Illinois Football Uniforms

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#51      
OrangeBlue98
Can't really add a lot more than what's been posted, but I'll add a few thoughts.

1) All-orange for the Orange Out and the Orange Out only. I'm good with wearing white pants with orange jerseys for a different home game, but the Orange Out should be just that. Keep that as a special event.

2) For football and basketball, I love the idea for a color vs color game with Mizzou. Navy vs Gold one year, Orange vs Black the next year. This REALLY needs to happen for Bragging Rights.

3) The Orange/White/Navy combination should be saved for a big road game every year. I remember that combination with Rocky Harvey diving into the end zone at Ann Arbor. I'd like to keep that for a special road game.
 
#53      
goillini30
OrangeBlue98 said:
Can't really add a lot more than what's been posted, but I'll add a few thoughts.

1) All-orange for the Orange Out and the Orange Out only. I'm good with wearing white pants with orange jerseys for a different home game, but the Orange Out should be just that. Keep that as a special event.

2) For football and basketball, I love the idea for a color vs color game with Mizzou. Navy vs Gold one year, Orange vs Black the next year. This REALLY needs to happen for Bragging Rights.

3) The Orange/White/Navy combination should be saved for a big road game every year. I remember that combination with Rocky Harvey diving into the end zone at Ann Arbor. I'd like to keep that for a special road game.
Click to expand...
1000000910.jpg


Beautiful
 
#58      
Fighter of the Nightman
^ This is awesome, and THANK YOU, my man! It's so great that you can do this, and I certainly am truly thankful as a uniform nerd. :cool: I will hold off on my predictions of what we will wear until closer to Week One and I will also eventually post what I would PERSONALLY prefer we do for each game, but for now here are the missing combos from my previous post outlining the combos we've used thus far:

O/B/B & Butkus Era Helmet
OBB Butkus.jpeg

2024 vs. Purdue

Grange Era Throwback Uniform
Grange Era.jpeg

2024 vs. Michigan

O/W/O & Block I Wrigley Helmet
OWO Block I Wrigley.jpeg

2024 vs. Northwestern (Wrigley Field)
 
#60      
Fighter of the Nightman
And I think this is my current preference for our games this year if it were up to me! I might change my mind on some of these, but some (e.g., at Indiana...) are pretty rock solid opinions, haha.

A couple general notes:
1) I am not on the bandwagon to have the Script helmet be designated for the postseason only ... I would utilize it, personally, as our main home helmet and utilize Slant ILLINOIS as the default road one.
2) I am assuming that the Butkus Era and (obviously) Wrigley-themed Block I helmets are off the table, but I am assuming Arched ILLINI is still an option.
3) I went back and forth, but I am CURRENTLY leaning toward thinking it would be cooler to let the Grange Era throwbacks stand on their own for that iconic Michigan game and not wear them this year ... maybe an every-four-years pattern so a kid who stays all four seasons gets to wear them at least once. With that said, I could be persuaded to bust them out vs. USC for Homecoming if they're going to be utilized for any game (OSU would also be cool, but that is the Orange Out game).

vs. Western Illinois ... Kick off this season's home opener with the uniforms that brought us the Citrus Bowl win and all of the ensuing hype we are currently enjoying!
OBO Script.jpeg


at Duke ... Go back to the road uniform that brought us road wins at Nebraska and Rutgers, as well as a battle in Happy Valley. I think this will establish itself as the go-to road uniform, and I'm a fan.
OWO Slant.jpeg


vs. Western Michigan ... I really considered an O/B/B look here, as this is our only 100% guaranteed game under the lights at Memorial Stadium. However, I do think we should reserve our more unique looks for truly unique occasions, so we rock the same uniform as Week One.
OBO Script.jpeg


at Indiana ... It's time, folks. #BPOTR is too perfect for this one, as it will likely be a super hyped road game, it very well could be in primetime and an opponent with red as its primary color is the exact time we should wear navy pants on the road, as it's a better contrast than the orange. Also, the Arched ILLINI helmet with this look just looks great and has this kind of retro swagger.
OWB Arch.jpeg


vs. USC (Homecoming) ... Again, IF we wore the Grange Era throwbacks, this would be it. However, I like the idea of always wearing O/B/O on Homecoming, and this would be a good time to finally see the Slant ILLINOIS helmet with the navy jersey for the first time.
OBO Slant.jpeg


