Illinois Football Uniforms

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I'm flattered! And no, I am not retired ... though I think I will make an EXCELLENT retiree, and I have never understood how people get bored. I think I'll be good at finding endlessly pointless-yet-fun activities! To answer the question about time management, I have two answers:

1. With respect to deliverables to clients, I have simply never disappointed. After 4.5 years with my firm, I have earned a lot of respect and a long leash, so I am by no means "policed" during work hours, and I also work from home 3-4 days per week. As long as I get my work done and the firm does well, no one is caring how we distribute our hours during the day ... *knock on wood*

2. I read once that the human brain totally plateaus with activity if you do something for more than 1.5 hours straight. Unless we are just super crunched for time, I usually try to take at least a 15- or 30-minute break every 2 hours or so. And, since I am a total psycho, my "break" is flipping through each Illini basketball season since 1999-2000 on Wikipedia and writing down our non-conference opponents.

 

[GraingerGremlin]

Via QB1’s instagram story. Not sure where the photo was taken from, but I wouldn’t mind flipping between these two designs for the regular season, and then reserve script for postseason (B10 championship and playoff). As mentioned earlier in this thread, I would also like to see the block I retired, a vertical logo on a more horizontal canvas just doesn’t look good.

Anyone know where this image couldve been taken from? Big 12 had uniforms on display earlier in the week so wondering if the B10 is doing something similar

 

[CaptainCrutch]

View attachment 42836
Via QB1’s instagram story. Not sure where the photo was taken from, but I wouldn’t mind flipping between these two designs for the regular season, and then reserve script for postseason (B10 championship and playoff). As mentioned earlier in this thread, I would also like to see the block I retired, a vertical logo on a more horizontal canvas just doesn’t look good.

Anyone know where this image couldve been taken from? Big 12 had uniforms on display earlier in the week so wondering if the B10 is doing something similar

Can we please, please have the arched helmet but swap in a white facemask? I want it so bad.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

FWIW, I just voted and Arched ILLINI is beating Slant ILLINOIS 53% to 47%. That actually really surprises me. Even though I definitely prefer Arched ILLINI, I feel like I generally see more people singing the praises of Slant ILLINOIS. I also feel like each helmet definitely looks better with a certain jersey (regardless of what color pants are worn. JMO and we haven't actually seen all of these combos live yet, but...

Slant ILLINOIS
- Best with white
- (VERY close) second best with orange
- Likely worst with navy

Arched ILLINI
- Best with navy
- Likely second best with orange (as seen in recruit photos)
- Possibly worst with white but not sure (would still look great)

So basically, I think their best-to-worst lists would be inverses of each other, so if we are going to utilize mainly those two all year ... I would generally go with Arched ILLINI at home (assuming navy jersey), Slant ILLINOIS on the road and either one/game-time decision for when we wear orange.

EDIT: With all that said, the SINGLE uniform combo I am most dying to see and desperately want for the huge road game at Indiana is the combo of Arched ILLINI and #BPOTR.

God, it's beautiful.

 

[GraingerGremlin]

Agreed, slant ILLINOIS should be worn with white and orange, and arched Illini should be worn with blue. Honestly, most clues have shown that this will be case for the upcoming season which I don't hate. I also see more people praising of Slant ILLINOIS, but I think the poll is close because it is on Altmeyer's Instagram so many more students are voting rather than alumni. Being on campus, I will say the cursive script (although I would predict to remain our postseason helmet) is the favorite among students, followed by the arch ILLINI. Only reason the ILLINOIS is praised so much is because of nostalgia from those that attended the university during that era. The wordmark is very generic, heck this thread is able to replicate the it in text by just italics and underling.

 

[CaptainCrutch]

Agreed, slant ILLINOIS should be worn with white and orange, and arched Illini should be worn with blue. Honestly, most clues have shown that this will be case for the upcoming season which I don't hate. I also see more people praising of Slant ILLINOIS, but I think the poll is close because it is on Altmeyer's Instagram so many more students are voting rather than alumni. Being on campus, I will say the cursive script (although I would predict to remain our postseason helmet) is the favorite among students, followed by the arch ILLINI. Only reason the ILLINOIS is praised so much is because of nostalgia from those that attended the university during that era. The wordmark is very generic, heck this thread is able to replicate the it in text by just italics and underling.

