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Week 5’s Newest Hot Take: WFWS

Miami WFWS hed 550

Click to enlarge

By Phil Hecken

It started with Miami (of Florida) on Thursday evening: the special white for white sake uniform: White helmet, white jersey, white pants (and usually white socks & shoes). It’s not an entirely new phenomenon in College Football, but like BFBS (black for black sake) and GFGS (gray for gray sake), it appears to be a growing aesthetic for the sport.

Now, there are a couple famous teams in College Football who always go WFWS on the road (Penn State and Texas), and there are others who do it on occasion. But lately, it seems, the trend is to go WFWS as a style option.

In fact, so far today, the following teams have already declared they’ll go WFWS (and there will likely be more we haven’t heard from):

UNLV

Louisville

Air Force

Washington State

That’s just a sampling. Like I said, there will likely be more. I won’t even post the teams who’ve gone WFWS so far this season or in past seasons — you get the idea.

You guys know my feelings about alternate uniforms and helmets, but I realize they’re here to stay and complaining about them is like pissing into the wind. But I’ve always liked (in any sport) a crisp white uniform, and football is no different — so while I bemoan the introduction of elements that aren’t traditional (for example, a white helmet) into a school’s uni-repertoire, I actually like the WFWS look. But then, I like white home uniforms in baseball (no softball tops, please) and I’ve always liked (and long for a return to) white at home for hockey (granted, those will always have colored breezers). But there’s just something about an all white uniform I enjoy.

So, if a team MUST go with an alternate look, WFWS isn’t a bad way to go, in my opinion. I know there are many of you out there who likely disagree with this sentiment. But I’m curious — what are your folks’ opinions on WFWS? Do you like it when one team does it (and it certainly provides an excellent contrast between two teams) or do you insist that at least some part of the uniform have (preferably) a school color? Is this a trend that needs to quickly stop, or would you like it if more teams were to go WFWS as an option?

One thing I can certainly do without is the tendency to refer to the all-white look as “Icy-Whites” which I’ve seen referencing several of these looks so far (including one above). “Stormtrooper” (a word we no longer use to describe WFWS on Uni Watch) is also played out (and was never good to begin with). Anyone have a better catch-phrase? I’m all ears.

Let’s have your thoughts in the comments below.

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classic scoreboards splash

Classic Ballpark Scoreboards

I’m pleased to continue with a favorite weekend feature here at Uni Watch, “Classic Ballpark Scoreboards,” which are created by Gary Chanko. You probably know Gary best for his wonderful colorizations, but he has been a solid contributor for many years, and this is his new project. This segment will appear every Saturday on Uni Watch.

Here’s Gary (click on image to enlarge):

. . . . . . . . . .

Classic Ballpark Scoreboards – Series II
by Gary Chanko

This week the Classic Scoreboard series returns full time to football beginning with a visit to the Motor City.

U of Detroit Stadium_UW

University of Detroit Stadium


Also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, and Dinan Field
Former Home of:Detroit Titans (NCAA) (1922-1964), Detroit Wolverines (NFL) (1928), Detroit Lions (NFL) (1934-1937), Detroit Cougars (United Soccer Association) (1967-1968), Michigan Arrows (Continental Football League – does anyone remember this league!) (1968)
Opened: 1922
Demolished: 1971

Remember the University of Detroit Football Titans? This program is probably not in the living memory of most of today’s college football fanatics. Still the Titans long football history is worth knowing.

Before the University discontinued football in 1964, the team was one of the best in the Midwest – nearly a .600 winning percentage over 64 gridiron seasons. In 1928 the team earned a nominal claim to college football’s national championship with a 9-0 record. Last year the University sponsored a 50-year reunion of former payers.

You can catch up on the Titans complete history in these archives, including the entire collection of Titan Football programs starting from 1915 (If your interests lie in graphic design, the cover art alone is with viewing).

The Titans football stadium opened in 1922 as a 20,000 seat U-shaped venue. The end zone scoreboard was typical of the era with posted player numbers by fixed position. Prior to 1941, football was a typically a “one platoon” system with players playing both offense and defense. So the hassle of having to change player numbers on the scoreboard during the game was minimal if at all.

The scoreboard illustration depicts the installation as it appeared in the early 1930s. Some newer electronics were added in the 1950s, but the basic structure remained little changed. The “Walker & Co.” (plaque below the scoreboard) was a well known Detroit outdoor advertising company that supplied the scoreboard.

A Few Things to Know

• The stadium lighting system was both peculiar and pioneering. The lighting oddity was the location of the supports that were positioned between the stands and the field. Weird.

