Since we all don’t agree here on The Blather and we do throw down point/counter point often, I’ll chime in on this timely football uniform change subject. Chas likes it, Justine likes it, but…
Color me unimpressed.
I don’t actually hate what I saw. I mean I’m not literally gagging each time I look at the football uniforms – but I’m shaking my head and drinking heavily over what I see as a lack of courage on Pitt’s part to create for us an attractive, whole and strong identity. I’m very disappointed at the bumbling Pitt did with the football uniforms more than anything else. More on that…
Last night Pitt put on a visually and aurally dramatic “unveiling” show to introduce the Pitt athletic department’s new logos and uniforms. I am led to understand that it was a well received show and everyone seemed to have a good time. I didn’t drive up for it so I don’t really know, but from the video below it looks well staged I suppose.
Here is another video just about the football uniforms – the “marble steps to the front porch” as it were….
So, the roll-out was certainly an event and they showed the future (or did they?) of the visual side of the Pitt sports teams and associated ‘cheer’ entities. They did OK on the all the other athletic department units – such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, cheerleaders and dancing girls (and boys now), etc. The changes to the facilities look great also and were in sore need of being done. Kudos on that also.
It was the football team the administration struck out on. Here’s why…
The problem with Pitt is that they are always trying to “create new buzz” instead of having a long ranging plan in place to elevate the athletic departments ‘brand’ so that we have visual associations nationally. In other words we take shortcuts for profit.
This current set of football uniforms is disposable and will be done with as soon as Nike, and in turn Pitt, wants more revenue and will present new Pitt gear once again. Even if we didn’t maximize profits I believe that we could have girded our loins and put pressure on Nike to go with a more subdued and simpler design, akin to, if not similar as, the traditional Pitt look so that we’d have it in place for a long future… which is exactly what Pitt should be striving for if indeed we want a new era of Pitt football we so often talk about.
If you think of the best college (or even NFL) football programs over the past tree or four decades, the ones who have ‘branded’ themselves so well that their visual looks are easily recognizable and based on consistency, you’ll have a few names pop into your head right away.
Our Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL is one. Everyone across the globe recognizes the Steelers’ colors, logo and uniform and that isn’t an exaggeration. I’ve seen it with my own three eyes.
In the collegiate ranks Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, USC, Texas, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, etc. – and even some other lesser programs like Mississippi State – all hold to a constant traditional look and the benefit from positive impact doing so generates in so many different ways.
There is no need for me to post photos of those school’s uniforms here – if you are any sort of a college football fan you visualize them as soon as you read the universities’ names.
You’ll see some minor uniform changes here and there with those programs, tweaks really – but the uniforms stay recognizable as to what school they represent and more importantly what the school’s ‘family” wants them to represent. It is the essence of what advertisers call the “Brand” and is part and parcel of what the students, alumni and fans of those universities love about their programs.
Through thick and thin the traditional uniforms stay the same and represent that particular school. It is what makes them what they are to the rest of college football fans – easily recognizable and invoking thoughts of successful and consistently strong football teams and programs.
Then there is Pitt.
Yesterday I posted an article that showed the changes that have gone on with Pitt’s uniforms over the last two decades. I didn’t count the length of time in years when they changed, let’s say it happens on average of about three or four years. As will happen for this current uniform sadly enough.
Sometimes the old adage “less is more” rings true and in this case we should have taken the opportunity to design and decide on a more classic look that will stand up over decades – not just hang around for a short period which these now-current designs are meant to do.
Fans are salivating over the return of the Script and I like it too – especially the fact that is on all the outfits associated with Pitt athletics. That move shows strength in consistency.
And that helps a lot for our that image we want, no… we need to present. We’ll let Barnes take credit for that – he needs some positive stuff with the fans to offset that horrendous last press conference of his.
But that really wasn’t his decision in the least. Mark Nordenberg and Steve Pederson began re-introducing Script back in 2014 and were handcuffed by Nike in a complete roll-out until Nike could maximize profits on the remaining gear with the old graphics on it. SP and MN do have a lot to answer for in other areas, but Script isn’t one of them.
No doubt that Script issue was presented poorly back in 2014, it sure was, but that is indeed when this script roll-out started. However, the present state of affairs with the football uniforms is all on Barnes and thus Nike. I really hope Chancellor Gallagher didn’t have his hand in this – that would be a shame to me.
But the true elephant in the Southside administration offices is, has been, and always will, be the Pitt football program. And in my opinion we seriously dropped the ball there. It was like the football uniforms were treated differently than the other sports organizations that will wear the logos and colors.
Where you have clean and classic looks with the other teams, cheerleaders, etc… Pitt took at look at the football team and said “Hey Nike – this is a tough one, you take it!.” I sincerely believe that Nike forced those uniforms on us for the sole purpose of being able to change it later to maximize profits.
There isn’t one iota of even a nod to the mid-1970s to mid-1980s wonder years of Pitt football. Aside from the Script itself these uniforms have no semblance what so ever to the uniforms our wonderful and popular players Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Mark May, Hugh Green, Bill Mass, Jimbo Covert and Bill Fralic wore. Every student of college football knows those names and what the great teams that they were on did.
However, now it’s like we purposely don’t want to be associated with those past winning and championship seasons. Hell, If Pitt felt they just couldn’t go completely traditional I would have been happy had we stayed with the 2015 uniforms and just changed the helmet’s color a bit, along with scripting the small “PITT” on the front of the jersey, to point back to the traditional look.
But for some reason we didn’t do that. Instead we got these new uniforms which have no ties to our tradition whatsoever – no matter how hard Pitt will try to convince us they do.
Hell, there isn’t even any consistency between the different color combinations. Where in the world did that smaller and thinner numeral on the white uniforms come from? Granted the other uniforms’ numbers are way too big – especially in contrast to the Script “Pitt” on the front of the jersey which can fit into a tablespoon.
How hard would it have been to lengthen the sleeves and position 360 degree stripes around the upper arm? Again, that would have been a hat tip to the ’80s traditional uniforms. Instead we get truncated stripes that look like the Chinese seamstresses (and you know that they are) ran out of the ribbon material.
Then we hear this from Don Patrizio Narduzzi;
“I wanted to do something that the kids would like, something new that’s attractive,” football coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I think it’s very attractive to recruits. You’ve got to have a little swag to you. I think our kids got some swag, and we’ll continue to add to the swag.”
Aha! So he’s the one who did this. Well, he better damned well stick around to make sure we don’t bag this look in three years since it is the supposed future of Pitt. BTW – ‘swag’ come from beating the piss out of your opponents like we did back in the day – that is what we should be pointing to with our new look, not hoping some swag materializes out of thin air as a result of these uniforms.
He’s blowing smoke anyway – this type of uniform change isn’t a real agent of attracting recruits. No one ever looks at Pitt’s uniforms as they have been lately and says “Dammmmn, I want to wear me some of that!” As much as Narduzzi may close his eyes and wish real hard that it be true – it isn’t.
That power of uniforms is held by those traditional programs I mentioned above. Recruits actually do look at them and say I want to wear the blue and white of Penn State, the maize and blue of Michigan or the crimson and white of Alabama… but it isn’t because they look ‘tight’ or a passing fad – it is because of what those uniforms truly represent.
Recruits do not say “I want to wear the… ummm… blue and… umm gold or… that sort of yellow like stuff that Pitt has.” Of course, the thing is they can always wait a couple of years to transfer to Pitt when the uniforms change, again, to something they really, really want to wear.
Well, I feel much better after writing this. I’m still drunk as a sailor but can almost laugh about it now especially after seeing all the photos in the order above.
…only at Pitt.
Finally – E. J., if you are in any way responsible for those ridiculous “matte” helmets then I take back everything I wrote last weekend.
