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Conference 7.286::sports_90

Title:OURGNG::SPORTS - Digital's daily tabloid
Notice:Please review note 1.83 before writing anything.
Moderator:VAXWRK::NEEDLE
Created:Thu Dec 14 1989
Last Modified:Fri Dec 17 1993
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:438
Total number of notes:50420

420.0. "Sports Design" by MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSY (MrT: SPORTS' objective analyst) Wed Nov 28 1990 14:55

    >With so many different uniforms in the college ranks, I've got to go
    >with Penn State as having the best just because it's plain and simple.
    
    This note is for discussion of sports design.
    
    Uniforms, color combos, logos, trims, cuts, number/letter fonts... you
    know: Sports Fashion.
    
    Astonishingly, I agree with what dan'l said above.  Penn State's
    uniform's are the best cuz they're take utter simplicity to the point
    of elegance.  Not even a helmet logo!  Only a stripe down the middle!
    And the font on the numbers is industrial.  Penn State has the best 
    college grid uniform - although deduct big points for the New York 
    Giants-style lettering on their logo, which reeks of mid-'70s corporate
    letter haid faux modernity.
    
    I also deduct points wherever I see those damned "gold star" stickers
    stuck all over helmets, take Ohio State for example (although State's
    red and silver is maybe the best color combo in the world).  Star Heel
    University's powder blue and depresses me every time I see them (and
    they *are* on TV 7 nights a week) cuz I feel very bad about the AIDS
    crisis.
    
    On a more happy note, Oklahoma's grid uniforms are great too.  Simple
    red and white no trim to speak of, although they *do* wear a logo.  But
    seeing on a their sleek 160 lbs option backs in their home whites 
    provides a pretty picture...
    
    Grid uniforms are the best design platform cuz there's so much space
    and material to work with.
    
    Ugliest: how 'bout them orangies?  Virgina, SyrExcuse, & Illinois.
    Tennessee redeem themselves with a nice simple design.  And Oh my Gawd
    whoever cooked up that pukey color them worn by the puke-face Miami
    Hurricanes?  Awful!  Almost as awful as the superpukey Oakland A's [sic].  
    
    I don't like green too much (except the money), but the Iglles when they're
    wearing their green jerseys along with their dark shoes are cool...
    
    MrT
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420.1DECWET::METZGERIt is happening again...Wed Nov 28 1990 15:0315
As far as football...

I like the bengals uniforms..especially the helmets with the tiger stripes...

For baseball I think the nicest uniforms I've seen are the Uniforms that the
White Sox wore for 1 game this year fashioned in the old 1900's style. They
looked a lot like the uniforms worn in the movie 8 men out.

Hoops...it don't matter, they're all ugly...especially in college when they wear
the stupid t-shirt under the tank top....



Metz
420.2Ditto the helmet stickers!!!MILPND::VLASAKTennessee 45 Florida 3Wed Nov 28 1990 15:0810
    re .Zero
    
    OU wears red helmets and jerseys with white pants at home.  
    The white pants/shirts is their road uniform.
    
    Bob V.
    
    p.s. The USC player(s) with the black leggings in the ND game
         get my vote for the individual ugly award.
    
420.3More ...SHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownWed Nov 28 1990 15:3546
 Agreed on Penn State.   Clean, simple, elegant, and powerful.
    
 Just a small defense of my Cavaliers, if you don't mind.   There is *NO*
 way to truly understate the color orange, I agree, but George Welsh is a
 Paterno disciple and he has tried to tone them down to the extent
 possible.   The Hoos have plain white helmets with *NO* logo and just a
 simple blue-and-orange stripe down the middle.  The jerseys are orange but
 they are "no frills".   Same with the white pants.  No extras, no flash. 
 The orange is the only thing that makes them stand out unlike the Nittany
 Lions.
    
 Alabama tries to fit this plain and simple look, too, and they succeed in
 spite of the dark crimson color they use.
    
 Now, for the others ...  I like Michigan's and Delaware's helmets with
 that old-fashioned, albeit painted on, leather swooping thing.  Does
 anybody else use that design ???
    
 The stickers on the helmets don't bother me all that much.  I always
 thought the Ohio State helmets looked pretty cool towards the end of the
 season.   But it can get out of hand.  Especially when you can't tell what
 the sticker is and it looks like just a bunch of little dots running up
 the back of their heads.
    
 What about the mesh tear-away "half-jersies" ???  You know, the ones where
 it reveals most of the player's gut below the fabric.   Never really liked
 them a whole lot.
    
 As for pro football teams, the Raiders probably have the best look.   The
 Skins have good uniforms, too.   Phooey on the Bengals and the Broncos for
 too much orange.   The Steelers are okay but they gotta splurge a bit and
 get some decals for the "other" side of their heads.  Same with Michigan
 State.
    
 In the early 1970s, the Eagles switched over to a green-on-white helmet. 
 Yuck.  Were they ever ugly.  I was happy they went back to
 silver-on-green.   Much better.   Great helmet design with the wings, too.  
 Vikings have a great decal and so does Florida State.
    
 My father coached a high school team a few years ago.  The school nickname
 is the "Hawks" and the first thing he did was go out and get "wings" on
 their helmets.  Great move, Dad.
    
 Nice topic.
    
 Bob Hunt
420.4Can we get NEA money for this?NAC::G_WAUGAMANWed Nov 28 1990 15:4735
    
    > On a more happy note, Oklahoma's grid uniforms are great too.  Simple
    > red and white no trim to speak of, although they *do* wear a logo.  But
    > seeing on a their sleek 160 lbs option backs in their home whites 
    > provides a pretty picture...