• In 1929, the University of Detroit opened its football season against De Paul University in what was the first game to be played in Detroit under artificial lighting. At the time it was heralded as the “World’s Greatest Lighting System.” The lighting system for U of D Stadium was reported to be five times greater than the system installed in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl.

• Where was the first NFL Thanksgiving Day game played? You guess it, the University of Detroit Stadium.

• University of Detroit Stadium also hosted the 1935 NFL Championship Game, the Detroit Lions defeated the New York Giants, 26”“7. The victory added to the “City of Champions” trifecta in 1935. The Tigers won the World Series and the Red Wings took home the Stanley Cup. But wait, there’s more Detroit sports champions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If anyone is interested in purchasing a digital copy of these posters, Gary is working on an online purchase option. In the interim you can contact him directly at Classicscoreboards@gmail.com.

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TATC

Paul’s Latest ESPN Pieces

In case you missed it yesterday, Paul had two fantastic pieces on ESPN: His annual NHL Uniform Preview and a new weekly feature called “Friday Flashback,” which is devoted to uniforms from the past that are no longer worn. Yesterday’s column looked at Baseball’s infamous “Turn Ahead The Clock” (TATC) uniforms from 1999.

The NHL Uni Preview is here.

The Flashback Friday column is here.

Enjoy!

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colorize this

Colorize This!

Occasionally, I will be featuring wonderful, high-quality black and white photographs that are just begging to be colorized.

Back to weekend colorizations now that my weekday subbing for Paul is over.

Just one this week, and it is from a new colorizer — his name is Riley Swinford. Riley actually sent this to Paul back in July — and Paul dutifully forwarded it to me, but I somehow missed posting it until now. My apologies to Riley, and I hope he sends in more.

Click photos to enlarge.

Enjoy!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

stan the man colorized - Riley Swinford


stan musial

Hi Paul

I’d like to submit this colorized version of Stan Musial I recently completed. I’m including the original B/W version for comparison. Thanks for considering it for your colorization section. It’s always one of my favorite parts of the site. I’ll be sending more colorizations from time to time. It’s a newfound hobby of mine.

Riley

. . .

That’s it for today. Great job Riley, and please do send more in (and you can send them directly to me)!

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Uni Watch News Ticker:

Baseball News: Long-time Uni Watch friend Jerry Reuss writes, “Recently, I saw this video of Giant’s pitcher Tim Hudson after pitching the final game of his career. It reminded me of my final appearance twenty-five years ago on Saturday. My thanks to the fans who supported me, the people of Pittsburgh, the Pirates and especially, Pirates’ manager Jim Leyland who allowed me to finish my career with pride and dignity.” That video brought a tear to my eye — thanks for sharing, Jerry! … Check out this great shot from Bruce Menard of a “real” Tiger taking batting practice at the 1935 World Series at Navin Field in Detroit! Also from Bruce, look at this shot of Bucky “Effin” Dent in a fur coat. … WHOA! Check out this photo, featuring a bulls-eye on a catcher’s chest protector (from Jonathan Daniel). More here. Also from Jonathan, take a look at this photo which “shows three little people in House-of-David-style beards and a couple of clowns cavorting amongst the rubble of Ebbets Field during the process of demolition in 1960.” … Chipola College loves Cleveland logos. They used Chief Wahoo in 2001 and now use Cavs C (h/t Kevin Chmura). … The 1978 Charleston Charlies were yet another team with a “tequila sunrise” themed uni-set (from Jonathan Daniel), who adds, “Holy Crap. I had no idea this was a thing!”

NFL News: Here’s (yet another) interesting set of NFL Logo Mashups, in this SI/Extra Mustard piece. … Have you ever wanted to see what Pat Patriot would look like with a moose head? No? Well, you can now (h/t Patrick Burland). … In a move that should surprise no one, the Falcons will wear red at home against the Texans on Sunday. … Indy Colts. Pinktober. ‘Nuff said. … “At the Patriots home opener against Pittsburgh, they handed out replica championship banners to attendees,” writes Adam. “As I’m sure you know, they also handed out a Tom Brady banner that they likely would have unveiled if he had been suspended. I noticed that the number “1” is a different font that looks closer to the new Patriots text logo.” He asks, “Do you think there is a chance the Patriots numbers change to that font in 2016?” … “Thought of you two (Paul and me) when I saw this,” writes Munch Suchland. … Check out the TV numbers on this Irving Fryar Photo. Says submitter Matthew Eggen, “OUCH!” … The Cleveland Browns will be going brown/white/brown this weekend (more here).

