Looks Can Be Everything...

by HNKRDWN on Nov 4, 2009 3:09 PM EST Comment 14 comments

Looks can be everything these days. I remember my Clemson friends back in the 80's always remarking about their orange pants. They would always claim that Clemson always wore white pants, home and away, but when Danny Ford felt the team had earned the right, he would bring them out in orange pants and the visitors' day would be 60 minutes of pure hell. All of that ended 20 years ago and now Clemson is one of those schools that you never know what they're going to wear (or play like).

That being said...WE ARE GEORGIA. Our name speaks for itself. Our stadium speaks for itself, or pride and tradition...speaks for itself! We do not, I say again, DO NOT need to resort to gimmick uniforms in order to win a game! I remember being in Afghanistan when the black jerseys made their debut and thinking, "Oh Lord, here we go..." The first game I was able to get out of uniform and go to was the 'Bama game last year when all I heard was "blackout!!!". While standing on the bridge waiting for the Dawg Walk, I heard comment after comment about what color helmets, jerseys, pants, etc., etc., etc. the team was going to wear that night. And of course, there's ALWAYS someone who knows someone who is "pppprrrrrrretty in-touch with the program", and it's always some used car dealer from Augusta that has this inside source. After hearing this over and over, I turned to the men behind me and simply said, "Do you know what 'Bama is wearing tonight?", and the reply after a few moments of confused stares the men shook their heads and said, "I guess what they always wear". My response before turning back around..."EXACTLY!".

WE ARE GEORGIA!!! Red helmets, jerseys, and those beautiful "silver britches" speak for themselves. Here is a list of programs with long traditions of winning who wear the same uniform week-in and week-out...

Southern Cal, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, UCLA, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and up until recently...GEORGIA

No gimmick uniforms, no 40 different colors of pants, jerseys, and helmets. Just "this is what we look like, now kick the ball off".

Now, I love a good uniform like most other fella's I know. I catch myself critiquing this or that team's uni's all the time on the highlite shows when I get home on Saturday nights. But the moment you start letting alternate uniforms creep into the system, this is what always tends to happen...

Player 1: "Hey coach, let's wear black helmets this week...."

Coach: "No, we're going to wear our normal _____ helmets this week..."

Player 1: "Come on coach, let us wear 'em, come on man!!!"

Coach: "No, no...I told you we're not wearing those, let's start preparing..."

Players 2 & 3: "Yeah, come on coach...let's wear black this week!!! Yeah man, let's do that!!!"

Players 4 thru 27: "Yeah coach, black helmets this week......let's wear the black tops too..."

Coach: "No guys, I'm telling you, we're wearing our _____ helmets and _____ tops like always now."

Player 1: "Awww man, you can at least let us wear the black pants then..."

Players 7 & 43: "Yeah coach, _____ helmets and black jerseys!!!"

Players 14 & 31: "Nawww man, he needs to let us wear those _____ jerseys and black pants!!!"

Coach: "OK, OK, we will put something together. Now let's try to focus now..."

See what I mean? You open the floodgates to all of the misc. stuff, and that is the slightest disadvantage you cannot afford to have in our league. Especially when for that same 30-45 minute stretch your opponent is focused on you instead of their uniforms. If anyone reading this has the ear of the athletic department, especially the football staff, please, no, PLEASE encourage them to go back to just being us...GEORGIA.

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I with you.

I liked the blackout jerseys (heck, I even bought one), but I think they should be held back until the team proves itself, like it did in 2007.

The black helmets, on the other hand, were horrendous. I thought I was watching a high school team that based its helmet on Georgia’s. And that was before the game started.

Will

by wqueenjr on Nov 5, 2009 11:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I meant, of course, "I'm with you."

Will

by wqueenjr on Nov 5, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Blackout BCS Bowls

If we play in a BCS Bowl, black it out. Otherwise, normal uni’s

by first and thom on Nov 5, 2009 2:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Red Pants

I was a bit young when the practice fell out of existence…basically with Coach Dooley retiring. But, do y’all remember the red pants we used to wear for some road games? I was always glad they never were worn at home, but thought they looked good on the road. And, whichever of you that does have the ears of the program…PLEASE put the shine back on the pants!!! The Nike Dry-Fit ones are so faded-looking and aren’t as true “silver” as the ones with the shine to them. We went to the current ones in 2004 and stopped wearing them either 2006 or 2007, but have gone back to them. It’s a non-issue, but crap like this digs its way into my thought processes during TV timeouts or replay timeouts…usually when the “better half” starts going on about what this or that woman is wearing, or why the band does this, or “that man” in the yellow jacket keeps doing whatever…….it’s a natural Sanford Stadium barrier my mind tosses up to keep my Man Card. Here’s to winning-out and beating VPI in the Peach Bowl again!!!!

by HNKRDWN on Nov 5, 2009 3:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with first and thom about the black jerseys

Make it a reward for a BCS bowl game (which is in keeping with the first time they were worn, in the 1943 Rose Bowl), but, otherwise, shelve them.