As far as the uniforms go – I can agree a little with both sides. The more I look at some of the new ones the more I like them. I will say though that I’m pretty sure that the old royal/mustard throwback look is not something that would be attractive or cool (or whatever word you want to use) to young people today as the standard uniform. I get the feeling that most of the people pushing for the “old” style stuff are probably 50+. I don’t mean that negatively – but what is visually appealing to those distinct age brackets is vastly different. I understand the idea of having a basic traditional uniform and sticking with it forever – but we’ve already screwed that up many years ago. So we go forward. Hopefully the Script sticks and the football team does well and after the first few games no one is caring what the uniforms look like.
I think those uniforms were modern as well as traditional looking.
I think this was the helmet. link to flickr.com
Oh well it is what it is. H2P
I have no real comment on these uniforms alone, they’re ok I guess, no real changes. I don’t like the no stripe on the pants, but I do like the blue helmet.
I am reserving my comments on the football uniforms until August.
Apparently Barnes said, and I know a former player said, that we are getting the retro uniform, it will be unveiled in early August.
Most likely to be worn against PSU. In the future against other rivals and other big time opponents.
Here is my point, and why I really feel I don’t want to comment on them yet, even though I am.
If we get the retro uniforms done properly and with the right colors, I will have absolutely no problem with these uniforms.
I say, market the hell out of Navy and Gold and Royal Blue and Mustard.
Why not?? Sell both for cryin’ out loud!!!
Make everyone happy!!!
If they do the retro uniforms and they are part of our uniform closet for the future, I say they hit a home run and will have no problem with it.
If these latest uniforms are it, these are our uniforms, and that’s all, then, meh.
Now….are they really doing an alternate uniform??
I heard someone say, they heard Barnes say that there will be another uniform.
Anyone on here confirm that? Anyone at the event?
Told POD last night, my little source is a former player about 7 years ago who is involved with the university, but I don’t know what he knows. Probably just like us. He has mentioned things over the years that were right, but that was just a couple times I got to talk to him.
If we actually get the alternate retro uniform, I have no concerns at all, that it will be worn more than once a year. No question at all.
If we get them, I give them a 10 and say “fantastic” all the way around. Old uni’s, modern uni’s, love it.
If we don’t, they get a 5, and I say, “at least we got the script back”.
We’ll see.
I was expecting something more like this link to google.com
This looks cheap and SOP but look at the bafoon running the program. Hire a Pitt guy as a AD not Jim Jones and his koolaid bs.
Reed – Great article and 100% spot on.
Modern looking, old school. He had it. Nailed it. Beautiful.
He was just doing that for fun I believe whoever he was.
I believe the university made him cease and desist if I remember.
All by himself, he had it!
40 years from now, the “Old Alumnae” that has replaced us geezers will be saying…”sure would like to get back to those no frills unis of the first part of the century. Now there was a uniform!!”
What Pitt and AD Barnes has done is agree to do away with any shot at consistency at all and make these new uniforms that we saw offered up last night trash-able ones in a few years because the have pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes while dangling the traditional throwbacks in front of us.
A lot like a sleight of hand – when you are looking at the throwbacks once or twice a year you don’t notice that they will be changing around the everyday uniforms.
This administration has been very arrogant when it comes to the fans. Every Pitt fan I know, talked to, read what they have written on here and message boards wanted something from the traditional uniforms.
Every… single… one. We could live with it not being 100% but young and old everyone loves the tradition uniforms – and last night they totally disregarded that for the sake of some extra dollars twice a year.
I don’t know Scott Barnes and have no idea what goes on in his head. I know his staff works their asses off to make Pitt a good and decent thing for us fans.
But I can’t remember one thing Barnes has done that took into account the wants, or even the needs,of the fans, alumni, students, etc… who he is supposed to be serving. If that silly ass Fan Committee is built for anything at all it would be for input into what us “little people” want in a uniform that they will see on game day and then and buy for themselves.
Here is a direct quote from Cardiac Hill’s Anson Whaley about that Committee:
“Our job on this committee is to make the fan experience better. Here’s the thing, though – I don’t want to only make it better … it needs to be great. Fans should look forward to going to games, not dread fighting traffic (as, by the way, I have). Fans should show up at a Heinz Field that looks like a legit college stadium inside and out, not a place where Pitt logos are hastily strewn about. Everything from top to bottom should make being a Pitt fan a rewarding experience. Above all, perhaps, fans need a reason to come to games.”
OK… sure! I can’t find one instance where anyone not in the ‘inner circle’ was asked an opinion about what he or she would like to have seen in the new uniforms last night.
So I’ll bet a paycheck the Committee members weren’t sent out by Barnes to solicit the opinions and desires of the fans – who BTW pay good extortion money to get club and season tickets and who pay Barnes’ friggin’ salary. I’m firmly convinced he doesn’t give one single crap about Pitt fans whatsoever and that his job is as a mercenary to boost revenue – apparently at the expense of us fans.
He tipped his hat in a big way at the BB presser and did so again last evening. So far, while I’m not as violently opposed to Barnes as UPitt is, I’m wondering if there is anything of substance in his hire – we haven’t seen anything so far… even the BB coach was hired by professional bribes and committee.
The wide stripe down the pants was a small link to the classic uni’s of the 70’s and 80’s.
So they even cut that link off.
Got to say these uniforms are far worse than the 2015 version, who’s biggest problem was the faded drab washed out beige/gold/yellow mess of the pants.
With the way HDTV’s provide such vivid and vibrant colors, you should want to take advantage of that and have more brilliant colors like Old Blue/Royal Blue that presents different color hues depending on the lighting. As did the mustard yellow pants and helmets. And our best by far road uniforms of that era with the white jerseys and gold/mustard pants were a knockout visually as well. These all white things with the aborted stripes are quite hideous. And there is nothing very exciting or attractive about the home versions as well. Same washed out beige/yellow/gold for the pants sans the wide stripe, which was the only feature that made them slightly bearable.
Just very disappointed with the whole thing.
And I totally agree with Reed on this.
Leave it to Pitt to screw up something….. which should be so simple. SOP !
Dear Blatherers,
Reed has just been taken to the Emergency Room, he was mumbling something about “Hell freezing over”…
Signed,
His Daughter.
Well, the truth is that in the modern post-WWII era those traditional uniforms represent the only success we have had as a football program. That is the bare truth – the only sustained success we have had as a football school is from 1974-1983.
One singular 10 year period where we won big-time football games and football fans all over the nation knew who we were. We got the best TV slots, the most SI articles (a big deal in those days), had the most All-Americans, a Heisman trophy winner and all-around kick-ass football players and program.
You know what – the uniforms back then were well liked by everyone I have ever talked to about Pitt football in my 60 years… even in far flung parts of the US and around the world when I spoke with other college football fans from other schools.
People still talk about some of our ’80s teams as being the best there ever was – and that is the tradition we feel needed to be included. Not all of it, but plainly and visibly included into the new uniforms.
The teams then SHOWED other schools who Pitt was… and we got pulled away from that for apparel money.
If you have followed this blog closely you’ll know that hardly anyone wanted the whole traditional uniform package back again. The vast majority wanted updated uniforms but with a respectable nod to our traditions, which are yours also BTW, no matter how young you are.
That’s it. Make the uniforms as nice as possible but make them so they show past, present and most importantly perhaps, the future.
Make it scream PITT!! and keep it that way forever so that when anyone sees the uniform the say ‘That’s Pitt” just like they did in the past.
You are young Dan – believe me when I say you have never experienced anything in your time as a Pitt fan that is anywhere as strong as those days had back then. I’m not sneering or looking down my nose – I am just saying that if you didn’t live through that time period you have no real frame of reference for how strong Pitt’s football tradition actually is.
And this is what bothers me about this whole issue – Scott Barnes has had no connection at all, zilch, with Pitt before last June. He has no concept of what I and thousands of others, both young and old, think and feel about Pitt football… none, and he didn’t reach out to put the decisions, or at least ask for real fan help, into the hands of those who do understand it.
He sees dollar signs when he should be wanting to seeing smiles of pride on the Pitt fans’ faces when uniforms, our old and new “brand”, becomes famous again.
That color combination should always be part of our uniforms.