College/High School Football News: I’m quoted in this story on Mizzou Coach Gary Pinkel’s fashion choices — but I can assure you I never used the word “swag.” … A writer for the Omaha World Herald wrote an article that was an ode to Nebraska’s red pants which they’ve worn less and less the last three years (from David “Trey” Ashby III). … Eleven Warriors and THE Ohio State University are pimping some upcoming games, including the *confirmed* BFBS game against PSU (more here). … Mizzou will be going black/gold/black today against South Carolina (h/t Christian Condray). … Blackout game for Rugters (from Rutgers247). … LA Tech will be going White/Blue/Blue today vs. UL-Lafayette (via LA Tech Football). … “My alma mater, Jonathan Alder HS in Plain City, OH, was recently hit with a cease and desist order from the U of Arizona for using their logo (with different colors) on athletic gear,” says Anthony Yutzy. “Do high schools get permission from colleges/pro teams or are cease and desist orders coming for the rest of them?” … Northwestern will still be wearing their “gothic” unis today, but they’ve changed them up to make them easier to read. … Looks like the Ducks & Beavers will have decals in memory/support of the Umpqua Community College victims/survivors shootings. More on that here. … Here’s a newer look at the BFBS Ohio State Buckeye jerseys which are expected to be worn for the October 18th Penn State game (via Andrew Lind). … NAU will wear black helmets with a pink logo this week against Montana State. … St. Marys High School (St. Marys, WV) wore Breast Cancer Awareness jerseys last night versus arch rival (h/t Donald Butcher). Here’s another look (from Coleman Mullins). … “We all have seen the digital camo and universally pan it. My local high school, South Lamar (Ala.) just got these in and are debut(ed) them (last) night,” writes Dustin Semore. “It hurts.” … The Linfield College Wildcats, members of NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference, have added a UCC ribbon on their helmets (h/t Eli Hibbert). … Illinois will have pink ribbon helmet decals today for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (h/t Illini Football). … WHOA, check out this awesome old Fordham helmet (from Pat Costello). … Apparently the Arizona Wildcats’ copper helmets are cursed. … Here’s an article from The Los Angeles Times bemoaning the continued allowing of nearly invisible numbers at the high school level. Jakob Wolf approves. … St. Xavier (Cincinnati) for the 3rd year in a row wearing custom pink jerseys (via Matthew Weber).

NBA/College/Hoops News: Utah Valley University has a new basketball court this year (h/t Merrill E. Mead). … The new Atlanta Hawks floor is now in place (from Chad Fields). … This is funny: “Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was recently on Fox Business discussing (among other things) the team’s new Baltimore Pride uniforms,” writes Average Bro. “This being Fox News, of course they had no other b-roll video of the Wizards so they ran a charming montage of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton (of GunGate fame) at practice. So yeah, old logo, old uniforms, and 10 year old footage. Nice.”

Hockey News: The Columbus Blue Jackets have released their third jersey schedule (from Kenny). Also, from Kenny, the Washington Capitals have likewise released their third jersey sked. And so have the Minnesota Wild (also from Kenny). … Check out these Panther hockey sweaters with the Pitt script (from Jay Yander). … “Sometimes you find a teammate and the connection is too profound to ignore,” writes Spencer Bacon on Twitter. … This University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey goalie has pads matching the yellow gold jersey (from Joshua Dryer). … New uniforms for Lake Superior (from Patrick Thomas). … Reader Brian Rowland enjoyed Paul’s ESPN NHL Preview and notes, “One thing that I’ve noticed about the Arizona Coyotes new uniforms this season that wasn’t mentioned was that the manufacturer logos on the pants have moved from the front to the back. Also, it appears that there is no team logo whatsoever on their pants.” He adds, “I know that the Blues and possibly another team in the league have manufacture logos on the back of their pants, but I believe that Arizona is the only team in the NHL to have no team logo on their pants.”

Grab Bag: Women’s cycling world road race champion Lizzie Armistead will wear this kit next year. You can read more on that here (thanks to Sean Clancy). … Reader Graham Block points out that even Google is affected by Pinktober, and writes, “I noticed that the color of the circle changed with the new month. Mine has always had a blue background, but not anymore. I wonder if this is the same for other people or mine is just a random occurrence/particular to the background design I use.” … From Dave Rakowski, “The ultimate crowdsourced map of punny businesses in America.” … I have to admit, I LOL’ed at this. … Interesting piece, sent in by Brinke, “Simplistic Rebranding Of KFC Goes Back To Its Vintage, Homely Roots.” … Golfer Jordan Speith now has his own signature golf line (h/t Jon Rowland). … “In my local package store tonight I stumbled upon this” Vodka football uni display, writes WK. “At least Svedka didn’t go BFBS.” … Oregon soccer a memorial ribbon on the field for the victims of the UCC shooting (h/t Ducks Equipment). … Pinktober is not just for sports now. The Colorado Stare Patrol is getting in on the fun now (from Ryan Wright). … Those are apparently not limited to CO, as here’s a pink patrol car spotted in Sheffield, AL. (from Scott Holcomb). … The winter version of the Premier League game ball is just like the regular ball, but neon-ier (thanks to Holy Calamity). … Pinktober isn’t limited to US teams, as Mexican soccer teams have joined the movement (h/t Josh Sánchez).