    That's crimson and cream to you, T, but I do like those red home 
    jerseys more than the all whites.  Back in Bud Wilkinson's heyday, OU
    often wore all white, including the helmet sans logo, but the current 
    overall design is definitely a major improvement.  The player's name 
    on the back is a minus, but that's become an inevitability with the 
    growth of television, except for all but the most sacred of teams.
    
    As mentioned before, Michigan's uniform and helmet are just distinctive
    enough that they do something for me.  Maybe they're so ugly that
    they grow on you; I don't know.  And I kinda like the reward stickers,
    too, if the coaches didn't give them away like candy so that the helmet 
    ends up completely plastered over.
    
    On a local Division 1-AA note, it struck me the other day that UMass 
    has one of the uglier helmet designs I've seen (no offense, John H.).
    The "M" in the U of M practically stretches the entire distance from 
    the front of the helmet to the back.  It's distracting to purists.
    Subtlety is a definite plus in helmet designs, which rules out your 
    Clemsons, Arizona States, Kansases, and others with cutesy-style 
    caricatures.
    
    And uniforms like Minnesota's which match colored jerseys *and* pants 
    (some kind of red/burgundy with dark orange/yellow numbers and 
    lettering in the Gophers' case, no less) are the most stomach-turning 
    of all.  Half-shirts, most popular in the South and completely banned
    in the NFL, are also distasteful to the fashion palate.
    
    glenn
    
420.5November, 1987: "Did he say Teal and Purple?"SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Wed Nov 28 1990 15:5928
    RE: Ohio State
    
    I think their official colors are scarlet and gray.  If you were to say
    red and silver to an alum, they'd throw a fit.
    
    RE: Helmet stickers
    
    BYU and FSU are the biggest helmet sticker abominations every year.
    
    RE: Steelers helmets
    
    Obviously I think they are quite cool and very unique.  Like Mike Webster
    said when asked why they didn't have decals on both sides: "We don't
    need to advertise.  We'll do that with our play."
    
    Browns have the ugliest unies in the NFL, although they did make a step
    for the better when they ditched the orange pants in the mid 80's.  Now
    if they'd just go to brown helmets, I might even tolerate them.
    
    Oilers run a close second in the ugly department, but I think powder
    blue is kind of bad for any team.  
    
    The Hornet's teal has managed to grow on me and apparently Hornet's
    paraphernalia is the hotest seller on the market.  I know a girl who's
    a buyer for a department store in Pittsburgh and she says they can't
    keep the stuff in stock.  Mostly women buying it, though.
    
    	--dan'l
420.6Liked Al Maguire's Marquette tiger stripe NIT uniforms.SASE::SZABOThe Beer HunterWed Nov 28 1990 16:0228
    Ditto on the Penn State football uniforms.  I don't mind the stickers
    as long as they don't give 'em out for each time a player ties his
    shoes (ie. Moeller High).  I also don't mind logos on pro football
    helmets.
    
    Basketball- I always hated the t-shirts.  Anyone know who started this
    "fad"?  I seem to recall a Georgetown game (vs. BC?) when Pat Ewing was
    a Soph, I think, and he came out wearing a white t-shirt because he was
    playing with a bad cold.  I believe the purpose was to absorb the
    dominique(tm) so that at halftime he could change to a dry shirt.  The
    rest, we know, is college/high school/pee wee history.
    
    Baseball- I dunno baseball.  :-)  Actually, I don't care.
    
    Athletic shoes-  here's where I think sports has gone really overboard. 
    Nike Air Jordan's, Pumps, give me a break!  Simple Converse All Stars
    were good enough 20 years ago, and they should be good enough now, and
    for any sport.  I do, however, believe that today's shoes designed
    solely for running are the exception.
    
    One other point.  It's ironic that this topic started because just this
    morning, I read an article in my latest Design News about baseball bats
    made out of composite materials.  Forget aluminum, these new plastics
    make the performance of aluminum bats look like pillows!
    
    I dunno.......
    
    Hawk
420.7Anyone catch this whole story?SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Wed Nov 28 1990 16:1119
    During that terrible habit of channel flicking that I have, I missed
    most of an interesting story about Penn State's uniforms.  It was one
    of those little sideline ditties they had during the Pitt/Penn St game.
    
    What I heard was that at some point in their history, Penn State
    wore...gag...pink and black.  Something about the sun fading the
    uniforms so they went to the blue and white.  Anyone hear the whole
    story?
    
    Penn State used to wear numbers on their helmets like Alabama.
    
>    The player's name 
>    on the back is a minus, but that's become an inevitability with the 
>    growth of television, except for all but the most sacred of teams.
    
    Also noticed during the Pitt/Penn State game that Pitt no longer has
    the players' names on their jersies.  I'm pretty sure they used to.
    
    	--dan'l
420.8SHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownWed Nov 28 1990 16:2312
    Yep, it was Patrick Ewing who started the T-shirt thing.   He wore it
    for the NCAA Championship Game in 1982 against North Carolina in the
    Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
    
    He wore a gray one underneath the dark blue jersey because he had a
    cold.   I think he kept on wearing it throughout the rest of his
    college career and it caught on, unfortunately.   The shirt, that is.
    I'm sure Patrick got over his cold.
    
    Thankfully, the NBA doesn't allow the T-shirts.
    