Just out of a lack of knowledge on my end what are the clues that arch will be used at all? While I've seen the arched Illini be used on team polos almost exclusively, we are using script logos for offense in spring and underlined for the defense/ST in spring. Nobody is wearing the arched logo. We used that logo one time at Purdue and then never again, in practice or live. With the exception of the polos that arch isn’t used anywhere. The slant and the script are used intentionally in marketing stuff this summer (see below).

 

[TheFlyingIllini1317]

FWIW, I just voted and Arched ILLINI is beating Slant ILLINOIS 53% to 47%. That actually really surprises me. Even though I definitely prefer Arched ILLINI, I feel like I generally see more people singing the praises of Slant ILLINOIS. I also feel like each helmet definitely looks better with a certain jersey (regardless of what color pants are worn. JMO and we haven't actually seen all of these combos live yet, but...

Slant ILLINOIS
- Best with white
- (VERY close) second best with orange
- Likely worst with navy

Arched ILLINI
- Best with navy
- Likely second best with orange (as seen in recruit photos)
- Possibly worst with white but not sure (would still look great)

So basically, I think their best-to-worst lists would be inverses of each other, so if we are going to utilize mainly those two all year ... I would generally go with Arched ILLINI at home (assuming navy jersey), Slant ILLINOIS on the road and either one/game-time decision for when we wear orange.

EDIT: With all that said, the SINGLE uniform combo I am most dying to see and desperately want for the huge road game at Indiana is the combo of Arched ILLINI and #BPOTR.

View attachment 42838
God, it's beautiful.

Agree 100% but I don't think it's worse with white, PLEASE wear those vs IU!

 

[TheFlyingIllini1317]

Maybe it was Hankins pictures with the ILLINOIS cause he had blue pants I think arch is best with blue than maybe script second, something just looked off. The slant Illinois on the road is 100% the best road look if we don't wear blue pants, then arch with BPOTR.

 

[Battle89]

Agreed, slant ILLINOIS should be worn with white and orange, and arched Illini should be worn with blue. Honestly, most clues have shown that this will be case for the upcoming season which I don't hate. I also see more people praising of Slant ILLINOIS, but I think the poll is close because it is on Altmeyer's Instagram so many more students are voting rather than alumni. Being on campus, I will say the cursive script (although I would predict to remain our postseason helmet) is the favorite among students, followed by the arch ILLINI. Only reason the ILLINOIS is praised so much is because of nostalgia from those that attended the university during that era. The wordmark is very generic, heck this thread is able to replicate the it in text by just italics and underling.

I'm beating a dead horse because it seems that Bret likes the Giants logo style, and his vote is the only one that matters. But there is zero nostalgia in my mind for the slant and I am team Arch. On campus 85-89.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I'm beating a dead horse because it seems that Bret likes the Giants logo style, and his vote is the only one that matters. But there is zero nostalgia in my mind for the slant and I am team Arch. On campus 85-89.

I've warmed up to Slant ILLINOIS a bit, but this is definitely how I used to feel. Slant ILLINOIS was worn by two of our better teams in the last 50 years (2001 Sugar Bowl/Big Ten champs and 2007 Rose Bowl), but it was also the helmet associated with 5 straight losing seasons between those teams and a return to mediocrity after the Rose Bowl season. For me, I cannot NOT associate it with the Guenther Era and this general aura that seemed to surround the DIA that Illinois was "small-time," and that was perfectly okay ... e.g., the "University of East Central Illinois" comments always levied at RG by his haters. Plus, fair or not, it will always have an underwhelming status as our first decidedly post-Chief aesthetic, as it was quickly thrown over a Block I that could have stood perfectly fine on its own with no wording, lol.

I think it says a lot that the main thing I like about it is that it looks kind of retro and fits well spatially on a helmet ... but the specific "nostalgia" it has for me is being a grade school Illini fan in Iowa City and wondering why we were so frickin' bad, haha.

 

[lstewart53x3]

I’m team ABBI (anything but block I)

 

[altgeld88]

lol. U are truly my brother from another mother. You should have seen my "break" activity during the COVID incarceration years.

 

[GraingerGremlin]

I’m team ABBI (anything but block I)

Have to agree, iconic logo, just looks awkward on a helmet.

