0 35 PFPG 17 PAPG
Not seen since the Rose Bowl, the green pants are nothing but BCS winners. If the Ducks are back in a BCS bowl next year, the should wear these again (though I like the rumored Fighting Ducks green pants, better).

___________

Schedule_Results_12

And, finally: If you recall, before the season, Oregon put out a schedule instructing fans what to wear. Let’s take a look at how faithful Oregon was to the schedge:

Click to Enlarge

Not too shabby. The biggest qualm I have is with the all white uniform worn against USC. They told fans to wear yellow, but yellow only appeared on the number trim. I would’ve preferred they told the fans to wear green (or white, but that doesn’t appear to be an option…). Beside that, they did much better than last year.

Now I’m already excited for tracking in 2013. College football is only eight months away people!

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Tim’s rankings:

1. Arkansas State – How can you not think these are the best? School colors, athletic golds, bright greens, shoulder wings that a visible but also fade into the noise from a distance: These are the clear winners.
2. Oregon State – This was not only the second best uniform, it was the best color match up. Gorgeous game. Basically the road version of the Arkansas State game, this is the clear number two in my book.
3. Fresno State – Oregon looked pretty damn good against the ‘State’ schools this season. The yellow and gray look has always been a Duck favorite of mine and this particular yellow jersey seems built for the black and gray elements.
4. Stanford – Looked great, played not so great. Once again, this jersey seemed to be built to work with this helmet and pants. Just an awesome set.
5. Washington – The yellow helmet and Fighting Duck jersey look so good together, they could be wearing blue pants and they’d still make the top five.
6. ASU – Tantamount to a road version the Fresno State set, the gray/white gray wings/gray looked amazing. Just look at that tunnel shot… Too much good stuff.
7. USC – The all white is a great look, a classic Duck look and something I had originally ranked in the top five, but since so many schools stormtroop these days, the novelty of going mono-white has waned in my book.
8. Colorado – This set would be infinitely better had they just had a legitimately black helmet.
9. Arizona – This is sort of the transition from the ‘meh’ to the bad. The Zona game could’ve used a real black helmet or even the Fighting Duck jersey.
10. Kansas State – Not bad, per say, but underwhelming. The Green Rose Bowl pants came back, so they’re 2-0 in BCS games. So, yeah…
11. Cal – No coherence, no theme (unless the theme is bad).
12. Tennessee Tech – The gray and the muted green just are such a drab combo, and that helmet? Blah. Tennessee Tech’s uniforms didn’t help.
13. Wazzu – Same problem as Tennessee Tech, just swap in a road jersey. Oh, and gray is a Wazzu school color.

____________

Thanks, Tim. And a big tip of the cap to you, sir, for your fine work as my 2012 Duck Tracker. It was a fun ride and the Duck Tracker will certainly be back next season. I can’t give up on them and their uni machinations this easily.

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50 Years Ago This Week

50 Years Ago…This Weekend

Last year, Rick Pearson took us “back in time” to bring us his look at the featured television college football match-up from 50 years ago. (If you’re not familiar with it, this was the inaugural post of “50 Years Ago” from last year — after that, it became a recurring feature on UW for the remainder of the season). Last year, Rick looked at the 1961 season, and fortunately for us, he “uni tracked” the games from 1962 as well, documenting the game via his “kid cards”. Each week this fall, he’ll do the same, again.

We conclude today and a somewhat sad note, since this is the LAST of the “50 Years Ago” feature. I’ll let Ricko explain below:

~~~

62 Wk 19 Card

Jan. 5, 1963…THE SENIOR BOWL…South 33, North 27 on NBC

The then-traditional end of the football season (pro AND college) from Mobile, Ala…Uni-wise, not much to talk about other than the players’ helmets being painted to match the uniforms…Johnny Baker played linebacker for the Oilers for a few years, then one for the Chargers. Also, these days he’s Lance Berkman’s father-in-law…Al Snyder caught 1 pass for 12 yards for the Boston Patriots in ’64 and none for the Baltimore Colts in ’66.

