Nike Uniform Review

We have some cool new uniforms for the game against Maryland on Saturday. However, I am not the best source for conversations about football uniforms. That responsibility should fall to a man who knows what he's talking about. A man who can tell you the uniform being worn by every team in every Superbowl dating back to the very first one. That man is Lee, our special uniform correspondent. Take it away Lee...

Pat, I'm honored to act as a special correspondent for this special uniform segment of your blog. As a secure manly man, I still notice a good uniform and have somehow developed a trained-eye for subtle uniform changes. Sometimes it’s useful, most of the time it’s creepy. When I was a kid, my dad bought me a framed collection of the then 28 NFL team helmets. I paid delicate attention to each helmet, apparently due to a lack of modern conveniences in my humble West Virginia upbringing. So now, each time an NFL team changes their helmet, a small cash register sound reverberates in my head as I reflect on my priceless collection. This is my only explanation for how I pick up on such subtleties as the Jets changing their facemasks from white to black (when Boomer Esiason was their starter), or when the Ravens tried to pull a fast one and pretend like their original logo wasn't their decal with precious little angel wings on the sides (take that Ritt!), or when the expansion Jaguars intended to wear this helmet, but soon repented and went with this helmet. Unfortunately this poor guy had already cashed in on future Jaguar glory with this non-refundable purchase in 1995.

So here we are in 2009, watching the Hokies getting ready to debut their seventh different uniform combination and their third different helmet! And I have to say that I personally don’t mind, I think it’s fun to be uncertain of what your team will look like before they head out of the tunnel. I think the Hokies are quickly becoming the Oregon of the east for a few good reasons: they lack the tradition that will prevent many schools from ever changing (Penn State and Alabama come to mind for some reason), they have been a great team for the past 15 years, and they are the only team to brilliantly combine maroon and orange, so everything looks a little fresher and different. Considering Nike foots the bill and the special uniforms are auctioned off for charity, it seems like a win-win.

As for the Nike combat uniforms, Virginia Tech is the second (after TCU) of 10 teams that will debut a new look this year. I predict that like TCU and VT, the other participating schools will be short in tradition but rich in current success. Although I don’t love this uniform up close (especially the fading of the numbers from maroon to orange and the lines on the shoulder pads), I think they’re going to look great on the field. I love the white helmet and think the Hokies should seriously consider wearing it in different combinations. Still my all-time favorite combination is the uniforms the Hokies wore against Georgia Tech. As long as they avoid these uniforms, I think Tech’s uniform future is bright, I wish I could say the same about their offense.

Powerful stuff from a man who knows a thing or two about what looks bad-ass on a football field.