HNKRDWN, I am a strong proponent of going back to wearing red britches on the road. Coach Dooley broke them out for the 1985 Clemson game to counteract the orange pants, but, after the Bulldogs lost in red britches on their next visit to Death Valley, the red pants were mothballed, and I don’t believe they’ve been worn since. They’re a good look with the white jerseys, and they have enough history that they’re not gimmicky.

However, I’d also be all right with the coaching staff saying, “Screw it; we’re wearing red helmets and silver britches all the time, we’re wearing red jerseys at home and white jerseys on the road, and we’re going to block, tackle, teach discipline, run the ball, and stop people on defense.”

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Nov 5, 2009 8:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Kyle

what do you think, oh, Bear Bryant would have had to say about a gimmick uniform? or maybe Vince Lombardi?

They would have crushed the players for even mentioning such non sense.

You win by out coaching and out performing your opponent. Uniforms are for fans.

and yes, block, tackle, run, stop – thats truth Brother.

by tankertoad on Nov 6, 2009 1:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

That’s why I’m all right with black jerseys for major bowl games and red pants on the road . . . both are a part of a tradition. Black pants, black helmets, and black jerseys in the regular season all came about within the last decade or so. They’re gimmicks without historical antecedents.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Nov 6, 2009 7:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree the Black shirts should be a reward, but..

How do any new traditions ever get started if they must have some sort of historical precedence?

by Mr. Ace K on Nov 6, 2009 10:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not opposed to starting new traditions

The Dawg Walk and the Battle Hymn Soloist are two good examples of very recent traditions.

My point was that black jerseys in major bowl games (in which the ’Dawgs are 2-0, and which dates back to World War II) and red britches on the road (a staple during much of the ’70s and ’80s) have history, and a history of success, to them.

We’re 1-2 in black pants, which debuted in the bowl game against Wisconsin at the end of the 1997 season. We’re 1-1 in black jerseys in the regular season, a practice that began in 2007. We’re 0-1 in black helmets, a practice that dates back to Saturday.

Novelty + failure = gimmickry. If you’re going to tinker with the past, make sure it works.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Nov 6, 2009 11:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Red Pants

I know the red pants were worn in the late 1970’s. My earliest recollection was 1979…of course I was 4 at the time. The last time I saw them was when I was at Riverside Military in Gainesville. It was 1988 and we lost to a fairly decent Carolina team at Williams-brice. One of my buddies sent me a cut-out of The State showing a few Dawgs on the bench with their heads down after the loss. He seemed to get a kick out of it then. But, that was the last time I recall ever seeing them. But, no one can contest what both of you have stated…block, tackle, run, defend, etc. I don’t care if you’re in practice uniforms. The only thing left to say amongst all of the negativity in the air currently is…..dadgummit………GO DAWGS!!!!!! By-God.

by HNKRDWN on Nov 6, 2009 3:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

White pants

Prior to the 1980 season, when the “Silver Britches” were re-introduced, Georgia wore white tops and white pants as the standard road uniform. I always thought those unis, although, conveyed an “all business” in their austerity. I wouldn’t mind seeing a return to road white-on-white. It really made the red helmets stand out.

As for the BCS blackout…I think it’s a great idea. But we’d better make damn sure we win in them. We’re batting .500 in those colors. In football, that sucks.

Were the red pants last worn at Tennessee in ’80? We debuted the silver britches for Texas A&M the next weekend.

Bye weeks: The time to tweak your fashion sensibilities.

by DavetheDawg on Nov 6, 2009 8:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The red pants were worn as part of the away uniform well into the ’80s.

by NCT on Nov 6, 2009 8:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How are we .500?

To my knowledge, the Bulldogs have worn black jerseys four times in their history, for the 1943 Rose Bowl, the 2007 Auburn game, the 2008 Sugar Bowl, and the 2008 Alabama game. Georgia was 3-1 in those four games. Am I missing something?

NCT is right . . . the red britches were worn at least as late as the 1987 Clemson game, and HNKRDWN says they were worn at the 1988 South Carolina game. They have not been seen since Coach Dooley retired.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Nov 6, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're right, counselor...

That whole, wierd black thing from last weekend was really what I was referring to. I’m only just now recovering from my bourbon with hemlock chasers.

Yes, we’re 3-1 in black shirts. Forgot about the ’43 Rose Bowl when we beat UCLA. I was not there.

Bye weeks: The time to tweak your fashion sensibilities.

by DavetheDawg on Nov 6, 2009 5:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs