Supe 50: A Uniform History of the Broncos and Panthers

Click to enlarge

By Phil Hecken

Today is the BIG day, and momentarily I’ll be joined by Gridiron Uniform Database founder and historian Tim Brulia, who will bring you the ultimate uniform history of the two combatants in today’s Super Bowl: The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

We know what the teams will be wearing: Denver, even though they are the designated “home” team, have chosen to wear their white jerseys and pants atop their navy blue helmet, and Carolina will go with black jerseys and silver pants to be paired with their silver helmets.

Today’s game will mark only the fifth time these two teams have ever met on the field — and never before in the post-season. There have been a total of three different uniform combinations worn, and Denver has defeated the Panthers three of the four times they’ve met.

. . .

The first game took place on November 9, 1997, in Denver, with Denver wearing blue over white and the Panthers in white/white. Denver was victorious 34-0. It was a rainy day at Mile High and the Broncos were on top of the world, on their way to becoming Super Bowl champs following the 1997 season. Here’s how that game looked (click any image below to enlarge):

. . .

The two teams would meet again, on October 10, 2004, also in Mile High. This game would also result in a Denver victory, 20-17. The Broncos would again go blue/white with Carolina in white/white:

. . .

The third time the teams would meet would be on a different field, in different uniforms, and with a different end result. The Panthers would defeat the Broncos on December 14, 2008, for the only time in their history, 30-10, wearing black jerseys and silver pants. The Broncos would be in white over white:

. . .

The fourth, and final time, the two teams would meet was also in Carolina — a loss for the Panthers by a score of 36-14 — on November 11, 2012. This time, the Panthers would break out a new pair of black pants to wear with their black jerseys, while the Broncos were again in white over white:

. . .

The “storyline” of the Broncos wearing orange jerseys (and losing, always) in the Super Bowl has been beaten to death over the past two weeks, and isn’t worth reiterating here. But shortly after they advanced to the big dance, the Broncos did (moderately) shock the world by announcing they would take the very unusual step of wearing white jerseys, despite being the designated “home” team. This, of course, lent credence to the theory that the orange jerseys themselves were “unlucky,” causing the team to lose in the Supe. I completely discount this theory, as it’s not the jersey that is unlucky — rather, the Broncos lost to superior teams, or were only slight favorites prior to those losses.

To wit: in their four Super Bowl losses wearing orange…

Super Bowl XII — Played the Dallas Cowboys. The Broncos were a 6 point underdog. The would lose the game 27-10.

Super Bowl XXII — Played the Washington football team. The Broncos were a 3 point favorite. They’d lose that game 42-10.

Super Bowl XXIV — Played the San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos were a 12 point underdog. They lost 55-10.

Super Bowl XLVIII — Played the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos were a 2.5 point favorite. They were defeated 43-8.

So, in their four losses, the Broncos were big underdogs in two of them, so the losses (even though lopsided) weren’t entirely unexpected. In the two games in which they were slight favorites, they were defeated soundly. No matter what the spreads, anyone taking Denver in those games would have lost in Vegas. Are the orange jerseys, therefore, unlucky? Only if you were placing money on them. But they were favored (slightly) in only two of those games.

What about the Broncos in other jerseys?

Super Bowl XXI — Played the New York Giants. The Broncos were a 9.5 point underdog, and lost 39-20. Again, not favored (and hence, expected to lose), but also, losing even against the spread. They wore white jerseys and white pants for this game.

Super Bowl XXXII — Played the Green Bay Packers. The Broncos were an 11.5 point underdog, but won the game (wearing blue over white), 31-24. This was their first Super Bowl victory and the first time they’d ever beaten the spread.

Super Bowl XXXIII — Played the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos were a 7.5 point favorite. They won their second Supe by a score of 34-19, beating the spread, and wearing white over white, as they will today.

So are the orange jerseys unlucky? Maybe — an 0-4 record in them doesn’t help — but in all five of their losses (three of which had them as big underdogs), they couldn’t even cover the spread. In their two wins, they covered. Maybe it’s not the jerseys that are unlucky, but the team itself just played poorly (or were outplayed) in their losses, regardless of what they wore. Today, the Panthers are 6 point favorites — history would suggest that if the Broncos do lose, they’ll lose by at least a touchdown (and probably more). If they beat the spread, they’ll probably win the game outright. If I were a betting man, I would NOT expect a close game. The only time the Broncos have been underdogs of 6 or more points and beat the spread (and won the game) was their upset over the Packers. It was their only win wearing a blue jersey. Maybe THAT is the lucky one, rather than the orange jersey being “unlucky.”