This marks the end of the road for “50 Years Ago”. I didn’t do Kid Cards in ’63. By then I was a senior in high school. Had a girlfriend and everything (a cheerleader, even). I’m pleased that after all these years I found people who enjoyed them and appreciated them, and to whom they meant something. I thank you for all the compliments and kind words over the past two seasons. And now I’ll put the little metal dark green filing box back in the drawer. Sic transit gloria mundi (overstatement R us)

. . .

Thanks Rick! Great job with that as always. And a tremendous job with this ALL SEASON LONG! Readers, please give a virtual standing ovation (and lots of kudos down below) to Mr. Pearson for his tremendous efforts on “FYA” these past two years. You can put the cards back in the drawer, Rick, but we’re not done with your “kid cards” yet. Not by a long shot.

And give a quick (or long) look back at the season long kid cards/images that made up “50 Years Ago — 1962-2012.”

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Stirrup Friday

Stirrup Fridays…

Because we love the stirrup here at Uni Watch, this section is devoted to those of us who sport the beautiful hose on Fridays — a trend popularized many years ago by Robert P. Marshall, III. For many of us, it’s become a bit of an obsession, but a harmless one — a reflection of our times. Where we once had Friday ties, which has been replaced by Casual Friday — we now have Stirrup Fridays. It’s an endearingly simple concept — no matter where you work (or even if you don’t) — break out a fresh pair of rups to compliment (or clash with) your Friday attire.

Comrade is back after his cornmas holiday, ready to award a fresh, shiny, new pair of UW rups, and to give you a new look at his selections. So, lets see what we had over the past couple weeks:

. . . . .

Jason Bernard (I):

Skipper & Shipwreck:

Christmas ho-ho-hose. Merry Christmas, comrades.

-Bernard

. . .

Everett Ford - Elmo

Everett Ford - Elmo closeup

Douglas Ford:

Phil & Robert:

I know they aren’t true stirrups but 2 yr old Everett was rocking his Elmo stockings this AM.

–Douglas Ford

. . .

John Kimmerlein - Cardinals

John K (I):

Phil,

Still celebrating the holidays here, so went with the classic Cardinals look. If the North Pole Nine wore red, the ‘rups might look something like this. Happy New Year to all,

JohnK

. . .

Scott Rogers-Bruins

R. Scott Rogers:

Comrades,

In honor of Congress gathering to count the Electoral College’s vote for president Friday, I got my Whig on with these buff-and-blue Cal sox.

Makes me think I need black-and-white rups to represent the Federalists too.

Cheers,

Scott

. . .

John Kimmerlein - Bucs

John K (II):

Phil,

I’m wearing the classsic ’70s Pirates look for the first Stirrup Friday of the new year. I have always liked these ‘rups, and over black socks it makes for a very good “stealth” StiFri when (like today) I have meetings for work with folks who may not appreciate the finer points of the Movement.

I first got these a few years ago to show support when one of my sons was on the Pirates in little league. Sadly, I had to stop wearing them to games when the team seemed to do worse on days when I did. I was trying to ignore the apparent connection, but could not when even my wife commented on a possible jinx.

John

. . .

2013 Plunge 1

2013 Plunge 2 2013 Plunge 3 2013 Plunge 4

Jason Bernard (II) & Jennifer Sweet Bernard:

Shipwreck & Skipper:

2013 Pittsburgh Polar Bear Club Jump
Air Temp: 31
Wind Chill: 24
Water Temp: 36
Stirrups: ’29 Braves

Happy New Year from Flipper and Mellon!

. . .

James Poisso - Classic

James Poisso:

Phil,

Happy Friday! Today’s stirrups are my favorite vintage stirrups. They are wool so I can only wear them when it is cold.

James Poisso

. . .

And that ends today’s look at Stirrup Friday — all of you who participate, send me your pics and a brief (~50 words) description of their relevance, and I’ll run ’em here on Saturday (and sometimes Sunday too!). Be sure to visit Robert’s House of Hose for news on rups, or click here for available selections.

And now a few words from the leader of the Stirrup Nation, Comrade Robert Marshall. Comrade?

. . .

I trust all comrades had a Merry Christmas with their lil cadre, and are enjoying the new year, so let’s get right to it. There will be a “new” selection next week, but I am also looking to hear what you would like to have come back, or what new colours and teams you would like to see featured. So feel free to drop me a line at rpmarshallart@gmail.com.

