DAB: Alternate FB Uni Plan Forthcoming

Submitted by MGoShoe on

Per a Kyle Meinke A2.com piece, the football team will again (unsurprisingly) wear alternate unis this season.

DAB quotes:

"For football last year, we probably did a little bit more than we’ll do going forward in terms of variety, but we’re going to from time to time do some special things," he said Wednesday after the third and final day of the Big Ten spring meetings.

"The coaches like it and the student-athletes like it and the recruits are enamored by it. So why wouldn’t we?”

"I think what we’re going to do is lay it out and say, game by game, 'Here’s what we’re going to do. If we’re going to make any changes, here’s what they are,' and it will kind of end all the speculation. We’re in the midst of all of that.”

Expect a rollout/announcement sometime this summer.

Commence meltdown... now.

[Edit: Let's get those creative juices flowing! Let's see your serious and/or snarky alternate uni concepts below. Best entries get moderated to 5 because the moderation here does not go to 11.]

JBE

May 17th, 2012 at 8:59 AM ^

Michigan and its fans seem trapped in a space between the historical and the modern. It's a difficult predicament. What voice do we want Michigan to have going forward? The history of Michigan football is well known, and I don't think uniform changes will tarnish that. It will always stay preserved. So I say bring on the modern. The players love it, the recruits love it, and personally I'm excited to see what the voice of Michigan Football can be. You don't know until to try, right?

Roughneck

May 17th, 2012 at 9:26 AM ^

Well stated. Simply put, a new uniform for one game does not change who Michigan is or ever was. If new unis offer even the slightest chance to gain interest from a new generation of fans (i.e. recruits) than so be it.

Aequitas

May 17th, 2012 at 10:48 AM ^

CJ, I'm not against "a new uniform for one game", as you put it, unless it's a downright abomination.

However, see Yostal's post just a few above yours.  DB's had them in 7 different uniform looks in 13 games in his first year on the job.  With the Bama game, that's now 8 looks in 14 games.

If a kid is selecting a school soley, or even largely, based on the phreshness of the uni's, let him go to Oregon.

Roughneck

May 17th, 2012 at 12:14 PM ^

To be honest, I am far what you would consider daring or rebellious when it comes to my preference for uniforms. I love our traditional home unis but i am all for trying a new one out once or twice a year for big games. That being said, I was very surprised when I saw the calculation of the total amount of different unis that was worn last year. I guess I fall middle of the road. A little change can be exciting without falling in the trap of being the Oregon of the Midwest.

MGoNukeE

May 17th, 2012 at 9:36 AM ^

In honor of Denard Robinson, every future Michigan football player will receive a helmet with dreds sticking out the back. The football team will then be forever referred to as the Michigan Predators.

beevo

May 17th, 2012 at 9:37 AM ^

Our home uniforms are the college football masterpiece.  Don't touch it.  For myself, I prefer that darker navy blue tint and darker yellow from the Braylon era.  I know that color scheme has been addressed but I trust my eyes....and our blue and yellow seem a bit off now.  If we are going to experiment on the road then I wouldn't mind the UTL jerseys in white with blue block M.  I think that would look pretty nice and still keep the kids happy.

beevo

May 17th, 2012 at 9:42 AM ^

What do you guys think about honoring a specific team or era for our roads for an entire year?  For example we unveil the '69 team's road uniforms as our road uni's for the year.....maybe add a small...SMALL...sticker on back of helmet in honor.  Thoughts??

VSS

May 17th, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^

Can we please try out blue pants for our away uniforms? I've been wanting to see this for years and it's a pretty conservative experiment. 

StephenRKass

May 17th, 2012 at 10:03 AM ^

I didn't like the MSU bumblebee uniform. The rest, well, it didn't matter that much either way.

Regarding numbers on helmets, I kind of like them, but like the blue facemask better than the gray. However, I don't want to go back to helmet stickers, which were around when I was a student.

The trick is to have a classic, timeless look, without being trapped in the past. Times change, and so does the look of everything. Just to mention five other obvious changes:

  1. The color of maize used in uniforms, etc.
  2. The font and shape of "Michigan" painted in the endzone.
  3. Changing not only the size but also the design of the scoreboard.
  4. Eliminating the "Michigan" text that was superimposed over the Block M.
  5. Moving from the 60ish pressbox and art deco "Michigan Stadium" letters to our current sleek luxury boxes. (Yes, I know the art deco letters are hidden somewhere in the concourse, but they are about as visible as the basketball championship banners now stored at Bentley.)

