Lookin' Sharp
June 24, 2003 05:37 PM | General
June 26, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – They’re called “batwings” and they are on all six versions of West Virginia University’s new collection of football uniforms designed and provided by Nike.
 |
||
| West Virginia players model the new white jerseys. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
WVU’s traditional football look for the last 20-plus years has been retired to the history books.
In 1980, Don Nehlen introduced a new look aimed at making West Virginia football more distinguishable. Nehlen complained that when he watched film of the Mountaineers he had a tough time making out which team was West Virginia.
So he had a design company come up with what came to become the immensely popular flying WV logo. The logo was instituted along with a look very similar to Michigan’s with a solid blue (home) and solid white (away) jersey with gold pants and blue stripes.
More than a decade later, the stripes were removed from the pants but nothing else changed (except for the ill-fated move to solid blue pants in 1995 that were quickly nixed).
Some subtle tinkering was also done to the collar.
Then a year after current coach Rich Rodriguez took over the program in 2002 he made the first major change to West Virginia’s look by adding white pants for the first time since 1979.
When West Virginia runs out onto the field to take on Wisconsin on Saturday, Aug. 30, Mountaineer fans will see a completely different looking team. The only thing unchanged is the helmet (changing the helmet would of course constitute a major sin).
The Mountaineers will resemble the Denver Broncos in gold and blue.
“I think as long as we have the school colors out there and we’re representing the school I don’t think it matters what we wear,” said senior punter Todd James.
Many will like the new uniforms while most of the traditionalists probably won’t. Fan polling on MSNsportsNET.com last fall was equally split between the new and the old.
“I like our traditional look but I also want to change things up,” said senior linebacker Leandre Washington.
In one version a blue top with gold batwings are paired with solid gold pants. In another, the white top with gold batwings is matched with white pants and gold and blue stripes.
 |
||
| West Virginia players model the new blue jerseys. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
The version that has WVU players most excited is blue-on-blue. In this combination, a blue jersey with gold batwings blends easily with blue pants and a single gold stripe. “We want to wear blue-on-blue for the first game,” said Washington. “We’ll wear that all day in the sun.”
Blue-on-blue may look sleek, modern, and colorful but it won’t be the most comfortable combination for Tim Brown, Ben Timmons, Jeff Berk and the rest of the boys on the offense line -- especially when the thermometer reads 100 degrees in August.
Never mind that, though. If the players have their way you’ll see Mountaineer football in all-blue for the first time in 110 years.
“I like the blue-on-blue the best,” said James. “I think they all look good. The designs are nice.”
Senior Adam King prefers the blue top with the gold pants. “It’s more traditional,” he said. “The word around the locker room is to lobby for blue-on-blue (for the opener) but I think all of them look good.”
What about the white top with blue pants?
“That’s my favorite … white jersey with the gold stripe and the blue pants with the gold stripe,” said sophomore defensive back George Shehl.
White tops with gold batwings? Blue pants with gold stripes? Blue tops with gold batwings?
It should be a sight to see.
Of Note: Fans will be able to purchase replicas of the new Nike uniform on-line at shopwvu.com. The WVU Team Shop located in the WVU Coliseum will also have versions of the jerseys available in early July.
