Michigan State's new uniforms

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Army's are good too: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150818539125721.731322.57460905720&type=1

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Albums for all of this year's Pro Combat unis here: https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=57460905720
 

Okay, I follow college football pretty closely, so I'm embarrassed to ask some of these questions. But I can't be the only one wondering:

1) Since when does MSU list gold or bronze as one of their colors? I'm 47 and have never seen that since getting turned on to Big Ten football and basketball in the early 70s. Does this have some historical basis or are they just chasing the money?

2) Is there anything special about a Nike Pro Combat uniform? I mean, all businesses are brand-conscious and have cute product names, but is this somehow different from any other uniform?

3) Both the Army photo above and and MSU player in the link have their hands posed the same, specific way to combine their gloves and show their school's logo. Is this some kind of well-known symbol that I have simply overlooked because I'm too old?
 



Don't feel embarrassed...I bet most ardent CFB fans have the same q's (I certainly did for #1).
Hates Monikers said:
1) Since when does MSU list gold or bronze as one of their colors? I'm 47 and have never seen that since getting turned on to Big Ten football and basketball in the early 70s. Does this have some historical basis or are they just chasing the money?
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According to MSU fans over at Off Tackle Empire and The Only Colors, bronze was an early school color for MSU. The added bonus for Nike is that they are technically using a historic school color while also getting to play on the whole Spartan warrior theme.
Hates Monikers said:
2) Is there anything special about a Nike Pro Combat uniform? I mean, all businesses are brand-conscious and have cute product names, but is this somehow different from any other uniform?
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I think they make "improvements" to the material/design each year and use these uni's to highlight them. Are the improvements significant? No idea.
Hates Monikers said:
3) Both the Army photo above and and MSU player in the link have their hands posed the same, specific way to combine their gloves and show their school's logo. Is this some kind of well-known symbol that I have simply overlooked because I'm too old?
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Not sure what you mean by "well known symbol" but my gut is no. Nike designs the gloves to form images but not all the schools use the same hand motion to form the image.
 


I would like the U to get a Pro Combat jersey, that is something that would help get younger fans more excited about the team. Whether you believe that or not, I know it's true being a younger guy. Now a days having "cool" looking uniforms is actually quite important among players. Some of the Gophs players even ask fans what ones they want them to wear on twitter.
 

NoDakGopher said:
I would like the U to get a Pro Combat jersey, that is something that would help get younger fans more excited about the team. Whether you believe that or not, I know it's true being a younger guy. Now a days having "cool" looking uniforms is actually quite important among players. Some of the Gophs players even ask fans what ones they want them to wear on twitter.
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There's a pretty good article over on Grantland.com about this that basically (and I think rightly) says, no, it's not important to have "cool" looking uniforms. It was very important for Oregon, and will be less important, but still helpful, for other teams, until the market becomes saturated. The value here is in being 'different' and branding yourself. I would hope that we go in the opposite direction, and brand ourselves with our tradition, instead of going the Oregon/Boise State route and admitting we have none and are inventing a program from whole cloth.
 



...I also find it hilarious (and depressing) that a team who's primary blog is called "the only colors" felt obligated to disregard their actual school colors so they can follow a bunch of other programs into the absurd/loud uniforms zone.
 

We can keep our uniforms, it would just be cool to have an alternative
 

I hate theree uniforms and i'm glad they only wearing them for 1 game only.
 

Nike is already working on a pro combat jersey for the Gophers. Only a few details have been leaked, but they include a primarily black design with a faux gopher fur texture effect. If all goes according to schedule, you'll get the full scoop in an official University of Minnesota catwalk fashion show in early 2012.

While school officials are confident that 16 to 18 year olds will go crazy for the new design, they are worried that a "Golden Gopher" isn't a very hip mascot. Behind closed doors, President Kaler and influential boosters have been considering a fresh, new mascot that would excite prospective student athletes in a way that no uniform could.

Nothing is set in stone, but be prepared for The University of Minnesota Golden Elite Twitter Seal Team 6 Ninjas coming your way in 2014. Also be prepared for top 5 recruiting classes every year -- and remember, they're still your team.
 



RedPoo said:
...I also find it hilarious (and depressing) that a team who's primary blog is called "the only colors" felt obligated to disregard their actual school colors so they can follow a bunch of other programs into the absurd/loud uniforms zone.
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It was a commenter who noted it, not the site's main page guys FWIW. But the irony was not lost on me (which was one main reason I jumped over there when the pics were released to see what they'd say).
 

The Nike Pro Combat jerseys a lot of times play with history. Michigan State's Pro Combat jerseys have a Spartan Warrior theme. Nike has an anchor theme with Navy which I like. I think Ohio State's Pro Combat a few years ago had the state flag on their jerseys. Maryland's (which I actually don't like) is based off of their state flag. I remember reading in SI that TCU had a stripe of red in their Pro Combat's, because apparently Horned Frogs shoot out red something or another. Oregon State's Pro Combat jerseys I believe were based off of one of their retro jerseys.
 