The Broncos only loss to the Panthers came while they were wearing white jerseys and pants while the Panthers wore black jerseys over silver pants. The teams will be wearing those same uniform combos today. Carolina was a 7 point favorite then. Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.

And next up: Timmy B with the uni histories of the Broncos and Panthers.

Denver Broncos Uniform History

I’m pleased now to present GUD historian Tim Brulia, who brings us the annual uniform histories of the Super Bowl entrants. He’ll start with Denver and finish with Carolina. Here’s Tim:

…………………………….

Denver Broncos Uniform History
By Tim Brulia

. . .

1960: As one of the eight charter members of the American Football League, the Broncos take the field in brown, yellow and white colors. The helmets are brown with a white stripe and the players jersey numbers in rounded white on the sides. The away jerseys are rather generic, white with brown block front, back and sleeve (TV) numbers. The home jerseys are identical except that they are yellow in color. There are NO names on the backs of the jerseys. The pants are brown with two thin yellow stripes on the sides. The socks you ask??? Yeah, the socks are those immortal vertically striped socks, brown and white when worn with the white jerseys and brown and yellow when worn with the yellow tops.

. . .

1961: Players names in brown are added to the backs of both sets of jerseys. TV numbers are removed from the yellow jerseys.

. . .

1962: The Broncos torch (literally) their 60-61 uglies before the start of the season. In their place is a whole new identity. The helmets go from brown to orange with a white stripe and a very strange looking blue horse on the sides. Jerseys also undergo a thorough re-brand. Away jerseys are white with blue numbers on the front, back and sleeves, with three blue stripes under the TV numbers. Home jerseys go from brown to orange with white numbers on the torso and the sleeves, with three white stripes under the TV numbers. Pants are a more conventional white with thin blue/orange/blue stripes on the sides. Socks are a solid orange. Before we go, the goofy blue horse on the helmets apparently are too hard to see, so the Broncos change the color of the horse from blue to white, effective with an October 14th game at Oakland.

Side Note: It looks like the Broncos began the preseason with some new helmets but old unis. More on that in this article — PH

. . .

1965: While the helmet and pants basically stays the same, the rest of the uniform undergoes some change. The road jersey has blue trim on the crew neck collar, with a thin orange outline on the blue front and back numbers. NOBs are straight blue. The sleeve trim undergoes major change, with the TV numbers in white with thin blue outline in an orange area that is flanked by a blue stripe above and below the orange portion. The orange jersey sports a white crew collar, with white front and back numbers with thin blue outline and straight white NOBs. The sleeves have TV numbers in white inside a blue area with a white stripe above and below the blue area. The socks change from orange to blue. The orange also appears to have a more reddish glow about them.

. . .

1966: Everything stays the same, except the helmet undergoes some tweaking. Rather than a plain white stripe, the helmet now features a rather thin white/blue/white combo and the silly horse is now thinly outlined in blue. If you look closely, the horse’s eye is a star!

. . .

1967: Apart from the socks, the uniforms undergo some notable changes. The helmet changes from orange to blue, with a white stripe flanked by very thin orange stripes, and the horse is removed and replaced by…nothing. The helmet is sans logo. The white jersey now has block style numbers with orange trim on the torso and sleeves. NOBs are blue. Sleeve stripes are separated in a medium blue/thin orange/medium blue style. For the orange jerseys, the numbers are block white with blue trim on the front, back and sleeves. NOBs are white. Sleeve stripes are separated with a medium blue/thin white/medium blue pattern. The pant stripes are reversed to an orange/blue/orange combo.

. . .

1968: All remains the same, except for the helmet and an addition. After a one year logo exile, an orange serifed D with a white outline added around the outer edge of the D. Inside the D is the front end of a white horse with a snort of steam that overlaps the D. The stripes also change to a thicker white/orange/white combination. The addition is a set of orange pants that is worn with the white jersey. The orange pants have a blue/white/blue stripe pattern.