As for this weeks Uni Watch stirrup contest winner, it was an easy choice, Jason Bernard. I mean look at this melon head getting ready to jump in the icy river in stirrups all polar bear like. Clearly I have a new hero after seeing this. Alright comrades, I still have a half dozen or so of these to give away, so let’s see who can top this one for next week, or even come close to it.

from each according his stirrvp, to each according his strype.

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Shipwreck vs. Skipper 1-5

Shipwreck vs. Skipper

When last we checked, Skipper had gone on a six bowl winning streak, and Shipwreck was on a tremendous run himself, and the wreck (12-7) had a one game lead on Skipper (11-8). With a ton of bowls this week, we’ll keep the rundowns short:

. . .

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Both boys had NC State, who wore all white versus the black-gold-black Commodores of Vandy. The game didn’t look bad, per se, but Vanderbilt was the superior team (winning 38-24), even if their uni was inferior. Shipwreck 12-8; Skipper 11-9

. . .

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Due to some type of quirk, GT, who always wears white at home, was forced to wear blue for the Sun Bowl. And while their home look is awful, the blue jersey is worse. Clearly the uni gods were asleep at the switch, since the worst-dressed team (GT) won. In a rout — 21-7 — in a game that was not as close as the score (USC were 10 point faves). Ouch. Both guys took USC, looking as bad as the Vegas oddsmakers. Shipwreck 12-9; Skipper 11-10

. . .

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Ah, color vs. color! The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa went white/blue/white, facing off against crimson/crimson/gold USC Iowa State. Early, it looked like ISU would romp, but the Hurricane staged a big comeback, and taking the game 31-17. Perhaps Shipwreck knew of the special caps Tulsa would break out, in an apparent offering to the uni gods, or perhaps he just got lucky. Either way, Tulsa was better. Shipwreck 13-9; Skipper 11-11

. . .

Chick-fil-a Bowl: We knew going in this was going to be a good looking game, with LSU and Clemson hooking up. What we didn’t know is that LSU would get new unis, with almost full UCLA stripes and narrower number fonts. Skipper called the game a uni tossup going in, but took the SEC, while the wreck loved him some orange and purple. Wreck was right. In a great game that Clemson won on a last-second field goal (25-24) Wreck widened his lead. Shipwreck 14-9; Skipper 11-12

. . .

Heart of Dallas Bowl: The New Year’s Day games kicked off with 16.5 point favorite Okie State dressed in head-to-toe black against the Purdue Boilermakers, nicely contrasting in gold/white/white. The uni gods may have preferred a bit more orange from OSU, but no matter, the swarming defense and lightning-strike offense more than made up for the spread. Skipper needed this one and got it, with a 58-14 victory by OSU. Shipwreck 14-10; Skipper 12-12

. . .

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: NU vs. MSU would feature Northwestern in black/purple/black (with a new matte black helmet), hoping to end what seemed like a 100-year bowl win drought (actually it was only 64) against Mississippi State, who themselves went with a maroon matte helmet, plus their snow bowl tops & gray pants. NU came ready to rumble, which should have been obvious, given the “W.I.N.” on the helmet bumper. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the trick. NU won by two scores, 34-20, and shipper topped skipper. Shipwreck 15-10; Skipper 12-13

. . .

Capital One Bowl: Both lads had the Dawgs in this matchup of Georgia vs. Nebraska, and the game was a beaut, at least for UGa fans. But it was also special because there were no special hats, no gimmicky unis, no nothin’, except for a good, old fashioned beatdown by the men in silver britches, 45-31, easily covering the 10 points Georgia was giving up. Shipwreck 16-10; Skipper 13-13

. . .

Outback Bowl: With a matchup of South Carolina and Michigan, there was the potential for much uni shenanigans. And the teams didn’t disappoint. The Wolverines came out in new matte helmets and tops — the jerseys featuring blue yokes and outlined maize numbers, while the Gamecocks came out in white over all-crimson (and some tiny numbers on the uni backs). Even if some Michiganders didn’t want to wear the matte hats, they were clearly the better looking team. Yes, they were. The ‘cocks may have won (33-28), they didn’t cover the 5.5 point spread, and Skipper picked up one on Wreck. Shipwreck 16-11; Skipper 14-13

. . .