 

[mattcoldagelli]

I’m team ABBI (anything but block I)

More and more people are saying

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

it looked even more awkward when it was not purely plumb when worn .

plumb on the table when off the head , slanted on the field when worn

 

[BZuppke]

Until the next generation deems it cool and retro. In its day we hated slant Illinois and wanted to go back to the arch. Now a lot of people like the slant. I don’t like it for the reason it was adopted - we had to write out the whole word so people knew who we were. Very desperate and demeaning.

 

[Illiniguy74]

Have to agree, iconic logo, just looks awkward on a helmet.

There's plenty of room on the Butkus era bus. Jump on board with me. It's pretty lonely at the moment.

 

[IlliniInBuckeyeState]

I can't track down which games were "designated" preseason for a certain helmet, but the way to REALLY tell Bret's preference (at least IMO) is to look at what we did in the "open helmet" games. For example, we never wore the Butkus Era or Arched ILLINI helmets a single time other than each design's "pre-announced game." Conversely, as you pointed out, we wore the Slant ILLINOIS helmet not only vs. Kansas (its debut) but then again at Nebraska, at Penn State, vs. Minnesota and at Rutgers. It's safe to say Bret likes those ones.

I'm going to go ahead and guess that (if he is really as superstitious as some here say), both the O/B/B look and the Butkus Era helmets are going to be sidelined for a while. The O/B/B combo (while it looks great) has been worn for a too-close-for-comfort win vs. FAU in 2023, an embarrassing beatdown vs. Nebraska in 2023 and a heart-stopping lucky win vs. Purdue in 2024 - the latter also being the lone time we have worn the Butkus Era helmets. Let's all hope that Bret is as superstitious about the white pants on the road (i.e., O/W/W), as we thankfully haven't worn that combo since getting demolished at Oregon last year.

FWIW, this is my PREDICTION of what we will do this year for helmets/uniforms, followed by what I WISH we would do ... and yes, I am aware the latter has definitely probably changed since whenever I last posted this!

ACTUAL PREDICTION
O/B/O + Block I vs. Western Illinois
O/W/O + Slant ILLINOIS at Duke
O/B/O + Slant ILLINOIS vs. Western Michigan (first time of this helmet with the navy jersey)
O/W/O + Slant ILLINOIS at Indiana (we beat Duke and "stick with what worked")
O/B/O + Script vs. USC (Script makes its return for Homecoming)
O/W/W + Slant ILLINOIS at Purdue (for some reason he loves this look, so I think it comes back)
O/O/O + Slant ILLINOIS vs. Ohio State (Orange Out game, plus we seem to prioritize this helmet with the orange uniform)
O/W/W + Slant ILLINOIS at Washington (a loss at Washington finally retires this look)
O/B/O + Block I vs. Rutgers
O/B/O + Script vs. Maryland
O/W/O + Script at Wisconsin (first time seeing Script with the white uniforms)
O/B/O + Script vs. Northwestern

O/B/O + Script OR O/W/O + Slant ILLINOIS for postseason

FIGHTER'S WISHLIST
O/B/O + Script vs. Western Illinois (gotta wear the Citrus Bowl uniform for the home opener!)
O/W/O + Slant ILLINOIS at Duke (good juju, as we wore this at Nebraska for our first road test last year)
O/B/O + Script vs. Western Michigan (Script should be default home helmet, IMO)
O/W/B + Arched ILLINI at Indiana (Bret ... IT'S TIME! #BPOTR)
O/B/O + Script vs. USC (default home uniform should be worn at Homecoming!)
O/W/O + Slant ILLINOIS at Purdue (default road combo)
O/O/O + Slant ILLINOIS vs. Ohio State (Orange Out game, plus even I admit that this combo looked so slick vs. KU last year)
O/W/O + Arched ILLINI at Washington (give the Arched ILLINI more love, Bret!!)
O/B/B + Arched ILLINI vs. Rutgers (a classic '80s look for Dads Day!!)
O/O/W + Slant ILLINOIS vs. Maryland (Veterans Day look from last year but trying the white pants!)
O/W/B + Script at Wisconsin (return to #BPOTR but try it with the Script)
O/B/O + Script vs. Northwestern

O/B/O + Script OR O/W/B + Slant ILLINOIS for postseason

As others have said, I love your passion for this topic, @Fighter of the Nightman (behind only your passion for Memorial Stadium beautification).

