Today Nike unveiled Virginia Tech's new Nike Pro Combat uniforms that the Hokies will wear in the season opener versus third-ranked Boise State. To the surprise of the Hokie Nation the uniforms weren't Maroon, Orange, or even White, but Black. That's right Black.
To see a Virginia Tech football team wearing black you would have to travel all the way back to the year 1895. That would be the last year that Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College would wear their original school colors of Cadet Grey and Black. The following year Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange would be adopted for its unique and eye-pleasing combination, along with the university's motto "Ut Prosim," and the university's seal. VAMC would also add Polytechnic Institute to its name, and become known as VPI.
Now that the history lesson is over, let's get down to the real business at hand. The new uni's. I'm not going to lie, I was shell-shocked when I first saw them. I had to take multiple hour-long breaks, and then return to evaluate the outfits. I didn't know just exactly how I felt about them. My first impulse was "man these things are high tech, non-traditional (which is an injustice), and most importantly fugly." I had a hard time coping with the numbers on the jerseys looking like the inside of a clear, neon calculator. I also thought the stripes on the front of the helmet looked too UVAish, which is disgusting. I also thought the timing was all wrong. If we were ever supposed to wear black for an opener, it should have been in 2007 against East Carolina in remembrance of the April 16th victims. Why would we choose this season with such high hopes and national title aspirations to look so grim in black? I decided to take a break. You know take a couple of plays off to gather my thoughts, and let the images simmer in my brain.
Surprisingly I have now grown to actually like the uniforms. I know that this is probably a shock to most of you because if you know me, you know that I am an avid, old school traditionalist to say the least. What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything Nike. The flashy pro-combat website reeled me in like a starving bass. The uniform looks tough, and I mean TOUGH. Black and Orange always play nicely together, and its no different in this case. It definitely brings the word technology to mind, and maybe Armor All. The Orange Pro-Combat undershirt really makes the uniform pop. The Orange Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly cleats are very sleek and eye-catching. (I can't wait to see Ryan Williams rip off a huge run with those puppies on, it'll look just like the cartoon Road Runner's feet). The calf-length black socks with the Orange Swooshes are an overlooked gem in this ensemble in my opinion. I'm sure even my 40 yard dash time would go up if I had those on. The Orange Swoosh on the jersey is icing on the cake, but like I said I'm smitten by the Swoosh. The flat-Black helmet looks legit (minus the Maroon stripes on the front). The Orange VT logo jumps right off the dark helmet like a neon sign. The Ut Prosim on the back pad of the helmet is a very classy addition, and probably the best part of the helmet.
To me this uniform screams Thursday night in Blacksburg, but I'll settle for a Monday night in the capitol. I really hope we win this game, so the possibility of wearing these on the Thursday-nighter versus GT stands. It would be awesome to show them who the real Tech is in these babies, as we grasp sweet revenge from last season. The black uni's also come in handy if we lose, because they would signify the death of our National Title hopes. Let's just hope we win this show-down, and avoid being Thunderstruck.
To check out the sweet new uniforms click here. Also, explore the rest of the sweet Nike Pro Combat website. They've done an awesome job with it, so don't be afraid. Sniff around a bit.
No comments:
Post a Comment