    Bob Hunt
420.9CAM::WAYAs DEC goes, so go the turkeys...Wed Nov 28 1990 16:2525
Hartford Wanderers green and black....pretty great. 8^)
Green and Black "hoops" shirt, black shorts, black socks, black
boots.

Ugliest rugby uniforms I've seen?  Probably the Albany Knickerbockers,
although I think the Boston RFC "B" side wears a black and white
"harlequin" pattern that I think sucks.

The beauty in rugby uniforms I think are in the team crests, but those
are kind of hard to describe.  There usually on the left chest area.
HWRFC uses a white "H" imposed over a black "W", with a banner underneath
which says RFC and 1966 (their first year as a club).  On each
side is a curved branch - white stem, green leaves....

Sometimes the colors of a shirt come from a combination of teams.
The Hartford Old Boys shirts are predominantly white, with a small
pink stripe, a small green stripe, and a larger black stripe.  That's
because the team was formed from members of the Wanderers (green and
black), and two other teams (one of which used to wear pink jersies).



Great note.

'Saw
420.10MCIS1::DHAMELThe Recognizable ObscenityWed Nov 28 1990 16:2512
    
    Pinstripes.  I hate pinstripes. (wonder why?)
    
    Do the Celtics still wear those ugly black Keds?
    
    Too many teams are going to black. Do they really think it changes
    anything?  Maybe the next trendy color will be mauve or eggshell or
    something.  "Hey, get Christian Dior on the line...we need a new
    image."
    
    Dickster
    
420.11STAR::YANKOWSKASPaul YankowskasWed Nov 28 1990 16:3610
    One trend I'm not sorry to see go away is major league baseball
    uniforms that look more like slow-pitch softball uniforms (such as the
    Cubs' blue road jerseys that they wore until last year, the Orioles'
    old orange jerseys, late 70s-early 80s Pirates and Padres, etc.). I
    much prefer the classic traditional uniforms, such as Yankees,
    Cardinals, and Red Sox (they made a good move changing road jerseys
    last year, the old ones looked like K-Mart city).
    
    
    py
420.12orange and green - yuckCRBOSS::DERRYGo Blue Devils!Wed Nov 28 1990 16:456
    Blackhawks and Bruins have the best hockey uniforms.  
    Red Sox the best in baseball...
    Bears in football.
    
    The Blue Devils used to wear dark blue like Penn State, way back when
    I was in high school.
420.13Best---WorstCOGITO::HILLWed Nov 28 1990 17:0128
    I have to agree about the "traditional" style baseball uniforms looking
    best. Someone mentined the Cardinals, but they have to get rid of the
    stripes on the waist & sleeves to be in the same category as the
    Yankees and Sox. The worst baseball uniforms were those Houston
    monstosities that made them look like a Hawaiian softball team, with
    the SD Padres "Taco" uniforms a close second.
    
    RE Saw's Rugby uniforms:
    A lot of Big-time soccer clubs in Europe have similar crests on their
    jerseys. The oly bad thing is that they usually have a comerical
    sponsor's name right across the chest, causing one to think that
    Liverpool is "Candy" (used to be Crown Paints), since that's the most
    visible item on the shirt. The National teams often have nice shirts,
    but sometimes get carried away with whatever the current fashion trend
    is. The Belgian team used to have these black-gold-red argyle style 
    diamonds acrosss their shirts in the early 80's , when those kind of
    socks were popular. Best soccer shirt: Brazil
    
    in Football, I gotta like the Bengals. The tiger stripes sure beat their 
    old helmets with just "BENGALS" on it Booooring!
    
    Bst hockey uniform has to be the Canadiens red. Worst? Definitely the
    Vancouver canucks of a few years ago,who had a orange-yellow-red-black
    combo, with a big stiped V on the front, and no logo. They've toned it
    down considerably by adding a logo and getitng rid of some of
    thestripes in the past couple of years.
    
    
420.14FRAGLE::WASKOMWed Nov 28 1990 17:099
    Rugby uniforms get me goin' most of the time.  :-)  Something about the
    open collars and long sleeves and short shorts..........
    
    Worst look - basketball players (or soccer players, or ruggers) with
    long shorts worn under the uniform shorts.  Blecchhh.  And the kids are
    duplicating this look too, with some truly grungy "under shorts".  (Dan
    used cut-off long johns.  Looked *awful*.)
    
    A&W
420.15QUASER::JOHNSTONLegitimateSportingPurpose?E.S.A.D.!Wed Nov 28 1990 17:138
I always thought that the message sent by the Notre Dame uniforms was
in the best spirit of Football:

No names on the Jerseys.... plain gold helmets:

You're not the star. You're not a hotdog. You're just a part of the TEAM!

Mike JN
420.16SONG::ASHEb-b-b-baby... don't forget my lipsyncWed Nov 28 1990 17:2517
    re .15 the same school that has blue jerseys, white jerseys and green
    jerseys (and gold ones for hoops?) Why all the combos?  Same with
    Maryland and the Pirates of the 70's?
    
    Ugliest football - Michigan Panthers  (USFL) Marroon, lt. blue and
    gold.
    
    I like Michigan/Delaware.  
    
    I think 'bama & Penn St. are too boring.  There's a fine line
    somewhere in between.  Oklahoma and USC are nice.
    
    UNC (no offense Chris), Tennessee and UCLA are too hard to see on TV.
    
    Best college hockey - UND - same design as the Blackhawks in Green.
    