While I loved the art deco letters, I think every other change above has worked. Which is my way of saying that uniform change is ok with me. The key for me is to be classic or clean in line and look. The bumblebee, and many Nike Pro-Combat jerseys, are ludicrous and an embarassment.

The reality is that there have been several uniform changes over the years. Perhaps because we are now in the Internet Era, such changes are scrutinzed and critiqued much more than ever before. Twenty and Thirty years ago, the first anyone would see or hear of a uniform change would be at the opening game in the Fall.

profitgoblue

May 17th, 2012 at 10:19 AM ^

I've gone on record for hating the alternate uniforms since the standard traditional ones are so classic and changes are just gimmics.  HOWEVA - I would be open to seeing blue pants with the blue jersey for a home game or while pants with the white jersey for an away game.  That might be cool if it is really necessary to have alternate jersey day.  But all this piping and wacky designs on the jerseys are not for me.

 

VSS

May 17th, 2012 at 10:36 AM ^

It's just my opinion, but I'm not a fan of same color pants and jerseys, which is why I want to see blue pants on our aways, but we have tried far more radical options. I actually think blue pants with the maize block M and a yellow belt would look pretty damn nice. 

StephenRKass

May 17th, 2012 at 10:48 AM ^

(Edit:  was in response to profitgoblue. Failed to place properly.)

So, something in your post reminded me of a problem with the opposition to change. And that problem is the setting up of straw men.

  1. Change that is wacky:  clearly bad.
  2. Change ONLY for the sake of change:  usually bad.
  3. Change that is extreme:  usually bad.
  4. Change that is a gimmick:  usually bad.

The problem is that not all change falls into the above four categories. While the "Procombat" mockups over at BHGP are hilarious, and the bumblebee MSU design was a travesty, all change need not be so ridiculous. I don't want to see Michigan so thoroughly opposed to change that we become closed to ANY change.

The change to Michigan stadium really is analogous. There were some quarters out there who bitterly opposed the luxury boxes, and the fact that the seating bowl would never be egalitarian, with wealthy corporations and alum no longer mixing with the hoi polloi. Let's get real. The wealthy had seats on the 50 yard line, and Joe Blow didn't really "mix" with the upper crust all that much with the previous stadium seating. I think there is a large consensus that while something was lost, the overall gain with the change in adding luxury boxes was a good thing. They are tasteful and classic in design, bring in income to help keep the team and the entire athletic program afloat, and keep costs for the rest of us from skyrocketing.

Well, I think there can also be reasonable change to uniforms that doesn't have to be wacky. And you know what? I would rather be open to change that fails (exhibit A:  halo. exhibit B:  bumblebee) than to never even try something new and different.

 

profitgoblue

May 17th, 2012 at 10:51 AM ^

I hear what you're saying but my ultimate question is why?  WHY do changes to the uniform need to be made?  The Michigan uniform always ranks high in polls about best uniforms because their uniforms are great.  Why go and change great?  What is the reason people feel the need to change them?  Its a rhetorical question but I'll never understand.  I get the Padres camo uniforms to honor the servicemen and women.  That's cool.  And I even get the NFL's idea of wearing throwback uniforms.  But why the need for new designs that aren't going to be used going forward?  I'll never get it.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

May 17th, 2012 at 10:57 AM ^

But I think you're also setting up a little bit of a straw man.  Change for a purpose is not a bad thing.  A lot of us who get called Luddites and told "the players like it so shut up" and so on are not "opposed to change," we're opposed to change just for the sake of change.  Which is what alternate uniforms are at least toeing the line of.

StephenRKass

May 17th, 2012 at 6:49 PM ^

Here's an example of a uniform within my time as a student:

It looks ok, but personally, I like the current uniform more. And I like the loss of the Wolverine stickers on the helmet too. Now, to tell you the honest truth, both this one and the current one would be ok. This isn't a hill I'm gonna die on. But somehow, the photo above is a slightly dated design to me. The bumblebee I don't like, and the ram's horn I don't care for. But I'm fine with the piping, and the color change, and a few other changes.

NOLA Wolverine

May 17th, 2012 at 11:12 AM ^

NIKE IS THE WORST. I'M SO GLAD WE'RE WITH ADIDAS SO THAT WE DON'T GET SOME DUMB LOOKING PRO COMBAT UNIFORM. IT'S ALREADY A TRAVESTY THAT WE EVEN HAVE TO WEAR THESE DAMN FACEMASKS ON OUR NON-LEATHER HELMETS. THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD PUT UP WITH THOSE FRILLY JERSEY MARKETING PLOYS.