Running away from your tradition and your great teams is beyond stupid.
It just occurred to me that with the readership we get on here – and believe me it is pretty amazing numbers, The Blather could have easily conducted a solid and reasonable survey that would have given the Admin some honest to God fan input into this decision making.
We could have run it for a few weeks last season and gotten, quite possibly, hundreds of thousands of replies. That would have been a huge help – especially if Anson Whaley, Chris Dokish, Chris Logue and others would have run the same survey.
Every Pitt fan from all over the world who goes on the internet and reads websites devoted to Pitt football would have had a chance to weigh in… and it would have been free of institutional influences which were so obviously present in that final uniform product.
They committed two cardinal sins – 1) Pitt didn’t leverage the technology at hand (and free to boot) to gather info and 2) they didn’t trust the fans to be able to give honest opinions.
I’m in my 50’s, Dad starting taking me to games in 1971, my best years were the 70’s and 80’s uniforms, what I was bottle fed on.
I want Marino colors. I believe if they get a throwback, it will in time become our uniform of choice because of the fans, and the fans dollars spending on the royal blue and French’s mustard.
However, we were all told ad nauseum that the colors weren’t changing, so I guess I’m not as surprised as some. The colors are exactly what I thought they’d be, by people in the media’s comments, some university people etc. etc..
I mean, for the past two months, that’s all we’ve seen, “the colors aren’t changing”.
So, guess I wasn’t as shocked as some.
I was gonna give this to Coach Stallings next week but now probably not
Pitt had different uniform styles on different players back in the day. Especially in that 1976 Sugar Bowl game.
Nor do I think I did anything, nor am I fishing for any compliments.
I’ll just go ahead and say it though.
I was one of the original ringleaders, if not the main ringleader with a couple others of
“bring Pitt script back”, as far as 07 or 08 when I first started coming on the Blather.
Chas can do nothing but back me up on here. He has the records. I believe he was tired of me talking about it too. I was so bad for a couple years, that I used to get comments on here of “shut the eff up about the Pitt script already”.
“that’s all you ever talk about, the Pitt script shit”.
“ya, ya, we know, you want the Pitt script back”
“give it up, they’re not bringing it back”
I mean, I admit it, for quite awhile that’s all I ever talked about.
People told me I was nuts and crazy.
I guess my point here, and had to regrettably talk about myself to get it across is this…..
I wanted Royal Blue and French’s as much as anyone, and I’m hoping that’s what they do with the throwbacks.
However, I’ve always said, “if we can ever just back to Pitt script on the helmet, I can deal with the rest”.
So, I got my wish and I was thrilled with it when they put it back on. I’ll deal with the rest.
“you knew who we were when we played in those uniforms”
“everyone in the country knew who Pitt was just by looking at the tv in a few seconds”.
Also, have said, they stood out, as opposed to Navy, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Akron a million times on here, just recently over the past month ad nauseam.
I just believed all I saw and read about they aren’t changing colors, so I wasn’t surprised yesterday.
Not happy about it. Wasn’t shocked though yesterday.
I don’t know what else to say.
Hopefully, if they do the throwback, I would assume that they will have throwback stuff in the stores.
If they sell 75% royal blue and mustard and
25% navy and gold, then maybe they’ll get the picture.
@Upitt, if you read up above, I said I was “meh” about the new uni’s. Banking on the throwbacks. Haven’t been gushing or anything about the new uni’s. Actually said last night, disappointed about no stripes on the pants.
What else is there, march on the Cathedral??
(got criticized for talking about that all the time a few years ago) LOL
P.S. Yes, I know Chas calls it Expansionocalypse………….however I called it Expansionpalooza before he ever came up with that!!!!!!!!!
LMAO, gettin’ cocky in my old age!!!
Tossing – I had 5 great years there. My issue is ineptness at the place I love and hold dearly. Nationally we are laughed at for the years of stupid shit and now it continues with just a Pederson Clown replacement.
The Internet is a crazy place.
I just want to win football games, I could really care less about the uniforms, it’s beyond stupid to bitch incesitantly about things beyond my control.