    Worst Hoops - 1990 Nets away... nuff said...
420.17FRECKL::BURGESSWed Nov 28 1990 17:452
    
    Syracuse use to have Pink and Pea-Green........YUCK!!!!!!
420.18CAM::WAYAs DEC goes, so go the turkeysWed Nov 28 1990 18:109
Another thing about rugby uniforms (at the international level anyway)
is that the numbering scheme is simple.  The players are numbered
according to position, starting with loosehead prop #1, and finishing
with fullback #15.  No weirdness with 00 or the like.

Of course, at club level it's a little different, with players 
playing different positions a lot but only owning one shirt....

'Saw
420.19Who spilled the Clorox?SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Wed Nov 28 1990 18:124
    Got to agree about the Nets 1990 uniform offering.  Do they wear
    tie-dye at home too?
    
    	--dan'l
420.20Nittany Lions need to jazz it upHOTSHT::SCHNEIDER$80,000 + a Chevy BlazerWed Nov 28 1990 18:2613
    >Worst Hoops - 1990 Nets away... nuff said...
    
    I tell you, it's going to catch on.  You'll see.  For those who haven't
    seen them (and I assume the sports fans who've seen the Nets are few
    and far between) they're a light blue that sort of fades to white as it
    goes down the uniform.  There's some white stars amidst the blue as
    well.  (wait 'til you here the Nets new theme song!)
    
    And I agree with whomever said that the Penn St. uniform is boring.  I
    don't need shocking clashes of colors in my uniform, but geez, a little
    excitement never hurt.
    
    Dan
420.21I like the Nets uniforms....DECWET::METZGERIt is happening again...Wed Nov 28 1990 18:349
I was wondering whose uniforms those were. I saw a clip on ESPN (must have been
after they broke their road game losing streak) and I like them. It's about
time somebody did something different in the NBA for uniforms.

Walt, coming from a guy whose soccer team used to wear Hawaiian Jams for shorts
I can't see why you don't like them :-)

Metz
420.22SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Wed Nov 28 1990 18:4213
>It's about
>time somebody did something different in the NBA for uniforms.
    
    1988.
    
    It was funny the day the Hornets played the Nets.  All the sports
    casters in Charlotte were saying how ugly the Nets' uniforms were.
    
    The Charlotte Observer reported the next day that saying such was mighty
    hypocritical from a town whose team wears Alexander Julian desinged
    uniforms complete with pinstripes on the shirt only and pleated shorts.
    
    	--dan'l
420.233 in a row for the Nets! Parade in...'93?HOTSHT::SCHNEIDER$80,000 + a Chevy BlazerWed Nov 28 1990 18:475
    '88, Dan'l?  The Nets uniforms are all new this year.  '88 was the same
    old thing from what I remember with block navy blue lettering on a
    white background.
    
    Dan
420.24SONG::ASHEb-b-b-baby... don't forget my lipsyncWed Nov 28 1990 19:1611
    Yo Metz,
    
    If you weren't such a girlymon, you would have seen the '90 MasSpikes
    uniforms this year.   Black and white and pink shirts, neon pink shorts,
    white shoes, neon pink shoelaces...  THOSE are cool... plus real
    distracting for the other team when 6 of them are moving around...
    
    The Nets uniforms are bad.  Nuff said.  At least on TV anyway.
    When the 'fish get on TV, maybe we'll worry about the shorts and
    the neon green shirts.  Can't wait to see them play Sacremento.
    Maybe they'll pass to the wrong guys like a Pens-B's game.
420.25Julian's score: 1 nice; 1 brutalSHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownWed Nov 28 1990 19:2416
    Actually, Dan'l, the Hornets' uniforms are kinda cool.   Despite the
    pleats and pinstripes.   They did their market research and came up
    with the "teal and purple" combo as one of the up-and-coming hot color
    combos for the '90s.   I like it.   I'm a sucker for cool colors.
    
    But Alexander Julian was also asked to design our Charlotte Knights'
    uniforms and he just flat out choked on this one.  (For the unhip, the
    Knights are our Cubs' AA minor league baseball affiliate.)   He had
    black shirts with little thin multi-colored stripes that were just
    about invisible.   And together with black pants, the whole getup
    looked silly.   They even had to change his original dark blue numbers
    to white so the fans could identify the players.
    
    Brutal.
    
    Bob Hunt
420.26JUPITR::PARTEECharlie -- Lemieux est le mieuxWed Nov 28 1990 19:3414
    
    Black and gold, even on a Broon or a Hawkeye, looks good to me.
    
    I think the Pens have the best uniforms in the league.  I like the
    crest with the penguin taking a monster slapper.  
    
    My favorite Cheers episode is the one where Nick gets a job as
    a Penguin.  Turns out that he's a penguin in an Ice-capade type
    show, but Carla thinks he's an NHL Pen.  I started to wince,
    expecting a Pittsburgh slam, but was pleasantly surprised to
    hear, "The Penguins!  They have the coolest uniforms in the league!"
    
    Charlie
    
420.27PFSVAX::JACOBWe All Become Forefathers, By & ByWed Nov 28 1990 19:469
    re.26
    
    Charlie:
    
    Wasn't that Eddie LaBeck(sp?) that got the job with the Ice Capades in
    Cheers????  He subsequently died when run over by the Zamboni.
    
    JaKe
    
420.28Yo, NickSHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownWed Nov 28 1990 23:025
    Yeah, "Nick" was Carla's total sleazoid ex-husband for whom she kept
    saving a warm spot for.  Dan Hedaya played him and he carried Jeanne
    Kasem, the blonde bombshell, on his arm for most of the time.
    