RedPoo said:
There's a pretty good article over on Grantland.com about this that basically (and I think rightly) says, no, it's not important to have "cool" looking uniforms. It was very important for Oregon, and will be less important, but still helpful, for other teams, until the market becomes saturated. The value here is in being 'different' and branding yourself. I would hope that we go in the opposite direction, and brand ourselves with our tradition, instead of going the Oregon/Boise State route and admitting we have none and are inventing a program from whole cloth.
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Saying the Gophers have tradition is like saying Prussia has a tradition of great armies. It once was true, but it isn't anymore. I actually had to go and look up the Gopher football team history to know any of what I know, and I don't know a whole lot. I'm sorry but this is just the way it is. Unless you expect every single recruit to go back and look at 100 some years of history for every school that he is considering, Minnesota's tradition means nothing.
 

zambam said:
Saying the Gophers have tradition is like saying Prussia has a tradition of great armies. It once was true, but it isn't anymore. I actually had to go and look up the Gopher football team history to know any of what I know, and I don't know a whole lot. I'm sorry but this is just the way it is. Unless you expect every single recruit to go back and look at 100 some years of history for every school that he is considering, Minnesota's tradition means nothing.
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Totally agree with you on that. Since i've been alive Minnesota's tradition has been to have a mediocre football team at best. I know some of you older fans still remember the history of our program and i'm quite jealous of that, but in order to keep the younger fans interested Minnesota is going to have to start giving themselves more publicity. Coach Kill's seizure was honestly the most publicity that our football program has had in about 8 years. That's sad.
 

zambam said:
Saying the Gophers have tradition is like saying Prussia has a tradition of great armies. It once was true, but it isn't anymore. I actually had to go and look up the Gopher football team history to know any of what I know, and I don't know a whole lot. I'm sorry but this is just the way it is. Unless you expect every single recruit to go back and look at 100 some years of history for every school that he is considering, Minnesota's tradition means nothing.
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I suppose I misspoke a bit there...as far as creating a brand for ourselves, which is what the busy uniforms are all about, we already have built-in branding. Our conference (the B1G is probably the second strongest brand in college football outside the SEC), opponents (Oregon and Boise State played, in a given year, USC and a bunch of teams no one else cared about), and, yes,early football history. The Big Ten and it's teams are seen as classic, historic, simple, strong, etc. These things are personified in OSU and PSU's classic, simple looks.
Gimmicky uniforms make us, and our conference, the upstarts. Jumping around trying to get the attention of kids in Florida. That's counter-productive when your brand is hard work, history, academics, and straight-forward, smash-mouth football.
 

RedPoo said:
I suppose I misspoke a bit there...as far as creating a brand for ourselves, which is what the busy uniforms are all about, we already have built-in branding. Our conference (the B1G is probably the second strongest brand in college football outside the SEC), opponents (Oregon and Boise State played, in a given year, USC and a bunch of teams no one else cared about), and, yes,early football history. The Big Ten and it's teams are seen as classic, historic, simple, strong, etc. These things are personified in OSU and PSU's classic, simple looks.
Gimmicky uniforms make us, and our conference, the upstarts. Jumping around trying to get the attention of kids in Florida. That's counter-productive when your brand is hard work, history, academics, and straight-forward, smash-mouth football.
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Not to be the debbie downer here, but our conference really isn't that good. We only have a couple of good teams in the entire conference and we get much more credit than we should because of the conferences name. There's a reason the Big Ten is always terrible during bowl season. Our conference really doesn't have any recent history either. Other than being known for choking during bowl games. There comes a time when tradition and history need to change to go along with what the rest of the landscape is doing, and judging by the lack of recent history from the Big Ten it's about time for a change. I guarantee you that once one school starts with the more modern look that the rest of the teams will start to follow suit. Team's like Minnesota and Indiana are going to need to start doing anything that we can in order to start getting noticed by the new generation of kids.

Jersey's are important to the younger people and that's a fact. The older fan base just doesn't understand that. How on earth do you think Oregon started getting better and better? about ten years ago they started having unique jerseys and it gave them publicity. They went from a below average to average program at best to being a perennial championship contender just because of that publicity. Sure the Big Ten is full of history, but times change and we need to start as well. Jim Delaney realized that in the past off season and made some pretty substantial changes to the conference that went against the history, as did Michigan by installing lights in their stadium.
 



The Big Ten is not that great of a conference. Since the BCS started of all the BCS bowls, the Big Ten has won 9, most of which is Ohio St.
 

13 Lined Ground Squirrel said:
While school officials are confident that 16 to 18 year olds will go crazy for the new design, they are worried that a "Golden Gopher" isn't a very hip mascot. Behind closed doors, President Kaler and influential boosters have been considering a fresh, new mascot that would excite prospective student athletes in a way that no uniform could.
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I say they re-release evil Goldy!
 


NoDakGopher said:
Ohio State got new Pro Combat Jersey's. They completely ignored their tradition...and let me just say that they are the ugliest things i've ever seen. They're right up there with Marylands jersey's from a couple weeks ago.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/31950671
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Actually, they are meant to be tributes to the 1961 National Title team and the helmets do resemble those of the '61 Buckeyes. Still ugly though.
 

I like the dont tread on me theme with Navy but Michigan State needs to stick to their own colors, I dont know why they would want to wear Notre Dames colors especially while playing them.
 

GoAUpher said:
Actually, they are meant to be tributes to the 1961 National Title team and the helmets do resemble those of the '61 Buckeyes. Still ugly though.
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I thought those were Ohio State's last year? These ones were just announced on Tuesday along with Michigan State
 

Yeah these one's are completely different than last years. They went for the modern look this time. You can check with that link I posted.
 

Hates Monikers said:
1) Since when does MSU list gold or bronze as one of their colors? I'm 47 and have never seen that since getting turned on to Big Ten football and basketball in the early 70s. Does this have some historical basis or are they just chasing the money?
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I was told a few days ago from a buddy of mine at MSU that the gold was used to represent the bronze armor that the Spartans used to use in battle
 


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