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And that’s it for today. Welcome to Pinktober, errybody. Hopefully the NCAA teams will keep the pink affectations to a minimum today, but well…you know. Thanks to Gary, new colorizer Riley and everyone who submitted for the ticker. If all goes according to plan, I should have my fourth NCAA tracker (and all Power 5 conferences) tomorrow. Stay tuned, and be sure to check back in for all your SMUW needs tomorrow. Till then…

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHecken.

Peace.

.. … ..

“Would the Eagles look better with kelly green? Absolutely. But is midnight green the worst thing about their current look? Not even close. It’s all the black that’s the problem.”

— R. Scott Rogers

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Comments (82)

    (Wait, why do we no longer use “Stormtrooper” on here?)

    WFWS is every bit as bad as BFBS and absolutely needs to stop. Yeah, tradition dictates a white jersey, and if you normally wear white pants… ok, fine – but that’s not really WFWS then, either. Texas and Penn State – it’s just their normal uniforms. Whatever, not even worth mentioning. Everyone else adding a white helmet? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. It may be visually less jarring than black or gray, but conceptually it’s still terrible.

    What happened to Stormtrooper? Other than the fact that it needs to go away. I’m not a big fan of the WFWS. Can we at least call it polar bearing or something if we’re not calling it Stormtrooper now?

    Proofreading: In Gary’s piece, “the cover art alone is with viewing”

    Looks like the ’78 Charlies were Houston’s AAA team, so the tequila sunrises make more sense.

    As far the lede goes, I’m not sure I’d describe these uniforms as WFWS, since white is a major part of everyone’s uniform pallet. It’s not like they’re introducing a color they don’t use as they so often do with black or gray. (And, of course, it’s nothing more than the standard road look for Penn State or Texas.) Maybe “all-white” is a good enough description.

    Agreed. “WFWS” makes no sense, as every team has always incorporated white in their uniforms.

    UniWatch my be trying too hard to find things to complain about.

    Every team has incorporated white into their uniforms because they have no choice – white jerseys are mandated by rule. Adding a white helmet to a team that normally wears a blue or yellow one is absolutely white for it’s own sake.

    The fact that it’s mandated by the rules is irrelevant – white is a part of every team’s uniform. (And even ignoring the white jersey requirement, almost every team has white as part of their colored jersey set, usually the numbers).

    “Black for black’s sake” makes sense because a lot of teams whose color set never included black have starting wearing black simply because it’s black. But that doesn’t apply to white.

    Might as well say that the UNC Tar Heels wear “blue for blue’s sake.”

    Whether or not the “full Stormtrooper” look is appealing is another question. But you can’t blame teams for using white when white is part of everybody’s color scheme.

    So, white numbers means that bringing out a white helmet out of nowhere is justified? Gimme a break. I guess the 49ers shitty black uniforms are justified too since they have a black outline on the logo.

    Simply put: white is neutral. Everybody uses it. Some use it more than others, but really no “justification” is needed.

    (Hey, if it were up to me, teams would stick with one helmet, one home set and one away set with alternates being saved for true special occasions. But nobody asked me.)

    Yes, white is neutral. Depending on how you define “neutral”, so are black and gray, thus the reason BFBS and GFGS exist in the first place.

    At one point, UCLA looked like this: link

    Tiny insignificant amount of white trim.

    This: link is BFBS.

    This: link is WFWS.

    It’s not that complicated.

    WFWS may overstate it a bit, but this seems like a case of “I know it when I see it.” There’s a difference between having white uniform elements upon which to display one’s team colors, as in a traditional baseball home uniform or a white hockey or football jersey, and treating white as a team color when it is not. Going unitard white, for example, or making jersey numbers white or off-white on white, that’s treating white as a team color. Adopting one-off white helmets, that’s the very definition of WFWS.

    Then again, I don’t like white football helmets in general, so I may be oversensitive to white on the gridiron. (The Colts can keep their white helmets when I become emperor, because white effectively is a Colts team color.)