    Bob Hunt
420.29DASXPS::TIMMONSI'm a Pepere!Thu Nov 29 1990 08:275
    I always liked the uniforms of UCLA.
    
    I never liked the Rams helmets, tho.
    
    Lee
420.30Purple and Teal in 88SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Thu Nov 29 1990 09:4518
>    '88, Dan'l?  
    
    I was responding to your "it's about time someone did something new in
    the NBA" comment.  I was pointing out that the Hornets did just that in
    1988 with their unique uniforms.
    
    Bob Hunt, the Hornets did no such market research.  Teal was George
    Shinn's favorite color.  I would much prefer a gold and black or gold
    and brown combo for the Hornets.  You know, something that matches the
    mascot?  When was the last time you saw a teal and purple insect flying
    around your front porch?
    
    You weren't here when Julian revealed the uniforms.  It was classic. 
    When Bogues put on the pleated shorts, his short frame made him look
    like he was wearing a hoop skirt.  Julian had to do a little reworking
    on the seams.
    
    	--dan'l
420.31It's just the way my mind works..... :-) SASE::SZABOThe Beer HunterThu Nov 29 1990 09:478
    > Rugby uniforms get me goin' most of the time.  :-)
    
    A&W, you crack me up!  After reading this, and about your recent
    fantasies for rugby men, I was suddenly reminded about that scene in
    Porky's where the foxy young girls' gym teacher (Karen Allen?) turns
    into Lassie while in the boys' lockerroom!  :-)
    
    Hawk
420.32SASE::SZABOThe Beer HunterThu Nov 29 1990 09:493
    Didn't FloJo design an NBA uniform?  The Nets' uniforms maybe?
    
    Hawk
420.33FSOA::JHENDRYJohn Hendry, DTN 292-2170Thu Nov 29 1990 10:206
    I agree with whoever bashed the UMass football helmet logo.  Ever since
    I entered the University, we've never been able to find a good one. 
    The intertwined U and M is the best of a bad lot.  I'd prefer either a
    plain Block M, a smaller intertwined U and M or nothing at all.
    
    John
420.34SIOG::EGRIThu Nov 29 1990 10:205
    Trivia question for you.
    
    Who was responsible for designing the L.A. Rams helmets?
    
    Ted.
420.35USC's scarlet/gold bestCNTROL::CHILDSYou talking to me?Thu Nov 29 1990 10:424
Hawk she designed the Indiana Pacers' uniforms...

mike
420.36More ...SHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownThu Nov 29 1990 11:1019
420.37SHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Thu Nov 29 1990 11:188
>    Since when is "realism" so important in team uniforms ???   I've never
>    seen a black and gold penguin, have you ???   Or a purple lake or a
>    green eagle or a blue cub or a ...
    
    Chainsaw probably has, all at once, after some shrooms.  And I bet they
    were playing rugby.
    
    	--dan'l
420.38Uniformly SpeakingRTE3::SROBERTSThu Nov 29 1990 14:299
    Laker Girls uniforms,very useful and nice to look at.
    Cowboy cheerleader uniforms the best in football. Due for an
    update though, maybe spannnndexxxx:)
    
    Most of the team sport uniforms could use a little reworking.
    Baseball in particular need to get back to basics(especially
    Houston, worst color combo in history of the sport)
    
    New Noter with an opinion ":)
420.39"designer" uniforms? No thanx!COGITO::HILLThu Nov 29 1990 15:1020
    Trivia Answer:
    I ferget his name, but he was a wide receiver in the 1940s who painted
    the ram horn on the helmet.
    
    RE: Walt/Metz soccer discussion
    Walt, were you with the WhiteFish? Geez, those anti-freeze shirts look
    like they came from a toxic waste dump from New Jersey. Lemmie guess
    was that Goodhue's idear? You'll be pleased to know that the Fish and 
    Aliens have merged for the indoor season and we wear a very "normal" Royal 
    Blue.
      
    RE: Designers
    I always get leery when the word "designer" gets tossed around with a 
    team's uniforms. The White Sox of the early 80s had "Designer"
    uniforms, and those pleated shorts of the Hornets DO look ridiculous.
    Charlotte Knights with navy #s on a balck shirt? You CAN'T be
    serious...
    
    Tom
       
420.40FSOA::JHENDRYJohn Hendry, DTN 292-2170Thu Nov 29 1990 15:283
    Fred Gerhke was the person who designed the Rams uniforms.  
    
    John
420.41CSC32::J_HERNANDEZGreenpiece,WhatALeprechaunGetsThu Nov 29 1990 17:261
    It was Kim cattrail in da lockerroom.
420.42BSS::JCOTANCHCU: Back-to-Back Big 8 ChampsThu Nov 29 1990 20:1925
    Here's another vote for Penn State's uniforms being among the ugliest. 
    I don't really have a problem with plain, simple uniforms, but these
    are too plain.
    
    The ugliest ever have to be those all-yellow ones worn by Missouri you
    guys were talking about earlier, but those all-orange ones worn by Oklahoma
    State a few years ago were pretty bad too.
    
    I really like FSU's home uniforms and the Seminole on the side of their
    pants.  Best helmets go to Michigan.
    
    As far as changes, I noticed that the Florida Gators are now wearing
    blue jerseys at home.  
    
    I liked it when the Syracuse basketball team wore blue uniforms for a
    game about 5 years ago, I believe against Kentucky.
    