Rose Bowl: Another game where no uni shenanigans would take place — although — in an interesting quirk, Stanford took all pride stickers (axes) off of their helmets for the game, and Wisconsin broke out the rarely seen red pants. It was a great game, and fairly close throughout, but Stanford (giving 6.5) could only muster a 20-14 win. Damn the hook. Both Skipper & Shipwreck lost by that. Shipwreck 16-12; Skipper 14-14

. . .

Discover Orange Bowl: This game, between Florida State and Northern Illinois, was actually close for 3 quarters, until a questionable fumble call turned into a Seminole rout. FSU looked divine in their garnet and gold, pleasing the uni gods to no end, while NIU, well, they got some fancy new adidas techfit jerseys whose fonts were supposed to mimic their helmet font logo. They also had some bright red pants. It wasn’t nearly enough. FSU cruised 31-10, a victory for both boys. Shipwreck 17-12; Skipper 15-14

. . .

Allstate Sugar Bowl: In somewhat of a surprise, the Florida Gators broke out orange pants with blue tops for the first time since 1999, when, perhaps ominously, they lost. It is a gorgeous look (the whole game was eye candy), but, unfortunately, not a winning one. The Gators were absolutely smoked by all-white Louisville. Even though the score seemed close at 33-23, the only thing Florida did was play chippy and stupid. Uni gods don’t like dirty play, and it showed. The Cardinals were actually 14 point dogs, but they didn’t play like it. The wreck and skips got beatdown in the Big Easy too. Shipwreck 17-13; Skipper 15-15

. . .

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Going in, we knew which team would be better attired, but Shipwreck threw Skipper a curve ball by saying that team would be the Ducks. Really, wreck? Well, the uni gods must have thought so, because the boys from the U of O put a hurtin’ on the Wildcats, easily cruising to a 35-17 win, covering the 9.5 point spread. Shipwreck 18-13; Skipper 15-16

. . .

AT&T Cotton Bowl: This round saw Shipwreck increase his lead, and the final game of the matchup had Shipper and Skipper on opposite sides of the uni-coin. Skipper took Texas aTm, resplendent in all white, while the Wreck took the also beautifully dressed Sooners. It was a gorgeous game (especially if you were a 12th man), where Johnny Football took charge and showed any remaining doubters why he was worthy of the hardware. It was a blowout, with the Aggies winning 41-13. Shipwreck 18-14; Skipper 16-16.

. . .

There you have it kids — and with only three more games remaining…the math isn’t in Skipper’s favor. BBVA Compass Bowl today, GoDaddy.com tomorrow, and then the BCS National Championship on Monday night. Can Skipper pull off the miracle comeback, or will Shipper be the Champ and Skips the Chimp of the UW bowl pick ’em? Stay tuned–it’s almost over.

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And that’s about all for today folks. We’re almost done with the college football season, but the pros begin their playoff runs today. The Bengals and Texans kick things off at 4:30 pm (ET) followed by the night cap featuring the Vikings and Packers at 8:00. (And there’s also that BBVA Compass Bowl at 1:00 pm with Ole Miss and Pittsburgh squaring off, just in case there wasn’t enough football for you on the docket). Enjoy them all.

Tomorrow I’ll have concepts, colorizations and the announcement of another Uni Watch design contest. It’s a bit different than you’re used to, but it should be fun. Make sure to check back then.

Peace.

. . .

“Sometime since the 1980s, has there been an NCAA rule change that explicitly calls for all players to have the same helmet? I’m almost thinking there has to be, otherwise a certain university in the Pacific Northwest would seem to be the perfect candidate to exploit it.”
–Chris Holder

 
  
 
Comments (98)

    Wow, my first Comment of the Day? I’m truly honored.

    The Ducks really should wear that Arky State uni every week. That thing is gorgeous, and that’s something that ain’t easy to pull off when you share the same colors as a tractor company. You have to wonder when folks will get as tired as Phil of seeing a different set every week. Do the UO fans even get excited anymore?