My only comment/prediction for the upcoming seasons is that slant ILLINOIS will be worn for the Ohio State game, as a nod back to the famous 2007 win over the #1 Buckeyes in Columbus. That was a formative moment in my Illinois football fandom (username and avatar checks out, eh?) and an iconic win in the history of the program. From what I've seen, the marketing of this game has already used exclusively ILLINOIS branding. Many more recalls back to the '07 game will be drawn leading up to October 11, I'm sure. Especially with us having a talented team that might just be capable of pulling a similar upset.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

As others have said, I love your passion for this topic, @Fighter of the Nightman (behind only your passion for Memorial Stadium beautification).

My only comment/prediction for the upcoming seasons is that slant ILLINOIS will be worn for the Ohio State game, as a nod back to the famous 2007 win over the #1 Buckeyes in Columbus. That was a formative moment in my Illinois football fandom (username and avatar checks out, eh?) and an iconic win in the history of the program. From what I've seen, the marketing of this game has already used exclusively ILLINOIS branding. Many more recalls back to the '07 game will be drawn leading up to October 11, I'm sure. Especially with us having a talented team that might just be capable of pulling a similar upset.

Yeah, good catch and I assume you are right. My only two reservations is that we never wore the Slant ILLINOIS with the navy jerseys once last year (though admittedly, more of the home schedule was reserved for the specified helmets), and our victory at OSU was on the road and therefore in the white uniforms (so I associated it less with that helmet and more with the white uniforms, I guess). However, like I said, I now think you are 100% correct, and that look would be A-okay by me!

 

[GraingerGremlin]

Yeah, good catch and I assume you are right. My only two reservations is that we never wore the Slant ILLINOIS with the navy jerseys once last year (though admittedly, more of the home schedule was reserved for the specified helmets), and our victory at OSU was on the road and therefore in the white uniforms (so I associated it less with that helmet and more with the white uniforms, I guess). However, like I said, I now think you are 100% correct, and that look would be A-okay by me!

Is it pretty likely that we'll be wearing all orange then? I would bet on it since it's an orange out and all things lead that we'll be wearing the ILLINOIS helmet.

 

[GraingerGremlin]

There's plenty of room on the Butkus era bus. Jump on board with me. It's pretty lonely at the moment.

Haha fax, Butkus era helmets need to get talked about more. I'm team script all the way though, wish the university would make it an official logo and finally retire the 1LL1NO1S wordmark.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

There's plenty of room on the Butkus era bus. Jump on board with me. It's pretty lonely at the moment.

If the W/B/W stripe on the Butkus Era helmets would flip to match the B/W/B stripe on all of our other ones, they might instantly become my favorite. However, I will always hate any 3-stripe pattern where the darker color is not on the outside.

Is it pretty likely that we'll be wearing all orange then? I would bet on it since it's an orange out and all things lead that we'll be wearing the ILLINOIS helmet.

Yeah, we will definitely be in all orange that game (though I am adamant that we need to try the white pants with our orange jerseys, as it would look really good...) and almost certainly the Slant ILLINOIS helmet.

 

[RabidDawgClassic]

As others have said, I love your passion for this topic, @Fighter of the Nightman (behind only your passion for Memorial Stadium beautification).

My only comment/prediction for the upcoming seasons is that slant ILLINOIS will be worn for the Ohio State game, as a nod back to the famous 2007 win over the #1 Buckeyes in Columbus. That was a formative moment in my Illinois football fandom (username and avatar checks out, eh?) and an iconic win in the history of the program. From what I've seen, the marketing of this game has already used exclusively ILLINOIS branding. Many more recalls back to the '07 game will be drawn leading up to October 11, I'm sure. Especially with us having a talented team that might just be capable of pulling a similar upset.

I would argue that the Arched Illini helmet should be worn as a nod to the famous Thomas Rooks game in 1983.

 

[redwingillini11]

View attachment 42836
Via QB1’s instagram story. Not sure where the photo was taken from, but I wouldn’t mind flipping between these two designs for the regular season, and then reserve script for postseason (B10 championship and playoff). As mentioned earlier in this thread, I would also like to see the block I retired, a vertical logo on a more horizontal canvas just doesn’t look good.

Anyone know where this image couldve been taken from? Big 12 had uniforms on display earlier in the week so wondering if the B10 is doing something similar

If we alternated between these two helmets throughout the season moving forward, I would be the happiest little Illini fan.

 

[TheFlyingIllini1317]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1944177846357737577

Easily our best non traditional look. Makes me think of OkState, but this combo with this helmet is so sharp. Would be cool to see once every other year or for the Orange out.