    As for alternates to “storm trooper” or “icy white,” I’d go for either Moby Dick or Ahab unis.

    I am with you on tolerating (and in some cases liking) WFWS. I have always had a special place in my uni-loving heart for UT’s all white look. I’m not quite ready to give in to the belief that it’s inevitable. It’s totally possible to create great looking, unique alternates while stay true to the school’s color scheme and not adding colors just to stay hip. Let’s keep fighting the good fight.

    JA

    Yep. The simple cleanness. Colts. Old-school Jets (do they wear white pants with white jerseys any longer?). Bills. I wish Titans and Cardinals would declutter and do it also.

    After all the doodad stuff as of late, maybe this is the “palate cleansing” trend we need.

    PS I also think the Jaguars have looked better using the white helmet the Jaguar (motorcar folks) nixed.

    Texas looks great at home because of the orange, on the road they are the exact opposite. They look like a generic 80’s video game team. I’d love to see them break out a set of orange pants and maybe even an orange helmet. Same for Penn State just replace the orange with blue. And eliminate the looking great at home like Texas does.

    Riley,

    That colorization of Musial is tremendous! The rich red and the excellent detail on the brown pinstripe jack really makes it pop. May I ask what software or technique you utilize?

    Again, great work and keep em coming.

    Thanks

    For the most part it’s a great job, but the separation of skin tone from the hairline is a bit too obvious and artificial-looking. Just a bit of a touch-up around the edges to blend it in would go a long way here.

    As a first effort I think it’s excellent.
    Can we see some of yours so we can learn please , Rob?

    That jerry reuss video is fantastic. Thanks for posting that

    Check out JR in this awesome bicentennial shot

    link

    The KFC redesign piece has a terrible headline: “Simplistic Rebranding Of KFC Goes Back To Its Vintage, Homely Roots”

    “Simplistic” doesn’t mean “simple,” it means facile, oversimplified, superficial, even deceptive.

    “Homely” doesn’t mean “home style,” it means ugly.

    Also, “vintage” is a meaningless redundancy in that sentence, but at least it’s not used to mean the opposite of what it really means.

    I agree that WFWS is stupid, but as The Jeff says, I would only consider out WFWS if a team uses done sort of alternate look to do it. UNLV, Louisville, and Air Force posted above are simply wearing their normal white/white unis, which is great. Washington St. is the one going WFWS because their helmets are not white, and yes, what they’re doing is stupid.

    This “welcome” from the University of Detroit to Western State Teachers College (Now WMU) in 1931 is fabulous. link

    They had a similar welcome for Iowa State the next week, and I assume for each week after that as well. link

    What a difference from today!

    Oh boy, and I just found one to Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University), a Native American boarding school. Paul- check this out:

    link

    The Miami uni looks better from mid-distance where I didn’t notice the silvery bits. On closeup shots on the TV the experience is degraded.

    Is there a term for that, and the reverse, where a static photo is great but seeing a team of them in action isn’t?

    Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing Charleson Charlies’ set as another fauxback for the Tampa Bay Rays. Colors are already there.

    I like that.

    Or how about a “bleach-out”?

    Do you like it when one team does it (and it certainly provides an excellent contrast between two teams) or do you insist that at least some part of the uniform have (preferably) a school color?
    Depends on what you consider “excellent contrast.” A bleach-out vs. all dark is certainly “maximum” contrast…doesn’t always look that great, though. Kinda boring sometimes. I prefer “optimal contrast.” In other words, not too little, not too much. Just right.
    Por ejemplo:
    link
    link
    link
    If you didn’t notice the common theme in these photos…note to the Huskers: ALWAYS go white/white/red.

    I also had no idea the term Stormtrooper was retired here.
    Seeing baseball players’ planned final exits in person are the best. It’s great to see the teammates congratulate the player individually. I saw Bobby Abreu walk away last year. He hit a single, called for the ball, asked for a pinch runner, and that was that. Really cool moment because the fans knew his name (really good player all his career) and the players know as well as anybody how hard it is to survive, let alone thrive, and how fortunate it is to walk away on your own terms. Personally, it was cool for me because I saw Abreu in AAA New Orleans, my hometown.

    The navy has dress whites for formal occasions or how about referring to it like the old milk man uniforms you would see in old tv shows?

    WFWS: not as bad as BFBS or GFGS, but still pretty lousy. Especially when teams steeped in tradition like Oklahoma trot out white helmets. As for the Miami version; why the stupid gray accents on the helmet, letters and numbers? And those fonts are horrid. They should just gone with an all white version of the 1980’s unis. Now there was a great look!