    Then again, the conspiracy theorist in me says it’ll only stop when that OTHER Phil, the one in Oregon, gets tired of it.

    Don’t give up on Oregon yet, Phil… in another 2 years, they’ll find a way to put LEDs in the jerseys and make the numbers literally glow. It’ll be awesome.

    I suggest that Ricko do more drawings now. Retro draw them. I know it would not be the same as actual kid cards. But what if Ricko went back in time and did other matchups from the 60’s? Or even try games from the 30’s and 40’s?

    If I had that talent I would draw some old school games. What were the game of the weeks on radio in the 30’s and 40’s?

    I just hate to see the feature end.

    How about at least try a 1930’s game???

    The “W.I.N.” on the Northwestern nose bumper stands for What’s Important Now (not Whip Inflation Now, ala President Ford).

    My favorite parts of the weekend posts have been the colorizations (Add the “u” for the import ones) and the “50 Years Ago” pieces (as well as the occasional Benchies). I’ll miss the Kids Cards. Thanks for sharing, Rick.

    Am I safe in assuming that this morning’s post puts an end to what has been a five-month long Nike commercial?

    How, Terry, has the “Duck Tracker” been a “five-month long Nike commercial?”? Weeks go by without Nike even being mentioned and usually (at least by me), it’s not a complimentary mention (“swooshie” or something similar).

    And while I love history and look backs at the old and beautiful uniforms of past generations, this is a uniform board, and current uniforms will get mentioned. If they happen to be manufactured by Nike, that’s just because Nike outbid everyone else to win the contract.

    And if you pine for more uniforms made by, say, Russell, I have news for you — those now suck. Instead of sticking with their own principles, they’re trying to compete with the likes of the three stripes, swooshie and Kevin Plank. And failing.

    Lighten up Phil, I was just busting chops. And the reason I mentioned Nike is because they make the Ducks’ uniforms. Guilt by association, right?

    As soon as Oregon came out with the fighting ducks kelly green jerseys, i got one and they are gorgeous. Of course its awesome when your local champs has a section dedicated to Oregon apparel makes it better. Would love to see the white helmet, green jersey, white pants combo like they had in 2010 rose bowl against ohio st. that was a nice look.

    Speaking of the Oregon Ducks, they deserve credit for winning back to back BCS games, but the legacy of those uniforms would be assured with a national championship. That’s a completely different level than a BCS game, neither Oregon or OSU has ever won it all. It would certainly be a huge letdown if the Ducks fail to win the big one, and the legacy of those uniforms would inevitably be connected with talented teams that just fell short. While uniforms are interesting to talk about, ultimate team success still is king.

    “the legacy of those uniforms would be assured with a national championship.”

    ~~~

    You’re of course presuming that winning two consecutive bowls is unimportant and that winning the BS BCS is SOLELY important. While it looks like that’s the way Div I football is moving (to its detriment, I would argue), I’d prefer the NCAA go back to the old system.

    Winning two different, back-to-back *BCS* bowls is a helluva feat.

    The legacy of those uniforms has already been cemented.

    “The legacy of those uniforms has already been cemented.”

    Hear, hear! Very true, whether anyone likes it or not. Those uniforms have changed the industry. The way Under Armour and Adidas go about their biz as well.

    What I love about the Duck’s jerseys (and some of the previous iterations were baad) is that they’re PUSHING the art of uniform design. They’re the Tesla of uniforms.

    Everyone else is simply an imitator. I can’t think of ANYONE else innovating in such a way. The traditionalist argument doesn’t hold weight for me either, since they can only say football is “supposed” to look a certain way – to me, that look is “off the shelf with an iron on logo on the sleeve”, which is bush league. I do better with my co-rec frisbee teams uniform designs than what Oregon did in the 1994 Rose Bowl. You could literally build that uniform yourself after a trip to the Athletic Supply Store.

    “The traditionalist argument doesn’t hold weight for me either, since they can only say football is “supposed” to look a certain way — to me, that look is “off the shelf with an iron on logo on the sleeve”, which is bush league.”

    There isn’t room for both approaches?
    Sounds a bit like you’re saying that being unique the same way everyone else is being unique actually is unique.