I was pretty obsessed with getting a run in and making stir fry for dinner.
Slow tv tonight.
Bigger issue is being pointed out by Reed that this Barnes guy doesnt listen and may not even care.
Its about Nike and money. Those unis will be changing again.
If Barnes listened, he would be picking up the phone when I call and he would begin raising money to conduct an OCS feasibility study. Thats far more important than new unis.
I am glad the Pitt script is back.
We can disagree about most everything, but me thinks we can all agree on that.
A desperate attempt to squelch free speech… or thought… in response to a little TRUTH that might be cutting a little too close to home… or in this case someone’s “Safe Space.”
Save it.
The all white look horrible and all the uniforms missed the boat removing the bold stripe down the legs. Asking Barnes to have the cajons to change the colors to something bolder was obviously way too much to ask of someone who has been shown to be clueless.
If Pitt somehow made money from Nike for these things that they presented, I can only hope that they use the $$ windfall to (1) figure out how to dramatically improve the midfield logo at Heinz and (2) get the hell rid of those ridiculous 1950’s stripes in the one end zone and replace it with a bold script worthy of a major football program.
Overall, hope the athletes like the new unis because most of us fans are blase or worse.
Can it get worse than this in college athletics? They’ve completely ruined the gold and blue color scheme. Even all of their panther logos stink, so they really have no option but to go back to the blue and yellow colors with the more identifiable Pitt script.
This article was from three years ago!
We have no identity like we did back in the day when our colors were unique and people knew it was Pitt wherever we went. Fat Head puts on a nice sparkling show but no substance at all. He could indeed care less what fans want. If possible he gets less impressive by the second. Who likes these? His Fan Committee of high donors, insiders, yes men..? Hail to Pitt – even though you let me down again.
I think you may have had too much to drink when you wrote this post. I don’t have time today to write this in detail, but here are my quick counterpoints.
Even back in the glory days, the Pitt uniform changed. Sleeve stripes, no sleeve stripes. The yellow on the jerseys changed and strangely went to a light yellow, matched nothing. Before Majors, they changed constantly. So let’s not act like Pitt has had the same uniform for 50 years.
You are wrong on the sleeve stripes in two areas.
They are actually another part of the glory day uniforms besides the script. It was an excellent idea. I know folks wanted the leg stripe also, but both would look ridiculous.
As for your dislike of the high stripe, no jerseys are made with the long sleeves anymore because players started taping them up and now they are made super short with elastic to fit up under the shoulder pads. Pitts new sleeve stripes are actually similar to Ohio States. They did the same thing to keep the stripes from the Archie days. No choice there but to make them on the shoulder.
Wearing the exact same traditional uniform does not make teams more recognizable and it certainly does not invoke thoughts of success. Only one thing invokes thoughts of success, that is winning consistently. Something Pitt has not done in a long time.
As for recognizable…Oregon, Baylor, Navy, WVU, UCLA, to name just a few that have gone the route of the modern uniform and are very very recognizable.
People recognize the emblem/color combination together. Mostly, the emblem. I don’t care if Oregon or WVU are wearing purple, turn on the TV and you see the helmet emblem and know who is playing immediately unless you are blind and have to study the colors of the uniforms. Pitt has been in the current colors so long, that is now the color people recognize for Pitt. Like it or not.
Narduzzi and company did a great job. Pitt is finally with the times. Teams now wear a combination of uniforms and helmets. It looks great, it sells. The majority of college football fans love it. It is part of the game now.
No team has long sleeves anymore. The stripes we got on the jersey is what they all do today.
LSU, Old Miss, all of them. When you watch them, you’ll see, they only do half stripes on the top for the look.
Notrocket, I might add, I think they coaches and players moved to the least amount of “loose” material as possible for holding and not getting grabbed.
Ok, have a good day all!!
Ole Miss!!!
Old Miss?? My God. Sorry, I had to clean that up just for own mind for the rest of the day!!!
Marino & Dorsett colors. tired of looking like Navy/ND.
Sorry!