    THANK YOU R, SCOTT. RODGERS!!!! I’ve been saying this since day 1 and everyone looks at me like I’m crazy.. BFBS is ridiculous, but just because it’s ever so slightly in your color scheme, doesn’t give you the right to make horrible uniforms out of it. It makes me cringe each time they wear them…..and I’m an EAGLES FAN!!

    To be fair, Air Force always goes with a white jersey or white pants and they have gone full white uniforms pretty consistently over the past 15 years. AFA also always (outside of the alternates) has a white helmet, so it’s not quite fair to lump them on the WFWS category.

    Too rushed to read all comments, so I apologize if someone already belly-ached about this…wouldn’t mind white unitards or white helmets as long as the whites are kept consistent: either cool or warm white, but not both. Put together, the warm white (typically it’s the helmet) plays very differently as “cream”. If a team can’t manage or afford to match the whites (or any of their colors for that matter), they should simply go another way.

    I’m in a tiny minority in that I dislike most white football helmets and have since the 60s. The only ones that I like are Arizona, Texas and Auburn. I don’t generally mind the other elements in white, but for some schools (Colorado, UCLA) or pro teams (Cowboys, Packers), a different pants color is a tradition worth keeping.

    The influx of white/gray elements in football needs to stop. Gray numbers on a white uniform and gray logos on white helmets look terrible.

    Furthermore, the stormtrooper look is boring. A little splash of color is better than the complete absence of color. If the jersey is white, then wear pants with more color than white or gray or at least a helmet with more color than white or gray.

    The University of Calgary Dinos had a “white out” home game two weeks ago against their biggest rivals the University of Alberta (Edmonton). The Dinos will wear white jerseys, and some times pants as well, on the road, but their helmet is almost always red with yellow accents. That was the first time I believe they’ve ever worn all-white, and especially at home. The fact they put up 80 and almost 1000 yards of offense that night, probably means that they’ll be doing it more often.

    link

    You can see pictures of them in white, as well as their normal home uniforms at that link.

    Not sure if I’d necessarily consider WFWS a team just wearing an all white uniform since every team has a white jersey, but maybe if a team has an alternate white uniform(different then the regular whites) or multiple white jerseys. I know Oregon usually has 2 or 3 different white jerseys that they wear, and then teams like Miami and Arizona State are introducing white alternate uniforms. That I would say is WFWS, but for Penn State to just be wearing their normal all white uniforms, not sure I’d consider that WFWS.

    Louisville @ NC State is an early contender for the good side of 5+1. Spiffy look for Wolfpack.

    Have Goal Line on and they cut to this game every so often. If not for the alt black top on NCS, I’d say it’s a great look for them. But the contrast is awesome and I’d agree a good 5 & 1 contender.

    Same goes for Mizzou/SCAR

    haha yep.But the uni is basically the same. At least that OSUs colors are black.

    Like I said how much better was Ohio States black going to be. The answer is not at all better.

    Schools may as well all wear black at home and visitors all wear white.

    The “scarlet” looks more “pumpkin” in that shot. Still doesn’t change my opinion that it’s a ridiculous look. As for all white unis: I generally like them, especially when original helmet or contrasting sock/shoe colors are used. But then that wouldn’t necessarily be WFWS or Stormtrooper.

    1) I’ll take all whites any day, every day
    2) That Musial color picture is freakin’ gorgeous! Thanks, Riley!

    “Stormtrooper” seems like a perfect descriptor. Captures the forced and militaristic look of it. Yeah, I’m not a fan either. It’s kind of worse than BFBS because at least those looks don’t always go all black with helmets, jerseys and pants. WFWS is even more like every team going for the exact same look.

    Not only is it a great term to describe what the uniforms look like, but it has the added benefit of being insulting – as the Star Wars Stormtroopers have terrible aim and die often. If I were an athletic director, the last thing I’d want is for my team to look like Stormtroopers.

    I think it has to go beyond just wearing white over white. I think WFWS has to involve an altering of the existing white uniform elements. Miami already has a white helmet, jersey, and pants but that’s not WFWS. What they’ve done this week is eliminate color that would normally be present in the all whites. It’s why I suggested Wimbeldon as the name because it’s not just he wearing of white but the elimination or reduction of competing colors.

    JMU is wearing purple pants. And black jerseys.

    On the midcoast, there is enough rain, but I wish the TV picture were just a bit blurrier.

    Last night I turned on Princeton game and was laughing at how blurry the picture was due to the rain on camera.

    I had a suggestion,but I like tighty whities too. All white doesn’t bother me.All teams have a white jersey anyway. All black is asinine.

    I can’t think of a team that went from colored helmets to white that looked bad. There Are many examples of the reverse though.