    Congrations to our U.S. boys for winning gold in the World Junior Championships this morning! ‘Murica!

    Is it just the lighting in the photos or did Oregon actually use two different green helmets this season? The one worn against Tenn Tech seems to have lighter green wings and less or no color shift for the green shell.

    Nice job on the Duck uni trackings this year, Tim and Phil.
    I have to say, I also really enjoyed link this season.
     

    Thanks, Mike.

    And congrats to you (again) on your nuptials and new addition!

    Oregon and their uniform iterations bore me. I tuned them out long ago.

    I admire risk taking, thinking outside the box, innovation. But these Duck unis just don’t look good in my eyes. The shiny elements and introduced colors and cartoonish fonts just don’t come together well. It’s too busy, too much.

    When I was a kid the Pittsburgh Pirates were the Oregon Ducks of the period. The various combinations of black/yellow/mismatched/matched/pinstripes/etc., was interesting and fun but I thought those uniforms looked…well…awful. So random. Like Oregon, it seemed like alterations for alterations sake.

    I think the early ’70’s Oakland A’s did well with this format. They changed it up but it didn’t seem quite so…random. There were parameters. Oregon has none, to their detriment.

    Second that. OU has looked garish for garishness sake (GFGS?) for years, imho. Nothing wrong with pushing the envelope, but good design actually does have some principles: colors, patterns, type, etc. need to work together — or clash, in the right circumstance — but there should at least be an underlying idea, a sense that *someone* thought this through and integrated the elements. Nikegon just seems to throw stuff together (all yellow! gray feathers! mirrored helmet!) and and see what sticks. Not to sound overly sniffy, but that’s not design; it’s a mash-up, what 7-year-olds and bored Photoshop artists do.

    Looking back through that Civil War slideshow was very instructive. As a designer by trade, I’d say they went off the rails when Belotti Bold and that ridiculous metalplate pattern showed up. And I’m glad to hear even an advocate like Mr. Hecken is getting tired of it. This gum lost its flavor years ago for me.

    UO = Oregon

    OU = Oklahoma

    Also the I think your issue is with the combinations not the design of the uniforms. You can easily put together a great looking uniform with what they have the issue is they don’t always do that. There is definitely cohesion in the way the uniform was designed, they should definitely limit how many colors they use or what colors they combine with each other.

    And I’m not going to say you don’t know what you are talking about, but you sound like every other person on the internet who thinks they know about design. I’m sure you are good at what you do, but I’ve read plenty of comments with that same tone, and most of the time the ones typing those aren’t qualified to make those statements. I’m not saying you aren’t qualified to criticize design, I’m just saying your tone makes you sound smug, as though the design is beneath you.

    Mr. King,

    Hmmmm, thanks — I think. Yes, my issue is with how *UO*’s elements are integrated and I suppose I should have just stated that with evidence. I do find it somewhat difficult to provide a full design critique in the space of a blog comment.

    As for my tone, sorry it’s not your cuppa. Perhaps in future I’ll try your diplomatic approach of saying what I read reminds me of every other pontificating online numbskull.

    The Bumblebee Bucs were a great idea, but some combinations worked better than others. I hated either solid shirt with the pin pants, frex.

    It does puzzle me as to why the Ducks wear the drab green so often. The bright or colorful green is so much better.

    Photos from BCS title game media day being disseminated. The end zones will be of a similar style and font to the Orange Bowl. The Alabama end zone will be crimson, with white lettering trimmed in black. The Notre Dame end zone will be deep blue, with gold letters trimmed in white.

    @Lane it’s just the lighting. out in the sun those green chrome wings really shine, but inside the stadium they were hardly noticeable. same goes for the color shift. I wish they had a white helmet with the color shift wings (like the one somebody made for sale on eBay).
    the one thing that was noticeable from player twitter accts before and after the game, was if you left the flash on your camera when taking pictures, you were in for a very bright surprise.

    Love the O looks. And if we ever decide to finally move up to Oregon- a long-standing issue- I will be all over Nike O gear like there is no tomorrow.

    Ah, Sam Houston State in their “Look at my package” pants.

    Seriously, what coach in his right mind doesn’t look at the uni designer and say, “You’re kidding, right?”