Side Note: The GUD has a nice article on the Broncos “D” Logo Variance AND 1967 & 1968 Denver Broncos. — PH

. . .

1972: The orange pants are dropped and white pants are used full time.

. . .

1973: Stripes are added to the socks. They are Northwestern in style with the outer stripes in white and the inner stripe in orange.

. . .

1974: By now, most players sport white cleats, and blue cleats briefly make an appearance on some players. It’s about this time that the reddish hue of orange disappears.

. . .

1975: The facemasks go from gray to white. The blue socks are changed to white socks, with the stripe motif matching that of the white jersey sleeves. For the Broncos last home game, the Colorado Statehood Centennial patch is worn on the left shoulder of the orange jersey. White cleats are worn exclusively (save for the kickers).

. . .

1976: The Broncos play musical socks, with yet another change, going back to blue socks, with three orange stripes, flanked with white feather striping.

. . .

1978: A “sorta” retro look as the orange pants return to be worn again with the white jerseys, and the solid blue socks make an encore appearance as well.

. . .

1980: The orange pants are dropped, this time for good. The socks change from solid blue to orange, mimicking the sleeve stripes on the orange jerseys.

. . .

1983: For the first game of the season, the Broncos wear a memorial patch for Assistant Coach Rich McCabe.

. . .

1984: Like the other seven charter AFL teams, the Broncos wear a 25th Season patch, located on the left collarbone area of the jersey.

. . .

1986: The pant stripes are inverted, with a thin blue/thick orange/thin blue combo.

. . .

1989: The sleeve stripes change a bit. The stripes are no longer separated. On the white jerseys, the stripes are thin blue/medium orange/thin blue while the orange jerseys striping is now thin blue/medium white/thin blue. Oddly enough the striping on the orange socks is unchanged.

. . .

1994: The NFL 75th season patch is worn on the left collarbone area of both jerseys. The sleeve stripes on both jerseys shrink in size. The NOB’s are outlined to match the number outlines on both sets of jerseys. Like virtually all other NFL teams, the Broncos wear throwbacks to commemorate the NFL’s 75th Season. The Broncos wear 1965 vintage uniforms, with the helmet the exact same as worn from 1962-1965. The jerseys are similar to the 1965-1966 style, with slight differences and feature the NFL/75 patch. The pants are the current (for 1994) style and the socks are solid blue. Each throwback (white and orange) is worn once.

Side Note: Nice photos and history on the 1994 throwbacks on the GUD. — PH

. . .

1997: The uniform is overhauled. Helmet: Now navy blue (with navy mask), with the logo now a forward facing white head of a horse with an orange mane. Striping is now three orange stripes starting in the back with the outer two stripes ending at a point before the inner stripe, which itself ends at a point before the front edge of the shell. Jerseys: A) white with navy collar, navy special font numbers on front, black and shoulders trimmed in orange, with straight navy NOB. Broncos wordmark in navy just above front numbers. Navy side panels with a thin front orange outline that curl around front of armpit and comes to a point flanking the collar. Pants worn with this jersey are white with striping that matches side panels and curls slightly to the front coming to a point just above pant edge. B) navy with orange collar, white special font numbers on front, back and shoulders trimmed in orange, with straight white NOB. Broncos wordmark in white just above front numbers. Orange side panels that curl around front of armpit and comes to a point flanking the collar. Pants worn with this jersey are white with orange striping that matches side panels on the navy jersey and curls slightly to the front coming to a point just above pant edge. There’s also a navy set of pants introduced with the unveiling, but it is not worn during the regular or post season. Socks: solid navy with a thin orange stripe separating the navy from the white sanitary socks. When the Broncos appear (victorious) in Super Bowl XXXII, they wear the logo patch on the left collarbone area of the navy jersey.

. . .

1998: The Broncos wear the Super Bowl XXXIII logo patch on the white jersey for the Big Game, again in winning fashion.

. . .

2001: For Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, the Broncos wear a throwback of 1980-1988 vintage, with the TV numbers notably placed on the shoulders as opposed to the sleeves.

. . .

