Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
“Country Roads” Themed Uniform Recognized
January 24, 2023 09:30 AM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia's special "Country Roads" themed Nike uniform worn for the 2022 Backyard Brawl at Acriscure Stadium in Pittsburgh was deemed the nation's seventh-best alternate uniform by Uniform Authority.
A group consisting of Matt Wells, executive senior associate athletics director for external affairs, Michael Fragale, senior associate athletics director for communications, Joe Swan, director of athletics publications, Kristin Coldsnow, athletics' lead in-house graphic designer and former department staffers Keli and Nathaniel Zinn came up with the concept.
They chose to blend in old and new traditions such as the state outline on the helmet, matching stripes and patterns, and, of course, the Flying WV.
"It was a play off of West Virginia and also the short distance between the two campuses being connected by Interstate 79," Wells said at the time.
Once the concept was finalized internally, Patrick Johnston, football's assistant athletics director for operations, and others on coach Neal Brown's staff were involved from there and the concept was pitched to Nike.
The group worked through Nike on a production timeline to develop a uniform before officially unveiling it on West Virginia Day, June 20, 2022.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the entire process was that the uniform design was not leaked ahead of time.
Uniform Authority chose Air Force's "Space Force" themed uniform it wore in this year's Navy game as the best Alternate Uniform of 2022.
A group consisting of Matt Wells, executive senior associate athletics director for external affairs, Michael Fragale, senior associate athletics director for communications, Joe Swan, director of athletics publications, Kristin Coldsnow, athletics' lead in-house graphic designer and former department staffers Keli and Nathaniel Zinn came up with the concept.
They chose to blend in old and new traditions such as the state outline on the helmet, matching stripes and patterns, and, of course, the Flying WV.
"It was a play off of West Virginia and also the short distance between the two campuses being connected by Interstate 79," Wells said at the time.
Once the concept was finalized internally, Patrick Johnston, football's assistant athletics director for operations, and others on coach Neal Brown's staff were involved from there and the concept was pitched to Nike.
The group worked through Nike on a production timeline to develop a uniform before officially unveiling it on West Virginia Day, June 20, 2022.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the entire process was that the uniform design was not leaked ahead of time.
Uniform Authority chose Air Force's "Space Force" themed uniform it wore in this year's Navy game as the best Alternate Uniform of 2022.
#UniAuthority Best Alternate Uniform of the 2022 College Football Season:
— Uniform Authority (@UniAuthority) January 23, 2023
7. @WVUfootball #UAAwards | @WVU_FB_EQ pic.twitter.com/77MlWVTkhi
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