    Speaking of uniforms and colors, here's a good one I read in today's
    paper:  The first entry in the World League of American Football will
    be called the Orlando Thunder.  Their logo is a yellow lightning bolt
    streaking between two blue clouds.  Their uniforms are white, trimmed
    in blue, yellow, and lime green.
    
    Joe
       
420.43POWDML::SATOWFri Nov 30 1990 09:575
The all-ugly -- or perhaps silly looking is a better word -- accessory has to 
be the AFL Denver Broncos' socks with the vertical stripes.

Clay       

420.44REFINE::ASHEb-b-b-baby... don't forget my lipsyncFri Nov 30 1990 11:284
    Yeah, I was a fish.  The Prestone jerseys were Rahilly's ideas.  It
    was Goodhue's idea to use negative numbers (I was -5).
    
    Royal Blue?  Sigh... no spunk... no ambition...
420.45triviaSHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Fri Nov 30 1990 12:377
    This may be too elementary a trivia question for the sports Einsteins
    in this conference, but I bet there are some people out there who don't
    know the answer:
    
    What is the basis for Michigan's helmet desing?
    
    
420.46STARVU::MACGREGORThree time GutterBall champion!!Fri Nov 30 1990 12:407
    >What is the basis for Michigan's helmit desing?
    
    The Viana boys choir sang at Michigan and thoroughly embarressed
    Michigans' own choir, so they dismantled it, thus explaining why
    it was desinged 8^)
    
    The Wizard
420.47Soryr fro teh tpyoSHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Fri Nov 30 1990 12:431
    
420.48MCIS1::DHAMELThe Recognizable ObscenityFri Nov 30 1990 12:448
    
    Re: Michigan's Helmet design
    
    It designed to pad and protect the head and face area, the same as
    with other team's helmets, so that the skull doesn't break like a_egg.
    
    Dickster
    
420.49victim of coicumstanceNEMAIL::LEARYMFri Nov 30 1990 12:498
    Actually, the artists were latent Stooges fans and took license with
    Moe's "pick out two".
    
    
    Need the weekend
    
    ML
     
420.50REFINE::ASHEb-b-b-baby... don't forget my lipsyncFri Nov 30 1990 12:531
    Easier to see down field?
420.51I. Q. ?SASE::SZABOThe Beer HunterFri Nov 30 1990 13:491
    
420.52Old leather helmet carryoverSHALOT::HUNTShoeless Joe Belongs In CooperstownFri Nov 30 1990 13:5514
 Geez, another Friday in OURGNG.  Nice to see some things don't change.
 
 Dan'l, I am as close to being sure about this as I can be.   I'm lucky to
 have a dad who grew up playing football back in those good ol' days.  He
 played at the University Of The South at Sewanee, Tennessee, under the
 legendary late, great Shirley Majors, father of current Tennessee coach
 Johnny Majors.
 
 Those Michigan and Delaware helmet designs are a throwback to old leather
 helmets.  Those old no-facemask helmets had a piece of leather on top of
 the helmet shaped just like that design.   Now the Wolverines and Blue
 Hens paint it on instead.
 
 Bob Hunt
420.53Don't call him Shirley, Bob. :-) SASE::SZABOThe Beer HunterFri Nov 30 1990 14:031
    
420.54Bob Hunt: SPORTS' EinsteinSHALOT::MEDVIDIf I could be God tonight...Fri Nov 30 1990 15:1311
    Bob Hunt is right...as usual.  The Wolverines used to paint the leather
    padding on top of those helmets (and I guess the same is true with
    Deleware).  When they went to the newer face-masked helmets back in
    19??, the equipment manager didn't know any better so he painted the
    old design on those helmets as well.  
    
    At first there was some questioning of this design, but when the
    university attempted to switch the design to something more
    "conventional"  the student body said noway.
    
    	--dan'l
420.55CSC32::SALZERFri Nov 30 1990 23:446
    The curl of bighorn sheep as seen on LA and CSU Rams' helmets
    was implimented by the same fellow. Fred Gehrke started coaching
    at CSU in Fort Collins and caught on later whith the NFL in LA.
    The curled logo came with him.  I think it looks great.
    
    BoB 
420.56Uniforms and traditionGLOVES::ALLERTONCleto ReyesMon Dec 03 1990 10:429
    
    How bout the Pittsburgh Steelers' "one-sided" football helmet logo?
    
    Personally, I'm for no changes in uniforms...It's great to be able to
    watch a Raiders or a Vikings game, and "see" the same team you saw 20
    years ago.  Uniform changes diffuse a team's identity by disrupting it's
    tradition (maybe that's why the Vikings keep losing in the playoffs).
    
    Steve
420.57SIOG::EGRIMon Dec 03 1990 11:359
    I read that the guy who put the Ram's horn on the helmet was 
    Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch. He was a receiver with the Rams and
    graduated from university as a design student. He thought the uniforms
    were somewhat boring. He took the helmet home one weekend and brought
    back with the design you see today.
    
    FRED GERHKE???????
    
    Ted.
420.58MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSYTopic #25: The Killing FieldsMon Dec 03 1990 13:1331
    My vote for 2nd most beautiful grid uniform (behind Penn State's)
    goes to Notre Dame's - especially their whites.  Their blues are
    the quintessential fashion signature for all a college grid, and
    those special occasion greens tickle my Irish fancy and are very
    very good to look at too.
    