- Everyone on MGoBoard since we ended up with Adidas. 

the Glove

May 17th, 2012 at 11:34 AM ^

I'm not quite to my breaking point but boy am I getting there. I just want them to take the numbers off the helmets and use the traditional uniforms. I really feel like the numbers take the focus away from the wings. I mean for the love of god all of the fashion designer said we have the best uniforms in football, so why are we trying to screw that up... Join me as I shake my fist in the air on my soapbox.

Abomb4480

May 17th, 2012 at 11:42 AM ^

There were actually two different "traditional home jerseys". There were the techfit jerseys and the plain blue home jerseys that the team has been wearing since 2008, making it 7 different uniforms, or 8 if you count helmet numbers as a different uniform combo. Really drove me nuts how some players wore the techfit jerseys while others wore traditional adidas uniforms that they team has been wearing since 2008.

NoVaWolverine

May 17th, 2012 at 11:50 AM ^

I have no problem with the occasional hype/throwback uniform for big games in college football -- but it's always better and more special when they're used sparingly. (I'm at least grateful that this alternate uni stuff will apparently happen less often next season at Michigan.)

They're also better when kept relatively simple, like Notre Dame pulling out the lucky green shirts, or teams going for the monocolor look by changing their secondary-color pants to match their shirts (e.g., Florida and Texas A&M below).

 

 

Simple is always better -- that's what makes Michigan's normal uniforms so classic. Two-color scheme, clean lines, iconic helmet, no gimmicks, looks great. Think of other classic uniforms in sports -- the Yankees' pinstripes (I hate the Yanks, but it's a great uniform), the Dodgers' blue and white, the Cardinals' red/white/blue w/ the Birds on the Bat, the Cowboys blue and silver with the iconic star on the helmet, the Red Wings' basic red and white and terrific logo -- they're all simple and clean and don't try too hard.

That's why I hate the new gimmick U-M jerseys so much -- they're not simple, they're cluttered and ridiculous. "Victors" and "Valiant" on the undershirt sleeves? Huh? And what's up with all the damn stripes? (It's just Adidas self-promotion.)  I actually thought the block M on the front of the UTL jerseys looked good, but the shoulder stripes were just too busy next to the stripes on the helmet. And we can all agree the bumblebee road jersey for MSU was an abomination.

If they want to experiment with road jerseys, I can live with that, as long as it looks good. (i.e., no stupid top-of-the-shoulder stripes, and get rid of the silly maize border around the numbers.)  But don't mess with the home unis except on the rarest of occasions.

MAgoBLUE

May 17th, 2012 at 11:50 AM ^

I wish Dave Brandon could have been at the bar I was at for the MSU game last year.  I took quite a bit of shit from people who didn't have a dog in the fight just based on how ridiculous we looked in the bumble bee uniforms.

 

Dble B 27

May 17th, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^

Were you at "The Place" on State St in Boston? Its the alumni bar for gamedays. Everyone is in maize and blue and the staff plays the marching band over the speakers. Then to top it off, they provide free food during the game. If u havnt been, I recommend checking it out.

Dble B 27

May 17th, 2012 at 5:23 PM ^

I don't think not being an alumnus is any problem at all. I've gone down there a few times and its pretty cool. Probably the closest gameday atmosphere you can find in MA. A few yrs back when the bball team was playing at Harvard, they were selling tickets for $13 each and we had our own Michigan section at the game. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.

ScruffyTheJanitor

May 17th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^

crossed my mind. It is the logical next step, but so cruel-nay, so illogical--in its implications that I doubt the nature of morality, the soul, and reality itself.

All-maize uniforms will be announced next. And while I feel like these could actually be done well, I fear the worst:

Roachgoblue

May 17th, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^

Can we cover uniforms and old recruits tomorrow? Please I need more! What if they took an away Jersey and wore it with blue piping, or did you hear that Frank the Tank is starting this year at Arizona? Man it sucks that we missed on recruit #116 that year.

canzior

May 17th, 2012 at 1:35 PM ^

it's nto about us.  It's not about alumni or fans.  It is about the brand..and the "brand" is very much affected by football.  UVA is an academic equivalent.  Their athletics don't have the tradition that UM has, because of football.  We are here because of football.  People watch because of football.  The other sports matter to a lesser extent, but football is the reason many people first hear of the school.  So protecting and building the brand is directly tied to football.  It would be the equivalent of saying that Coca-Cola makes a lot of good products, but the "brand" isnt hinging on Coke.  Of course it does...your signature product has the biggest effect on the brand.  