2002: The Broncos add an orange alternate to the mix, with a navy collar, white special font numbers on front, back and shoulders trimmed in navy, with white NOB trimmed in navy. Broncos wordmark in white just above front numbers. Navy side panels that curl around front of armpit and comes to a point flanking the collar. Pants worn with white jersey are worn with the orange jersey.

. . .

2003: The navy pants that were introduced with the other parts of the 1997 changeover, finally make their regular season debut, while the orange alternates stay in the closet.

. . .

2004: The orange alternate jerseys return and the navy pants don’t.

. . .

2005: The Broncos stick to the basics for 2005 as only the white/whites and the navy/whites see game action.

. . .

2006: The all navy look returns to action for a few games.

. . .

2008: While the all navys are shelved, the orange jerseys make a comeback after a three year absence. The Gene Upshaw memorial patch is worn for Week 1.

. . .

2009: The Broncos commemorate their 50th Season with a special patch worn on the left collarbone area of all three (white, navy and orange) jerseys. All four combos were worn. As part of the AFL Legacy tribute, for a couple of games the Broncos wore the uniforms that were supposedly never to be worn again, the infamous brown and gold unis from 1960 and 1961. These jerseys featured the AFL inspired 50th anniversary season logo patch on the left collarbone area of both the white and yellow jerseys. One note of interest is that the vertically striped socks were worn without white sanitary socks and some players decided to style up the verticals by twisting the stripes around, creating a bit of a candy-cane effect to the stripes. So all in all, there were six different uni combos worn this season.

. . .

2010: Again the four combos were worn this season, plus the rather bland “International Series” patch was worn for their 10/31 game in London against the 49ers.

. . .

2012: For the first time since the 1997 redesign, orange jerseys become the primary home jersey as the navy jersey is relegated to an alternate status and is worn only once with the navy pants. For two weeks late in the season, the Broncos wear a commemorative patch for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary only on the white jersey.

. . .

2013: Collar goes from blue/orange to solid blue on orange jerseys, and white/blue to solid blue on white tops. Collar goes solid orange on blue jerseys. Wearing the orange jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII (48), the Broncos add the SB logo patch to the left collarbone area.

. . .

2014: The navy alternate is worn with the navy pants for a game (Week 7 on a Sunday night hosting the San Francisco 49ers).

. . .

2015: The navy alternate is worn twice, once with the white pants with orange stripes (at home in Week 7 on a Sunday night hosting the Green Bay Packers as an ode to Super Bowl XXXII) and once with the navy pants (Week 14 hosting the Oakland Raiders). In a bit of a surprise, the Broncos announce the wearing of the white jersey as the “home” team for Super Bowl 50, eschewing the normal orange tops for the game.

. . .

Thanks, Tim. Before we move on to the Carolina Panthers, here’s a neat timeline/.gif showing the Broncos uni evolution.

Carolina Panthers Uniform History

Of course, the Panthers not only have a shorter uniform history due to many less years (25 or so) in the league, but they’re one of those rare teams that hasn’t really messed with their original set too much over the years. Once again, TB is back with the definitive uniform history

Carolina Panthers
By Tim Brulia

1995: The Carolina Panthers enter the National Football League as one of two expansion franchises (the Jacksonville Jaguars are the other new team) bringing the number of teams to 30. The Panthers introduce a silver helmet with the head of a snarling black panther on the sides, trimmed in light blue and outlined in white. The helmet has two black stripes outlined in light blue starting in the front of the helmet that flair slightly outward then come to a point about 2/3’s of the back of the helmet. A black facemask completes the headgear. The white jersey consists of a black collar and black block torso numbers outlined in light blue. The name on back (NOB) is black outlined in light blue as well. TV numbers in the same fashion as the front and back numbers adorn the shoulders. Shoulder stripes with a black/light blue/black pattern immediately follow, with the helmet logo placed on the sleeves. The black jersey follows a similar pattern as the white jersey with a light blue collar. The numbers (front, back and TV) are white and outlined in light blue. The NOB is white outlined in light blue also. The sleeve logo, same as on the white jersey but outlined in white. The shoulder stripe combo is silver/light blue/silver. The Panthers sport an Inaugural Season patch on both jerseys positioned on the left collarbone. The Panthers wear white pants with the white jerseys and silver pants are worn with the black jerseys. The side stripes on each set are light blue and come to a point at the base of the pants, basically an elongated triangle. The stripe – or triangle – is bordered in black. A small logo (facing forward like the helmet and sleeve logos) is superimposed over the stripe on the hips. Solid light blue socks adorn both uniform sets.

