Agreed. I have nostalgia for the older unis of course, but I think the last two sets since the rebrand are the best we’ve ever had. The Zook era is the Nike pointless side panel template look at it’s most generic, and the 80’s jerseys look like Wal-mart knockoffs now. The Tepper/Turner unis still look OK, but the slant ILLINOIS logo should be placed in a rocket and fired into the sun.
Lovie didn’t like it
Neither does Underwood and neither does Whitman.
I like those uniforms (Kurt Kittner era) but with the oversized numbers from the Tepper era. I also wouldn't mind having a defense that was as good as the Lou Tepper days.Of course we still do have white facemasks, just on our white helmets in our frequent white-out road look, the absolute worst uniform trend in college football.
I really do think the 2001-era uniforms are the best we've done though. There was a crispness to the whole package that we haven't ever matched.
And there is a lesson in us making some very subtle changes in 2004-ish, and ending up with a much lesser overall product
As I said before, they aren't wearing the same equipment, so it can't all be exactly the same, and I'm no devotee of slant Illinois, but if I'm looking to draw visual inspiration for what we should do, 2001 is where I'm going. That it's our last Big Ten championship team (and of course the era our AD played) makes it that much more natural.
Take the 2001 style. Update to the current number font. Replace the slant Illinois with the shield and we’re golden. DoneOf course we still do have white facemasks, just on our white helmets in our frequent white-out road look, the absolute worst uniform trend in college football.
I really do think the 2001-era uniforms are the best we've done though. There was a crispness to the whole package that we haven't ever matched.
And there is a lesson in us making some very subtle changes in 2004-ish, and ending up with a much lesser overall product
As I said before, they aren't wearing the same equipment, so it can't all be exactly the same, and I'm no devotee of slant Illinois, but if I'm looking to draw visual inspiration for what we should do, 2001 is where I'm going. That it's our last Big Ten championship team (and of course the era our AD played) makes it that much more natural.
These are cool jerseys, but kind of basic. I like the Beckman jerseys.Of course we still do have white facemasks, just on our white helmets in our frequent white-out road look, the absolute worst uniform trend in college football.
I really do think the 2001-era uniforms are the best we've done though. There was a crispness to the whole package that we haven't ever matched.
And there is a lesson in us making some very subtle changes in 2004-ish, and ending up with a much lesser overall product
As I said before, they aren't wearing the same equipment, so it can't all be exactly the same, and I'm no devotee of slant Illinois, but if I'm looking to draw visual inspiration for what we should do, 2001 is where I'm going. That it's our last Big Ten championship team (and of course the era our AD played) makes it that much more natural.
True, but it still suited our color scheme and looked good on us.
Most people that I know here in the South and, in parts of the Midwest, don't even know that the shield is a shield. I was asked all of the time what that particular image was.
I’d settle for a QB that throws off of the correct foot
I am one that likes the idea of pushing the military aspect of Fighting Illini. I do not know the origins of these helmets but made me wonder if they could develop an aesthetic helmet design with a list of the fallen soldiers that the columns actually memorialize.
I’d settle for a QB that throws off of the correct foot
Here are some more mock ups
If you have to explain what it is I'm thinking it's not a good image.
Didn't realize how similar these two were.
Not a big fan of the stars but, I love this uni. I wouldn't mind if they just had the numbers on the side of the helmets.Didn't realize how similar these two were.
Still, besides the stars issue, that uniform is also a historically incorrect mashup of the home jersey and road pants of the Butkus era.
But it's certainly a lesson in not being afraid of some white. And also that simplicity is a virtue. Keep in mind, simplicity is not the same thing as "traditional", sometimes uniforms that are explicitly backward looking to cater to cranky old guy fans still nonetheless have too much going on visually:
One last stray observation, contrasting collars tend to look a lot better on the jersey as a fan-worn item than on an actual football uniform.
No thanks!