at Purdue ... Back to the standard road uniform for what is hopefully an absolute beatdown in front of several thousand Illini fans who made the trip!
OWO Slant.jpeg


vs. Ohio State (Orange Out) ... While I really want to see the white pants with the orange jersey, I can be sympathetic to the idea that the "Orange Out" game should have us wearing all orange. I also think the Script helmet might look even better with the orange, but I think we have to go with Slant ILLINOIS here, as we wore it the last time we actually beat these guys. Also, this one might be under the lights if we are lucky, so let's go back to what got us the big-time win vs. KU last year.
OOO Slant.jpeg


at Washington ... Standard road uniform but bust out the Script helmet instead to show it off on the West Coast and hopefully usher in some good juju for a new era of actually winning some of these games where we travel to the Pacific Time Zone!
OWO Script.jpeg


vs. Rutgers (Dads Day) ... Give the dads some Arched ILLINI for Dads Day! I also just feel like the O/B/B is very 1980s Illini in my head, so it goes naturally with this helmet.
OBB Arch.jpeg



vs. Maryland (Veterans Day) ... Basically last year's Veterans Day look but this time we get to see it with the white pants! I could be persuaded that we should keep the orange uniform "special" and only wear it once per year, but I think it looks good with the Slant ILLINOIS Veterans Day helmet.
OOW Slant VDay.jpeg


at Wisconsin ... I know we "should" reserve the #BPOTR look for big-time road games (i.e., maybe once per year?) ... but this IS a big-time road game! Bielema's former team, revenge for the 2023 debacle, a possible chance to end the Fickell Era and possibly playing for a CFP spot. This time we utilize the Script helmet, but it's back to #BPOTR.
OWB Script.jpeg


vs. Northwestern ... Standard home uniform for a standard beatdown of the Kitties. I also think (similar to Homecoming) we should always wear this for Senior Day.
OBO Script.jpeg

Postseason Home ... I am not 100% tied to anything here, honestly; we have a lot of great looks. However, I would tend to lean toward the look that got us the Citrus Bowl victory!
OBO Script.jpeg

Postseason Away ... As I said, I am not on board with ONLY using the Script for postseason play, so I say we go back to the ultimate big-game road uniform.
OWB Arch.jpeg


That's what I would do, anyway! Different strokes for different folks, and I am sure in actuality we will see multiple things I don't like, such as no #BPOTR yet again and at least one road game where we wear white pants. However, we have a solid uniform set, and even the "bad" combos are light years better than the Lovie Era uniforms, so I can't complain too much!
 

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#62      
Fighter of the Nightman
logjam said:
Does anyone know if we have ever had a blue helmet...I can't recall it...
Click to expand...
We started wearing one rarely during the late years of the Zook Era uniforms (i.e., the early Beckman years), actually wore one quite a bit with the subsequent Beckman Era uniforms and it was also an option for the Lovie Era uniforms until Bret got here in 2021. While I don't think it looked BAD, necessarily, I do like the idea of Illinois Football being synonymous with only wearing an orange helmet.

champaignilseptember-28-university-illinois-fighting-260nw-180431987.jpg

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As I said, I am a fan of sticking with orange. With that said, if we MUST go crazy and have more than one helmet color (and we don't have to do this, lol...), I do think our white iterations have looked a lot better than blue...

ghows_image-LS-3537c082-16ec-4581-acfc-4a07b53c47a5.jpeg

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Again ... count me on team all orange, but for helmets ... white > navy.
 
#63      
illinoistradition
Fighter of the Nightman said:
We started wearing one rarely during the late years of the Zook Era uniforms (i.e., the early Beckman years), actually wore one quite a bit with the subsequent Beckman Era uniforms and it was also an option for the Lovie Era uniforms until Bret got here in 2021. While I don't think it looked BAD, necessarily, I do like the idea of Illinois Football being synonymous with only wearing an orange helmet.

champaignilseptember-28-university-illinois-fighting-260nw-180431987.jpg

dsc_2660_2579.jpg

20121117_lbm_bl2_441.0.jpg



636151611909069849-USATSI-9688505.jpg

evanston-il-hardy-nickerson-of-the-illinois-fighting-illini-follow-the-play-against-the.jpg


