As a designer, I look forward to seeing the Nike Pro Combat uniforms each season. They’ve done some very nice work with teams like Oklahoma, Texas, and LSU. And they’ve done some interesting work for teams that are up-and-coming, such as Boise State.
But if there’s one thing that college football is about, it’s tradition. And while teams like the Broncos may be young, there are a handful of schools that are considered traditional football powers. The University of Georgia is one of those schools.
While I’m always open to change, and enjoy playing around with design elements, there needs to be some level of respect for tradition in college football. I sometimes wonder if these designers at Nike actually know anything about college football history. There have been some wild designs over the past few years worn by Boise State, Virginia Tech, Pitt, and others that suggest Nike views the Pro Combat uniforms merely as one-off design projects.
Case in point: the 2011 Georgia Bulldogs. Wow. I doubt that even Lady Gaga could have come up with something so tacky. These uniforms look okay against a black background in a design annual. But they look terrible on the field and have no connection to Georgia tradition. Nike claims the silver is an homage to Georgia’s last national championship. Seriously? Georgia’s last national championship was in 1980! You’re basing a major design element on that? They even have the word “Georgia” on the back of the jerseys where the player’s name should be—I suppose so people watching the game will know which team is on the field.
These uniforms are a perfect example of designers failing to understand the purpose of a project. Instead of taking into account the school’s history, identity, and past uniform designs—such as they did with Texas in 2009—these designers appear to have looked to the Power Rangers for inspiration. To make matters worse they either have no knowledge of Georgia’s history or have no respect for it.
And fault also lies with Georgia itself. Could you imagine Penn State, Alabama, Michigan, or USC ever allowing their uniforms to be modified in this way? This would never happen. Last season Alabama received the Nike Pro Combat treatment and the most noticeable change to the uniform was a subtle houndstooth pattern (which is an iconic element in Bama football history) in the white stripe that runs down the center of the helmet. If Georgia wants to get back into the national discussion, they need to focus on playing better football, recruiting better, instilling a stronger must-win attitude in the team. Gimmicks like these Red Ranger uniforms are of no help, and are a slap in the face to a great football program and its rich tradition that should be protected.
I’m not against Nike Pro Combat, but one thing about designers (I know, I am one) is that if you let them run wild this is what you get. Sometimes letting designers run wild is a good thing, but not when it comes to the traditions of college football. Nike is at it’s best when it shows restraint and honors tradition—such as with Texas and Alabama. That’s good design. These Georgia uniforms or not.