    I’m lovin’ NDSU’s jerseys. Do away with the little bit of nonsense on the sides and they’re nearly perfect.

    That’s the only bad thing about my Alma Mater. Alas to get to Frisco again and lose the football game.. They need blue shirts though.

    you gave up the uni cards for a girl, ricko…?

    A GIRL!?!

    not a bad thing, but i would think maybe you could have found one who, oh, i don’t know, liked to sew and pick out fabrics or something, thus could have been interested in helping you with the ’63 version…

    youth is wasted on the young…

    seriously, i have looked forward to every installment of ’50 years ago’ and am sorry to note there will not be any more…thanks for doing these, and hanging onto them all these years to share…

    In the first photo of Oregon vs. Tennesee Tech, you’ll see that Tech is wearing Russell Athletic Uniforms (same as Georgia Tech’s with different sublimation pattern) and Adidas gloves.

    Also, why does Oregon choose to wear the same colors of their opponents? They wore Black against Colorado and Grey pants against Washington State.

    AHHHHHH Yes…Texan in all blue. If would have been cool if they wore the red shirts, blue hats and blue britches.

    Terrible matchup with the Texans going all navy and the Bengals with black tights. Ugh…

    Houston Texans? How dumb of name is that!We’ve had the Dallas Texans too. Its like the Seattle Washingtonians, Cleveland Ohians, Los Angeles Californians, or Miami Floridians. Get a clue Texas. Come up with an original name

    Is this comment from September 2000 when the annoucnement was made and somehow, through some weird internet quirk wasn’t posted until today? Or did you really just find out about the Houston Texans?

    Texans in all blue, trying to make sure that this game is the worst looking one of the weekend. It is bad enough we have to look at the Vikings, Seahawks and Bengals.

    So if no one else does a bad change like the Texans have
    Houston- C- vs Cinci- D+
    Green Bay- A+ vs Mini- F
    Indy- A vs Baltimore C+
    Seattle C- vs Washington- B

    How can you grade the other three games not knowing what they’re wearing yet?

    What if Minn. goes with purple pants? And who knows what Balt., Seattle & Washington will wear (although I’d guess WAS will wear burgundy over yellow).

    Interestingly the two you gave A’s to both have absolutely no question what they will be wearing.

    Rob,

    He did say “if”.

    And while I agree there are a couple teams who can go Jekyll/Hyde (Balto, Seattle), there’s no question that GB was going to wear Gold/Green/Gold (which is an A+); perhaps he feels the Vikes are an “F” regardless of what pants they wear…I would disagree, but their all whites still are pretty bad.

    Indy (road) in all whites (there is no other option for them) is definitely an “A” but Balto is a complete crapshoot. I don’t think they can wear the black tops, but they could pair the black britches with the purple shirts — that might change Alex’s grade (or it might not).

    It’s almost a given the Washington team will go Burgundy/Gold (which I’d rate higher than a “B” myself) but Seattle could totally change depending on pants. They might rate higher (IMO) with white or gray than blue, but still, it’s not a great look.

    But to question his giving “A” and “A+” to the Colts and Pack respectively? It’s not like they have any other uniform options.

    right, I wasn’t so much questioning the grades on GB & IND, since it’s a given what they will wear, I was just pointing out they were “A’s” (I could have worded it better) My point is they are the A’s, the two traditional ones that don’t mix-and-match.

    Just questioning the concept of grading ahead of time… how many times have we seen a team come out with a different combo, and we feel (better or worse) differently about it. But mainly Baltimore, I mean they can come out tomorrow either purple over white, black over white, purple over black or monotard. I hope they’ll go purple over black against the white-panted Colts, but they very well may go purple-over-white. Either I don’t see that as gradable yet.

    I give the skins a B because I am a skins fan and don’t want to be too bias. I don’t like giving A+’s for anything just because.

    You guys all beat me to it — WTF is with the Texans in mono-blue? That’s their absolute worst look possible.

    Maybe one day we’ll get to see them in blue/red/blue.

    Or, they could continue to look like crap.

    I would say blue helmet with red pants and jersey is worse, but that id just me. They are a team that needs an update to their look, its dated.

    Perhaps my monitor is off, Tim, but that looks like white/blue/white.