1063021208.jpg.0.jpg

usa_today_11725563.0.0.jpg


As I said, I am a fan of sticking with orange. With that said, if we MUST go crazy and have more than one helmet color (and we don't have to do this, lol...), I do think our white iterations have looked a lot better than blue...

ghows_image-LS-3537c082-16ec-4581-acfc-4a07b53c47a5.jpeg

convert

USATSI_8096023.jpg


USATSI_15172432-1024x683.jpg

convert

convert


Again ... count me on team all orange, but for helmets ... white > navy.
Click to expand...
Man those uniforms were as bad as those teams. Yikes.
 
#66      
CaptainCrutch
Fighter of the Nightman said:
We started wearing one rarely during the late years of the Zook Era uniforms (i.e., the early Beckman years), actually wore one quite a bit with the subsequent Beckman Era uniforms and it was also an option for the Lovie Era uniforms until Bret got here in 2021. While I don't think it looked BAD, necessarily, I do like the idea of Illinois Football being synonymous with only wearing an orange helmet.

champaignilseptember-28-university-illinois-fighting-260nw-180431987.jpg

dsc_2660_2579.jpg

20121117_lbm_bl2_441.0.jpg



636151611909069849-USATSI-9688505.jpg

evanston-il-hardy-nickerson-of-the-illinois-fighting-illini-follow-the-play-against-the.jpg


1063021208.jpg.0.jpg

usa_today_11725563.0.0.jpg


As I said, I am a fan of sticking with orange. With that said, if we MUST go crazy and have more than one helmet color (and we don't have to do this, lol...), I do think our white iterations have looked a lot better than blue...

ghows_image-LS-3537c082-16ec-4581-acfc-4a07b53c47a5.jpeg

convert

USATSI_8096023.jpg


USATSI_15172432-1024x683.jpg

convert

convert


Again ... count me on team all orange, but for helmets ... white > navy.
Click to expand...

Two revelations I’ve had while reviewing this post, Fighter:

1. We’ve had that same number font for over a decade now. It’s stuck. I hate it on the end zones and lettering with the extra serif, but I am just now realizing that I actually kinda like it. It’s unique, easily readable, and sharp. I’m actually good with it. Block numbers are what so many other teams have. I’ve grown fonder.

2. You cannot convince me that those 2014 jerseys weren’t *this close* to being good uniforms. Here’s the 2017 game against Iowa that you shared (also, is the block I thicker here? It looks really balanced on the helmet compared to others):
IMG_4686.jpeg


And here it is with just a few tweaks. Now I love it. Still like our current ones much better, but this actually feels like it would have been a top-tier jersey in the late 2010’s:
You_Doodle_2025-08-19T13_23_01Z.jpeg
 
#67      
Toews
2014 uniforms weren’t bad some of the stuff is dated now but the ideas were solid. The white uniform from the 2014 rebrand was really good and still kind of the base of what we use now. The blue didn’t look that good imo tho and the orange was good but didn’t look like Illinois.
 
#71      
redwingillini11
Fighter of the Nightman said:
And I think this is my current preference for our games this year if it were up to me! I might change my mind on some of these, but some (e.g., at Indiana...) are pretty rock solid opinions, haha.

A couple general notes:
1) I am not on the bandwagon to have the Script helmet be designated for the postseason only ... I would utilize it, personally, as our main home helmet and utilize Slant ILLINOIS as the default road one.
2) I am assuming that the Butkus Era and (obviously) Wrigley-themed Block I helmets are off the table, but I am assuming Arched ILLINI is still an option.
3) I went back and forth, but I am CURRENTLY leaning toward thinking it would be cooler to let the Grange Era throwbacks stand on their own for that iconic Michigan game and not wear them this year ... maybe an every-four-years pattern so a kid who stays all four seasons gets to wear them at least once. With that said, I could be persuaded to bust them out vs. USC for Homecoming if they're going to be utilized for any game (OSU would also be cool, but that is the Orange Out game).