1996: One slight tweak is made to the black set only: The socks are changed from light blue to black.

1998: In the last game of the season (Week 17) for a game against the Colts at Indianapolis, the Panthers wear the white jersey over the silver pants. This combo has never been worn since.

2001: With the switch to the Reebok template, the shoulder stripes become equal in width. Previously the stripes on both jersey sets had a thicker middle light blue stripe with thinner outer stripes.

2002: The Panthers add an alternate jersey to the mix. A light blue jersey is added. It has a black collar, the numbers (torso and TV) are white with a thin black outline, the NOB is also white with black outline. The shoulder stripes are silver/black/silver and the panther sleeve logos outlined in white are on the sleeves. This jersey is strictly worn with the silver pants and black socks and is worn for a few games for each season here on in.

2003: The Panthers end the season with a run to Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) and wear the logo patch on their left collarbone area on the white set.

2004: Carolina wears a commemorative 10th season patch on the left collarbone area of all three jerseys for the season.

2008: As with all other teams, the Panthers wear a Gene Upshaw memorial patch on the left collarbone area for Week 1 of the season. The Panthers wear the light blue jersey for the game.

2011: The Panthers open the season with a 9/11 ribbon patch on the left collarbone of the white jersey, signifying the 10th Anniversary of the occurrence. All other teams who played on this specific date also wore the 9/11 ribbon patch.

2012: The Panthers make some slight changes to the panther head logo, notably light blue whiskers from white and the elimination of the white outline of the logo. This is represented on the helmet, sleeve and pant placements of the logo. For Weeks 14 and 15, the Panthers, as do their NFL brethren across the league wear a commemorative 50th Anniversary patch for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This patch makes it onto the white jersey and black jersey. And, last but not least, in Week 10 (vs. the Denver Broncos) the Panthers stun the football community with a black over black ensemble. The black pants have same stripe pattern as with the white and silver pants, except the outer stripes are silver. The light blue socks are worn with the all black uni.

2014: A 20 Seasons patch is worn on the left collarbone for each of the three jerseys. To the dismay of some (many?), the all black combo is not worn this season.

2015: The all black ensemble makes a single appearance in Week 1 of the preseason, and then is never heard from again all season. In Week 12 on Thanksgiving Day as the visiting team in Dallas, the Panthers trot out the light blue jersey and also add – for the first time – light blue pants with the same format of striping as with the other three pairs of pants, the triangle colored black bordered in silver with the logo on each hip and light blue hose that extend all the way to the toes which are then covered with light blue cleats! This is part of the NFL’s “Color Rush” campaign, which sees several Thursday games with both teams squaring off in solid colors from neck to toe.

A Super DIY for Super Sunday

Got an e-mail from Steve Speicher, who is one of the many DIYers who follow Uni Watch. As is now a tradition, Steve DIY’ed a jersey for this year’s Super Bowl. I’ll let him tell you about it:

Hello again Paul and Uni Watch! The tradition continues with this year’s Super Bowl jersey.

This was another year where I don’t have strong feelings either way regarding the outcome, so, I stuck with the NFC. One day, maybe, I’ll make an AFC jersey!

I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. I thought the shoulder stripes would be a big pain, but, they ended up turning out OK. They’re a little messy under the sleeves, but, no one can see that anyway. The collar was much more of a pain – it’s very difficult to get good measurements on it and translate that into a printable graphic that fits well. The T-shirt I started with was seemingly stitched a bit off-center (not unexpected, as it was only $3!) but that translates into difficulty making a collar shape that fits. You’ll see that the back of the collar is a bit off. Obviously, I’m no Wafflebored, but whatever…I’ll take it.

The good news is that I didn’t screw up and put the sleeve logos on backwards like I did last year with the Lynch throwback!