    I hate when people say,white isn’t a color but the absence of color. Shut up. This isn’t science class. On a car lot,shirt rack, or playing field, it’s a color.

    I agree with Dan T, feels like Phil is looking for stuff to complain about.

    1. I distinctly remember Terry using the phrase “Stormtrooper” to describe an all white uniform from last year on a Sunday Morning UniWatch and how much he liked the all white look. So it hasn’t seemed like you’ve gone a long time without using “Stormtrooper”.

    2. Why even mention Penn State and Texas? They’ve had the same all white road uniforms for DECADES. Not to mention, both teams have white pants and helmets, so what else would they wear on the road?

    3. In UNLV’s case, that helmet isn’t white, so are you complaining that they switched to white pants?

    What I’m trying to say is today’s lede was bad in my opinion.

    ” I distinctly remember Terry using the phrase “Stormtrooper” to describe an all white uniform from last year on a Sunday Morning UniWatch and how much he liked the all white look. So it hasn’t seemed like you’ve gone a long time without using “Stormtrooper”.”

    ~~~

    Yes. And we haven’t used the term since. That dictate came from upper management.

    Sorry you didn’t like today’s lede. See Paul for your refund.

    Oh boy… My Alma Mater Narbonne High is in the news for their uniform shenanigans again???
    They’ve become the Oregon of Southern California high schools. It breaks my heart considering that their school colors are a beautiful green and gold.
    At least they haven’t gone camo… might have to return my diploma.

    Indiana with the pink helmet decals and pink accents.

    Can we move breast cancer awareness month to March or July?

    I think it’s because I’m a throwback guy, but I’ve always loved a full white uniform. What I mean is, for the most part, through the 60’s and 70’s nfl teams wore light colored pants… whether white, silver, yellow or whatever. I grew up watching football in the 80’s, and when I became uni obsessed, and watched old footage, I saw teams like the Bears that were wearing navy pants, used to wear white with their white jerseys, and I found myself wishing they still did. So now, I can’t stand to see dark pants with white jerseys. The Jets are a great example… I always wished they’d go back to the AFL look, and then they did and all was right with the world…. then some numbskull said “Hey… green pants!” and it ruined everything because now we hardly get to see the traditional look. Remember when the Lions and Colts tried blue pants at the end of the 90’s… I almost stroked out right there. Simply put, I believe in the old school way of designing…. they really knew how to make things beautiful and timeless. Now we have designers who think crazy schemes make great uniforms…. may God have mercy on their souls :)

    for the most part, through the 60s and 70s nfl teams wore light colored pants
    The glorious exceptions in the 70s were the Oilers, Chiefs and Broncos. Oh, and the Giants, too! KC & Denver flipped your scenario and went to white pants in the 80s. That temporarily knocked the Chiefs off the top of the uni pile and turned the Broncos into a meh-looking team.

    Remember when the Lions and Colts tried blue pants
    Glad the Colts did it, but they don’t need to do it again.
    Those Lions unis > any combination Detroit wears now.

    Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s has given me the opposite view. I hate white pants with a white jersey with very few exceptions (one being the Dolphins at home during the day). I’m a little bit more OK with silver/gray/or yellow but it’s a case by case thing. It works for teams like Green Bay and Pittsburgh but I hate the yellow pants for the Redskins and wish the Raiders would add a set of black pants for the road.
    As for the Colts and Lions? I loved both teams in their blue pants. The Colts need to bring those back along with dropping the gray facemask. The Lions have such a great unique blue color that they should fully own by bringing back the blue pants on the road. They have way too much silver on the road. And the Jets should not only not go back to all white, they need to go back to the mid 90’s black and green look which was much better until Parcells dropped the green pants.

    Since most teams have a white road jersey and or a white pants option, WFWS isn’t as bad as BFBS or GFGS; however, I agree with the previous commenter that a splash of color is needed. The Texas Longhorns’ road uni’s can’t hold a candle to the simple ‘Bama road uni (or the Longhorns’ home uni) because of the color contrast added with the crimson helmet and striped pants. That said, there might be some practical arguments for WFWS, such as when Texas A&M played at Mississippi State last year. As unattractive as the “icy whites” we’re, at least it provides additional contrast between teams with the exact same colors and uniform vendor (although State will look good with enough contrast tonight if they wear their road whites with maroon helmet).

    I’m really liking the Georgia Tech-North Carolina game. Really nice looking game but Russel still seems to be able to make stripes as well as Addidas does. Carolina has by far my favorite new uniform set this football season.