    Beyond that, the FSU-UF game the other night was a_exposition in
    "good uniform-bad uniform," with Florida stuck in some a the ugliest
    colors this side of the Purude Boilermakers, while FSU's garnet and
    gold is executed with tasteful simplicity in deference to this rich
    color scheme.
    
    re: Michigan helmets
    
    And the original reason for painting the reinforcement panels on them
    old leather jobs was?  Wail, so's the QB could discern his guys from
    the opposition in the secondary!  This was cuz 1) Michigan actually
    used to pass the ball in their pre-Bo days, and 2) all college grid at
    one time took place on God's green fields and that meant *mud* which
    tended to make everybody look the same: brown.
    
    Here's a thought: Whoever designed the Denver Nugget uniforms, in
    particular that logo, should be lashed to a Larimer Street lamp post
    and publicly beaten with a horse whip for crapping on the city's 
    image like that.
    
    Good helmet logos: Indiana, Texas, Clemson, Minnesota, Florida State,
    SC, 
    
    Bad helmet logos: Texas A&M, Alabama, Purdue, Illinois, Florida, Iowa,
    Tennessee, Kaintucky, UCLA, San Diego St., Miami, Michigan State
420.59Paw PowerSHALOT::MEDVIDNovember spawned a monsterMon Dec 03 1990 13:197
>    Good helmet logos: Indiana, Texas, Clemson, Minnesota, Florida State,
>    SC,                                ^^^^^^^
    
    Trivia: Ohio University was the first to use a paw as its emblem.
    
    	--dan'l
    
420.60CAM::WAYYour house'll smell like Hurl WhiffMon Dec 03 1990 14:0911
In fact, I remember hearing one time that the Clemson Tiger Paw was
a logo thought up by a marketing firm who was hired, I believe, to
enhance the team's image.

I remember when I used to consult in Greenville, SC...everywhere you
looked was Tiger Paws...even on the license plates on the cars....

I sure do miss the ribs I used to get down there though...and the
cornbread!

'Saw
420.61History Paw PowerSHALOT::MEDVIDNovember spawned a monsterMon Dec 03 1990 15:0116
    Actually, my note is just hearsay and might be rumor.  Let's see if
    anyone can confirm or debunk the paw emblem.  
    
    Wait, maybe we should first see if anyone cares?!?
    
    From what I heard/read, up until the mid 60's, Ohio U had an outline of
    the state on its helmets.  They switched to the paw a few years after
    wearing plain white helmets.  When did Clemson, Cincinnati, etc. go to
    the paw emblem?
    
    By the way, even though I'm an alum of a school who uses it, I think
    it's stupid and way too common...except when it came to Ohio U's
    women's swim team in '82 that had paw prints right over the...well, you
    can just imagine.
    
    	--dan'l
420.62BSS::JCOTANCHCU: Back-to-Back Big 8 ChampsMon Dec 03 1990 16:167
    
>    How bout the Pittsburgh Steelers' "one-sided" football helmet logo?
        
    Also, doesn't Michigan State only have an "S" on 1 side of their
    helmet?
    
    Joe
420.63EARRTH::BROOKSRice U - The REAL National ChampsTue Dec 04 1990 13:3414
    Coolest uniforms :
    
    Baseball - Oakland, Dodgers, Astros (home), old Padres uniforms, and
    the old Oakland A's.
    Basketball - Denver, LA Lakers, Orlando, Atlanta, Sac.
    Football - Raiders, Oilers, Vikings, old Chargers (with lighting bolt
    on the pants), Jets, Atlanta
    
    Worst uniforms :
    
    Baseball - The conservative trend that every team seems to be taking.
    Ugh.
    Basketball - Boston, Charlotte, Phoneix, Dallas
    Football - Penn State.
420.64BOSOX::TIMMONSI'm a Pepere!Tue Dec 04 1990 13:3710
    I heard from an Ohio State fan that the "S" on the side of Michigan
    State's helmet was the idea of a former coach who was tired of some his
    players trying to see out of the ear-hole.  He said to put an S on one
    side, and told his players that it was to tell them "side".  That
    helped somewhat, but it didnt' cure the problem of some of them putting
    it on backwards.
    
    HTH
    
    Lee  :*)
420.65MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSYTopic #25: The Killing FieldsTue Dec 04 1990 13:599
    Let the record show that Doctor Midnight said that the best uniforms in
    baseball were those of the Oakland A's [sic] and the Houston Lastros
    and those Taco jobs from San Diego; and that he then went on to praise
    the Nuggets' unies as pretty and Penn State's as ugly.
    
    Keep this "view" that passes for Midnight's perspective next time he
    come 'round with one a his "special" opinions a his.
    
    MrT(aste)
420.66Steelers Style StealingSHALOT::MEDVIDNovember spawned a monsterTue Dec 04 1990 14:0113
    Actually, I thought the one S on the MSU helmet is the design of
    George Perles, who was a Steelers assistant for many years.  When he
    came to Michigan State, he emulated the Steelers helmets by removing
    one of the S's.  That's only a guess.  It's too much of a coincidence
    if it's anything but.
    
    Iowa wears the same uniform design as the Steelers (except for the
    helmet).  Hayden Frye did this in the 70's.  He said that if his team
    was going to be winners, they were going to dress like winners and he
    sent off to Pittsburgh for the uniform design.  Always liked that
    story.
    
    	--dan'l
420.67CSCOAC::ROLLINS_RTue Dec 04 1990 14:2114
>    Let the record show that Doctor Midnight said that the best uniforms in
>    baseball were those of the Oakland A's [sic] and the Houston Lastros
>    and those Taco jobs from San Diego; and that he then went on to praise
>    the Nuggets' unies as pretty and Penn State's as ugly.
    