I don’t really have anything new to report in terms of my process – it was basically the same as it’s been for the past few years. Just to reiterate, it’s pretty simple: measure the shirt, mock it up in Photoshop, construct vector-based images for the numerals and letters, grab some logos from Chris Creamer’s site, and size and lay everything out on a representation of the shirt. Then, once everything is sized relatively well, move all the graphics into files that are of printable size for the transfer paper, print, cut, iron, and you’re done! This year’s images (click to enlarge):

Graphics Cut Out

Final Front

Final Back

And one more…here’s a little family portrait going back to the ’11 Giants.

That one is a mess! I’ve definitely improved my methods since then.

Enjoy! And thank you as always for all the hard work you do for us readers of Uni Watch.

-Steve Speicher

Uni Watch News Ticker

Baseball News: The immortal Babe Ruth’s birthday was yesterday, and here’s a picture of him with a birthday cake (and pre-Hugh Hefner robe), from Bruce Menard. … Eastern Michigan University is all set to unveil new road uniforms on Monday (h/t EMU Baseball). … Reader Anthony Auston asks, “Did you ever have success in crafting the Aesthetics shirt you posted about here? I’d really love to have the shirt you describe.” … Whoa — check out Babe Ruth in a Los Angeles Angels (of Los Angeles?) uniform; that’s from the set of a 1927 movie (from Bruce Menard). … Arkansas-Monticello has a set of “Margarita Sunrise” jerseys (from Al Gruwell). … From the MLB Network special on the Expos, a fan in the stands with an official hat and an unofficial jersey (nice spot by Douglas Ford).

NFL News: Interesting beverage display at this Bowling Green, Ohio Walmart. Jared Sloan adds, “Odd they have the conference colors swapped.” … Here’s another one at a Target (from Zack Bennett). … And another in Wake Forest, North Carolina (via Interst8Forty4. Those last two look like Pepsi has a “standard” or “template” display they’re asking their distributors to set up. … Law enforcement officers have been getting special badges with Super Bowl themes the past few years. This year is no exception: Special issue badges for Super Bowl 50 for California Highway Patrol, Santa Clara PD, San Jose PD and San Francisco PD (from Rich Paloma). … With all the old Supe photos being displayed recently, Paul Dillon noticed the wide array of spacing on players who wore #11, particularly the difference between Joe Kapp and Scott Norwood. … Make My Cake in Harlem is most definitely ready for the Super Bowl (from Robert Brashear). … Check out this great vintage Tampa Bay Buccaneers clock that Sean Gilman found at a vintage shop in Tampa yesterday! … Here’s a neat commemorative Super Bowl poster (from Jordan Grimes). … Great photo spread from Sports Illustrated of their photos from every Super Bowl ever played (several have noted this).

College/HS/Other Football News: Check out this “pair of great MS helmets I ran across at a trophy case in the Haltom/Richland area in Texas” (from Peter Ponce). … Everyone knows Cam Newton has made the “dab” his signature move, but was he the first? “In no way am I supporting dabbing but I saw this in a Longhorn game in September which was prior to the craze created by Cam and the Panthers,” says Joey Breeland. … With all the helmet mashups & themes we have featured on here, I’m not sure if this one has been shown (apologies if it has): the WWE/NFL inspired helmets (from Scott Turney). … Reader Derek Linn thinks Grange Insurance may have sponsored this all-star game. … According to Jason Calvert, Kentucky might use its secondary logo on helmets next season. Here’s a bit more on that. … And people are still making with the funny over the new secondary logo.

Hockey News: On Friday night, the Ontario Reign did their pink in the rink thing, complete with pink jerseys and pink ice. … Question for the UW Hockey Wing: Does Philly wear these beauts every Saturday from RNs Funhouse. Tweeter Frank Stallone provided the answer. … Also from RNs Funhouse, “What is the significance of the shape of that alternate captain patch?” — I’m gonna guess since Pennsylvania is the Keystone State, and that’s in the shape of a keystone, that’s the significance. And sure enough. Our own Jimmer Vilk thinks the Flyers should have gone one step further and put TV numbers inside the keystone, a la the old Cleveland Barons. … The South Carolina Stingrays (an ECHL team) have some um, interesting Military Appreciation Night uniforms (from Gordon Cromer). … Really nice Lakeville North unis for Hockey Day Minnesota – outdoor HS Hockey in Duluth, MN (from jmmohr) – those have a real stripey Ottawa vibe. … The Tulsa Oilers went with pink sweaters yesterday (from Braden Dwyer). … Also doing the pink-in-the-rink thing were the Manchester Monarchs, who not only wore pink, but who also dyed the ice pink (from Cam Srotto). … The refs went with pink striped shirts in yesterday’s UConn vs. Merrimack game (from Mike Anthony).