vs. Western Illinois ... Kick off this season's home opener with the uniforms that brought us the Citrus Bowl win and all of the ensuing hype we are currently enjoying!
View attachment 43228

at Duke ... Go back to the road uniform that brought us road wins at Nebraska and Rutgers, as well as a battle in Happy Valley. I think this will establish itself as the go-to road uniform, and I'm a fan.
View attachment 43229

vs. Western Michigan ... I really considered an O/B/B look here, as this is our only 100% guaranteed game under the lights at Memorial Stadium. However, I do think we should reserve our more unique looks for truly unique occasions, so we rock the same uniform as Week One.
View attachment 43228

at Indiana ... It's time, folks. #BPOTR is too perfect for this one, as it will likely be a super hyped road game, it very well could be in primetime and an opponent with red as its primary color is the exact time we should wear navy pants on the road, as it's a better contrast than the orange. Also, the Arched ILLINI helmet with this look just looks great and has this kind of retro swagger.
View attachment 43231

vs. USC (Homecoming) ... Again, IF we wore the Grange Era throwbacks, this would be it. However, I like the idea of always wearing O/B/O on Homecoming, and this would be a good time to finally see the Slant ILLINOIS helmet with the navy jersey for the first time.
View attachment 43234

at Purdue ... Back to the standard road uniform for what is hopefully an absolute beatdown in front of several thousand Illini fans who made the trip!
View attachment 43229

vs. Ohio State (Orange Out) ... While I really want to see the white pants with the orange jersey, I can be sympathetic to the idea that the "Orange Out" game should have us wearing all orange. I also think the Script helmet might look even better with the orange, but I think we have to go with Slant ILLINOIS here, as we wore it the last time we actually beat these guys. Also, this one might be under the lights if we are lucky, so let's go back to what got us the big-time win vs. KU last year.
View attachment 43237

at Washington ... Standard road uniform but bust out the Script helmet instead to show it off on the West Coast and hopefully usher in some good juju for a new era of actually winning some of these games where we travel to the Pacific Time Zone!
View attachment 43240

vs. Rutgers (Dads Day) ... Give the dads some Arched ILLINI for Dads Day! I also just feel like the O/B/B is very 1980s Illini in my head, so it goes naturally with this helmet.
View attachment 43236


vs. Maryland (Veterans Day) ... Basically last year's Veterans Day look but this time we get to see it with the white pants! I could be persuaded that we should keep the orange uniform "special" and only wear it once per year, but I think it looks good with the Slant ILLINOIS Veterans Day helmet.
View attachment 43238

at Wisconsin ... I know we "should" reserve the #BPOTR look for big-time road games (i.e., maybe once per year?) ... but this IS a big-time road game! Bielema's former team, revenge for the 2023 debacle, a possible chance to end the Fickell Era and possibly playing for a CFP spot. This time we utilize the Script helmet, but it's back to #BPOTR.
View attachment 43239

vs. Northwestern ... Standard home uniform for a standard beatdown of the Kitties. I also think (similar to Homecoming) we should always wear this for Senior Day.
View attachment 43228
Postseason Home ... I am not 100% tied to anything here, honestly; we have a lot of great looks. However, I would tend to lean toward the look that got us the Citrus Bowl victory!
View attachment 43228
Postseason Away ... As I said, I am not on board with ONLY using the Script for postseason play, so I say we go back to the ultimate big-game road uniform.
View attachment 43231

That's what I would do, anyway! Different strokes for different folks, and I am sure in actuality we will see multiple things I don't like, such as no #BPOTR yet again and at least one road game where we wear white pants. However, we have a solid uniform set, and even the "bad" combos are light years better than the Lovie Era uniforms, so I can't complain too much!
Click to expand...

I think this is a great uniform schedule. The only thing I would change is I think 6 games is too many for the script Illinois. They aren't my favorite, and I'd dig them more if used just for special occasions. I'd maybe bump arched Illini up to about 4 or so games. Instead.

But otherwise I love this. Hopefully the team has similar thoughts as well!
 
#74      
Mr. Tibbs
skyIdub said:
Just a rando thought....if we do the ivy thing again.....I think it would be way cooler on the script or arch.
Click to expand...
NW not having any more games against us at Wrigley , and we aren’t having a home game there with their capacity .

that was a one off
 
#75      
2X2L
That fake punt against Michigan October 2024 was a a thing of ɓeauty. I will always remember that game.
 
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