    And I’m still torn on the WFWS thing. I hate calling it that. I think I’m sticking it to the management in this case and either still calling it Stormtrooper or going with polar bear. WFWS is to bland and generic which should be ironically correct to use but this Stormtrooper look needs to be shamed into extinction along with gray facemasks for teams that have no gray in their colorscheme.

    Watching the Central Michigan/Northern Illinois game online, CMU’s starting QB, Cooper Rush, is wearing number 21 with no name on back,instead of his normal number 10. Anyone have any idea why? Anyone care?

    CMU Football
    6h6 hours ago
    CMU Football ‏@CMU_Football
    Quarterback Cooper Rush will wear the No. 21 jersey today in honor of Derrick Nash

    I know…you’re thinking, someone really should make a list of who should always wear white pants with white jerseys and who shouldn’t. Done.

    COLLEGE (assuming school colors and regular helmets):
    White tops and white pants
    Alabama
    Auburn
    Clemson
    Navy
    Oklahoma
    Penn St.
    SMU
    Stanford
    Temple
    Tennessee
    Texas

    White jerseys and team-colored pants
    Akron
    Arizona St.
    Army
    Boise State
    Colorado State
    Florida State
    Georgia
    Iowa
    Kansas
    Kansas State
    LSU
    Miami (Fla.)
    Ole Miss
    Mizzou
    NEBRASKA
    N. Texas
    Notre Dame
    Ohio State
    Oregon (I said team colors!!)
    Pitt (and that color better be mustard)
    San Diego State
    San Jose State
    USC Trojans
    Syracuse
    Tulane
    Tulsa
    UCLA
    Virginia Tech
    WVU
    Western Kentucky
    Wyoming

    It’s a nice list. Now move those top 10 or 11 down to the bottom list and it would be perfect.

    My argument against WFWS is mostly covered in the Uni-Watch special 3 part column about the NFL reviving Color vs. Color games.

    When you think of most football teams, College or Pro, you associate them by the main color they wear. White usually just feels like a mandated away team uniform set.

    It doesnt LOOK bad, it just makes the team wearing White a visual afterthought compared to the team wearing Color.

    Although, some of the uniforms they make in College Football are so Gaudy and Jarring that WFWS is almost like giving Nike Adidas and Under Armor a chance to save them from themselves.

    Forgot to mention…for the above list and the one below, color of pants can be gray as well.

    PRO version (again, assuming team colors & regular helmets):
    white jerseys and white pants
    Cleveland
    Indianapolis
    Miami
    Minnesota
    NY Jets
    Ottawa
    Toronto

    white jerseys and color pants
    Atlanta
    British Columbia
    Buffalo
    Calgary
    Dallas
    Denver
    Detroit
    Green Bay
    Hamilton
    KANSAS CITY
    New Orleans
    Oakland
    Pittsburgh
    San Diego
    San Francisco
    Seattle
    Winnipeg

    For both lists…if I didn’t mention you, it doesn’t matter what pants you wear.

    I am a proud owner of the Pirates Future jersey. I work at PNC Park and I saw a guy wearing it. Out of curiosity, I asked the guy if he would sell it. I offered him $100 and he gave it to for $90. He was completely dumbfounded by it. He had not idea what he was wearing.

    The University of Arizona should let Alder high school keep that A (which looks like it belongs to a sorority) and go back to the red block A they wore in the 80’s.
    When I was going to school there the U of A had some of the nicest uniforms in the Pac 10, now they are by far the worst. Every week it is just one mess after another, sometimes they mix it up with an all red mess but they always look horrible. Sometimes I see them on TV and I don’t recognize my own school. Someone at Nike has to sit down with them and come up with a better design.

    We used to make fun of Texas and Penn State because their white uniforms were so blah / ugly / unoriginal so now we have a 180 where every team thinks they must have an all white uniform. Teams with tradition don’t need these gimmicks – it’s usually (not always) teams without a ton of tradition that need 19 different uniforms – to impress recruits and the student body? When I see a highlight, if I don’t immediately recognize the team by their uniform, that’s a problem. Who picks these uniforms? The HC? AD? Equipment manager? The players? And why did it take Oregon for ALL these other teams to jump on the multiple uniform bandwagon? How original.

    I’m apparently in the minority, but I like WFWS. Sure it’s not traditional and can still be executed poorly (ahemLOUISVILLEahem), but there is a lot more potential for pops of color and visually striking unis than with BFBS or GFGS. My alma mater Furman University recently downgraded with a uni update, but our all-white set from the mid 2000s was to die for. *white is a school color. link

    And yes, I am also a fan of PURPLE when executed in good taste. I still don’t understand why purple gets such a bad reputation. Why that one hue?

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