NBA News: The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards went color vs. color yesterday (screen shot by Benjamin Craig Lucas). … Also going color vs. color yesterday were the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves (from Tyler Mason). … Brandon Roy’s high school retired his jersey number (from Mike Chamernik). Also from Mike, the Thunder and Warriors went color vs. color, and both wore alternates. Here’s another view.

College Hoops News: Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Panthers did a BFBS blackout game (from Interst8Forty4) against Virginia. Here’s some pregame video (from James Gilbert). … Florida wore their orange uniforms for the first time this year vs. Kentucky (via Dave Doop). Here’s a look at the front (via Eric Goettling). And the pants (from Dave Doop). … Division III Keuka College will change its nickname from the “Wolfpack” to the “Wolves” after the 2015-16 academic year. Why? Because N.C. State threatened to sue (from Jeff Belcher). … Clemson at Virginia Tech was color vs color. A few interesting observations from Andrew Cosentino: 1) The Hokies elected to wear maroon at home. It was for their “Maroon Monsoon” theme. 2) Clemson elected to wear orange, making it look like the Hokies were playing a scrimmage. He adds, “Overall, this was a visually confusing game. It looked like the Hokies were playing themselves!” … A Kansas State player’s shoe fell apart during yesterday’s game against Oklahoma (from Mike Chamernik). … Western Kentucky had some sweet Sweet 16 throwbacks yesterday (via Adam Morrison Crying). … UTEP wore some “Texas Western” warmups yesterday (from Josh Claywell). UTEP used to be known Texas Western. During that game, UTEP was wearing “special Phil Knight Nikes designed to honor 50th anniversary of ’66 Championship” (via Aaron Rich). … Yesterday, Dayton went with gray unis (mentioned by several). Here’s more on that (from Patrick O’Neill). … Several color vs. color games yesterday, including UNC and Notre Dame(from Colby Jackson). Here’s another view (from Jason Williams). … URI and LaSalle had a gorgeous color vs. color game (via Chris). Here’s another look (from Eric O). … Long Beach State also played color vs. color vs. Cal State (from Aaron Cohn).

Soccer News: Oops? Did Manchester United reveal their new club logo in a trailer? (with thanks to Craig Ackers). The new logo seems to be a slight redesign of the well-known crest. The article has the trailer, together with pictures of the old and new Red Devils logo.

Grab Bag: Interesting Chicago logo mashup featuring the White Sox (from Brian Short). This one is very similar, only it features the Cubs (from Mike Nessen). … Tweeter Joe Bags thinks the new Kentucky logo mirrors the Dodge Challenger Hell Cat logo. … Here’s a look at the jerseys being worn by all 16 National Rugby League teams for the Auckland Nines tournament in New Zealand (from Graham Clayton). … “The Jaguares are a brand new team created to be Argentina’s first ever entrants into the top flight Super Rugby competition, and that excitement plus the fact that the shirts are pretty damn stunning has generated a massive amount of excitement among rugby fans,” says Josh Gardner. “It’s also notable because Nike doesn’t make many rugby shirts any more, but when they do it’s generally something pretty cool.”

And there you have it — hope you enjoyed the annual Super Bowl uni histories (and a big huge thanks, again, to Timmy Brulia). Everyone enjoy the game today — hopefully you can astound everyone at your Supe party with your vast knowledge of the unis and histories of both teams. You’ll either be the hit of your gathering, or the guy/gal that everyone wants to tie to a chair and put duct tape over your mouth. Either way, you’ll be that guy. If they get itâ„¢, that’s a very good thing.

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

.. … ..

“That has to be Jim Vilk’s least favorite basketball game of all time. We have ‘why do you look like Detroit?’ navy with wine numbers against the ‘how and why did Red Auerbach sign off on these?’ green with black trim and numbers. Color palette special? Nope. More like Prince of Darkness.”

–Mike Engle