>    Keep this "view" that passes for Midnight's perspective next time he
>    come 'round with one a his "special" opinions a his.
    
>    MrT(aste)


     Keep in mind, the next time you find T criticizing something/somebody
     else, that he is even looking to argue about someone else's preferences
     in uniform styles.
420.68QUACK QUACK !!MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSYTopic #25: The Killing FieldsTue Dec 04 1990 14:3512
    That's right Rolly.  Everybody's entitled to his/her opinion - even
    Dr. Midnight.  But the basis for this freedom of opinion principle 
    is the simple fack that some opinions are right and some are wrong,
    or in the matter of Midnight's recent spouting, very very wrong.
    
    Now, I usually restrain myself to identifying and measuring and
    interpreting matters of Fact (e.g., Bob > Smif') but when someone 
    steps out and praises the A's [sic] pukies or the Padres' tacos or
    the Lastros' clashing pastels or the Nuggets' overwrought logo...
    wail, this is what we refer to as a sitting duck.
    
    MrT  
420.69CELTIK::JACOBWe all become forefathers, by and byTue Dec 04 1990 14:4112
>>   <<< Note 420.68 by MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSY "Topic #25: The Killing Fields" >>>
>>                              -< QUACK QUACK !! >-

>>    That's right Rolly.  Everybody's entitled to his/her opinion - even
>>    Dr. Midnight.  But the basis for this freedom of opinion principle 
    
    
    You're right "T", but as we all know, opinions are like a$$%oles, cause
    everybody's got one and 99% of them stink.
    
    JaKe
    
420.70CSCOAC::ROLLINS_RTue Dec 04 1990 14:565
>    Now, I usually restrain myself ...    
>    MrT  

     Funny how I've seemed to overlook all that restraint the last couple
     of years.
420.71UPWARD::HEISERsend an enemy a smoke alarm for Xmas!Tue Dec 04 1990 15:035
    For some people, like Doc, it is hard to separate your heart from your
    head when it comes uniform designs.  You'll notice that his favorites
    have the best uniforms and the teams he despises have the worst.
    
    Mike
420.72Colored pants w/ white jerseys?COGITO::HILLTue Dec 04 1990 15:2918
    OK, time to digress. As Stalin once said, anyone is free to express 
    their opinion, as long as it agrees with mine...
    
    One thing I've noticed this football season is that a lot of teams are
    wearing colored pants with their white jerseys for the first time. the
    Cardinals, Jets and Chargers come to mind, and the Dolphins just
    started this last year, I think. The Jets look OK, since they have
    green helmets, but the Cardinals looked better in all white. The 
    Chargers used to have the coolest, when they wore the lighter blue 
    with the lightning bolt on the pants. 
    
    KC looks simplistically elegant in their whites, since they ditched 
    the red  pants. The Giants, Bills & Donks also used to wearcolored pants, 
    but have gone back to whites. At least the Browns don't wear those
    orange pants anymore. Imagine seeing them at Tampa Bay on a bad color
    TV set..... 
    
    Tom
420.73MCIS1::DHAMELWanted: New P-name for XmasTue Dec 04 1990 17:305
    
    The coolest sports clothes are worn by jockies and female wrasslers.
    
    Dickster
    
420.74Buster don't have the privilege to wear speedos...REFINE::ASHEWaiting... 4 u 2 justify my video...Tue Dec 04 1990 17:532
    What do Jim Palmer and Buster Douglas have to do with this?
    
420.75MUSKIE::SHAUGHNESSYTopic #25: The Killing FieldsTue Dec 04 1990 17:5913
    >For... people... like Doc... notice that his favorites have the
    >best uniforms and the teams he despises have the worst.
    
    Lower still, Mike, is that Doc's biases are such that he puts 
    himself in the ugly position of having to call the ugliest unies
    in captivity the prettiest!
    
    Whoa.
    
    Rolly, that was a dirty rotten misquote and you know it where is
    *your* constraint glass houses with dirty filthy windows buddy.
    
    MrT                                                            
420.76Helmet DesignSHALOT::MEDVIDNovember spawned a monsterMon Dec 17 1990 11:4921
    After close scientific personal analysis this weekend:
    
    Worst helmet emblems:
    
    Miami (would be great if the dolphin wasn't wearing a helmet)
    New England (too large and too stupid, time for a change)
    Houston (might be OK if it had different colors)
    Tampa (WOULD be OK if it had different colors)
    
    Best helmet emblems:
    
    Miami (if the dolphin wasn't wearing a helmet)
    Raiders (tough)
    Lions (basic, yet cool)
    Saints (original and unique)
    
    I didn't really take into account those teams with script (Giants,
    Jets) or letters (Chicago, Green Bay).  And, of course, Cleveland
    doesn't count...for anything.
    
    	--dan'l
420.77MCIS1::DHAMELThis note results from snorting...Mon Dec 17 1990 12:2210
    
    GUESS I NEVER NOTICED UNTIL LASTED SATURDAY, BUT THOSE new jersey
    devils RED AND GREEN UNIFORMS MAY BE IN SEASON RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY SURE
    ARE UGLY.  
    
    AND THAT LOGO!  IT LOOKS LIKE A SWISS ARMY KNIFE WITH THE CAN OPENER
    STICKING OUT OF IT!
    
    Dickstah