Regardless of whether we (fans) or alumni like whats going on, the kids do.  They are the most important people in this system and like someone so eloquently posted months ago..they are the consumers in this equation.  If kids are drawn to different uniforms, then lets do different.  Personally i prefer the variety (to a point), but with anything I don't like...I just won't buy a tacky new jersey.  I'll continue to wear my MAIZE #2. 

I think at a point youc an become mired in tradition and it can become detrimental. (ND)  We are complaining about the tradition of the Rose Bowl and how it could be preventing the B1G from taking the next step nationally.  Uniforms won't prevent Michigan from becoming "bigger" per se...see Penn State.. but if it's the difference between attracting one more 4 or 5 star kid a year, what's the harm? 

btw I have yet to see or hear a high school student say Oregons Unis are ugly.  But then again they also loved Maryland's...

Lionsfan

May 17th, 2012 at 8:59 PM ^

but if it's the difference between attracting one more 4 or 5 star kid a year, what's the harm?

How many kids have you ever seen announce a decision, and then say, "School X had kickass alternate uniforms, and School Y didn't have any, so that's why I chose School X"

Nobody has ever said that, and nobody ever will. Because as pop-culturey/flashy as my generation is, uniforms are at the bottom of the list when it comes to picking a school (in fact, you could probably argue that uniforms are exclusively for the fans). Winning, coaching, and facilities are always Top 3. I said it earlier and I'll say it again, if Oregon started losing games and were just a middle of the pack .500 team nobody would give 2 cents about what they wear. But since they've gone 34-6 the last 3 years, with 2 Rose Bowls and a National Title appearance, everyone is focusing way too much on the Uniforms, when in fact they don't have anything to do with it. Winning does. It's why Alabama, USC, and Michigan have always been able to recruit well, because we win all the freaking time.

Brady Hoke is proving that uniforms don't mean a damn when it comes to recruiting. We've really only had 2 ridiculous uniforms so far, but Hoke is still pulling in amazing players because he is selling them on the program. Players are taking pictures of themselves wearing Michigan jerseys, and aren't saying "I wish they had something besides this boring Maize and Blue", Michigan sells itself, we don't need Alternative Jerseys to try and help

ThadMattasagoblin

May 17th, 2012 at 3:38 PM ^

Didn't Brandon say that the uniforms will not be changed and it was just a special ocassion for UTL, and then right after go to Bumblebees for MSU.  Did someone actually think that was a good idea?

A recruit who wouldn't come to Michigan if we didn't wear alternates is not a recruit we should keep anyway.  Nebraska, PSU, and Alabama have all had success in the last few years without crazy corporate logos with on the field play and recruiting.  I bet coaches don't even talk about what uniforms they'll wear when recruiting them.

Wolverine Devotee

May 17th, 2012 at 5:45 PM ^

Michigan will be wearing Maize jerseys this season, I expect it.



Brandon will make them due to the success of the Maize jerseys in basketball and hockey.

I Heart Huckleby

May 17th, 2012 at 6:36 PM ^

I'm personally holding out hope that this will be the season we go with a real throwback look. Like Horace Prettyman. Oh, we can wear modern unis, but handlebar mustaches for all!

ntfisher03

May 17th, 2012 at 7:31 PM ^

I'm no alumni, but rather a huge fan of Michigan football. I think I understand where the traditionalists are coming from on this. Michigan has always been the John Wayne of football. We don't need anything but our actions to leave our mark. Michigan has always been smash mouth football. That type of no nonsense, no flash, no hype football. So to see all these small things "pretty us up", it feels a bit like we've forgotten who we are and what we stand for. I think it becomes even more important than, that our actions speak louder than our words, or in this case, our uni's.

CorkyCole

May 17th, 2012 at 7:39 PM ^

I don't think I've ever seen more 5's and -1's in one board as long as I've been visiting this site.  Apparently this is a touchy subject. 

On to the subject at hand.. Personally, I think the most "traditonal" aspect of the uni's are the helmets. If we ever see those wings taken off the helmets, then I'd say it's time to get seriously pissed. 

I'm a little indifferent about the uniform changes.  I think it just depends on the route DB is taking.  If he can minimize the changes and still keep the standard uni in check minus a couple of big games a year where they change it up a little, I'm probably fine with that. 

However, we are not Oregon. And we definitely aren't freaking Maryland. Just please, please stay away from THAT.

Side note: I actually dig Oregon's style, but it's good for them - not Michigan.