    I do prefer the Texans with a white lid, but that lost the “popularity” contest back in ’02 (I think). And if the NFL would lift its stupid “only one helmet” rule, the Texans should definitely be one team to wear two different colors.

    Still think blue/red/blue would be best, and next best would be blue/blue/red. Regardless, the only monochrome they should ever wear is white.

    Hats and britches should match. Shirts and socks should match. So blue hats, red shirts, blue britches with red socks would be so purdy!!!!!

    Reliant Stadium has it where the NFL grass field is rolled in on tracks like at U of Phoenix stadium, correct.

    No, the playing surface is a network of aluminum trays, with grass inside. They have two full sets, and rotate the trays game to game. The Cardinals’ stadium is one giant (11 million pounds if memory serves) tray that, as you describe, rolls out of one end of the stadium.

    I know some of the players (generally kickers, defensive backs) have worn the ‘bicycle pant’ look, but this guy looks like he’s just outright wearing shorts.

    link

    You are spending way too much time on the Sucks…oops I mean the Nikes…oops I mean the Knights…. If we ignore them they will go away.

    Why ignore them? For every Alabama there needs to be an Oregon, YOu cannot appreciate the highs, without the depth of the lows (and you can take that as pro-Oregon or pro-Alabama[Me? I Like ’em both]).

    Were the Oregon Fiesta Bowl jerseys the new ones like Bama is wearing? They sure looked very breathable to me. Anyone know/care?

    Yes.

    I was going to include some of the “technical innovations” in my writeup, but it was already too long. They’ve been wearing the so-called chain maille mesh since the Rose Bowl redesign at the end of last season.

    Here’s a close-up of the Oregon uni.

    And here’s what Alabama will be wearing.

    It’s amazing they only lost one game this year, what with playing in inferior jerseys all season long.

    I think they should hire either the coach from Georgia Tech or Army that run the triple option and get Tebow and go all-in on the system and see if it works in the NFL.

    It is the “same” collar. A few receivers choose to tuck it and wear it like that. Just their personal modifications.

    The NFL Logo is on the white though, where as with all of the other jerseys it is on the collar.

    link

    compared to Charles Woodson with the same collar/neck as James Jones
    link

    Sorry, meant to say the collar had been modified by the Packer seamstress. Not just tucked in the pads. Personal choice made by each player. Tim is right though, been happening for multiple years.

    The NCAA needs to ban this Oregon shit. New rule: no non-school color uniforms, and you don’t get to add any new school colors to subvert the rule. That means Maryland can keep using any combination of red, black, white and yellow, while Oregon can only use green, yellow and white. I’m sick of this shit. If you have helmets, jerseys and pants in green, white and yellow, that’s still more than enough combinations for more than two seasons (though if Oregon goes to the Pac-12 CCG both years, they’d be one short) but the fact remains that this has gone too far. I don’t support NFL-style restrictions because those are in place for a very good reason and aren’t needed in CFB, but someone needs to put their foot down and tell Nike, Adidas and Under Armour that enough is enough. My complaints will go unanswered because I’m just one traditionalist and money talks, but I’m sick and tired of this assault on my eyes. Arizona only had one game this year wearing something other than cardinal red, navy blue or white, and while I do love the copper helmet, I would gladly sacrifice it as part of a greater restoration of normalcy in football aesthetics.

    The primary question is this: does a football team NEED 50,000,000,000 combinations? There is only one answer: no. Anyone who says the answer is yes is an idiot and subscribes to the moronic theory that we should let a bunch of dumbass teenagers with short attention spans who are easily distracted by shiny things dictate the aesthetic course of college football.

    I, for one, say fuck that.

    Thank you. Rant over.

    Oh, and since I know some schools might want to wear throwback colors or something of those sorts, you have to get them pre-approved by the NCAA before the season. They cannot be random colors. Basically, this is how you ban BFBS and GFGS, which need to be banned.

    If you have helmets, jerseys and pants in green, white and yellow, that’s still more than enough combinations for more than two seasons

    But then what are they going to wear the third year?

    They can repeat combinations. Oregon may not repeat combinations in a single season but they do over the lifetime of a uniform set.

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