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By Clint Hamilton
clint@piedmontgazette.com
Tuscaloosa – The University of Alabama football team will don new uniforms this fall, and this Saturday the team will unveil a revolutionary new design by NIKE, exclusively made for the Crimson Tide.
Head coach Nick Saban and several Crimson Tide players will participate in the presentation at Bryant-Denny Stadium to introduce Alabama’s new “threads”. “Coach Saban will make a few remarks and then field some questions from the media before the player’s model the new uniforms” said one university official. Several former players will also be in attendance.
The new changes will involve new age fabrics that will benefit the players during the game. From a design standpoint, the uniforms will incorporate one of the official school colors, gray, back into the uniform for the first time since 1899 when the team wore crimson and gray striped jerseys.
It’s the first major overhaul in the football uniform since 1958, Paul Bryant’s first year, when he added three stripes to the jersey sleeves, a crimson stripe to the white helmet, numbers to the sleeves and two crimson stripes down the side of the leg.
The home jersey will be crimson, but numbers will be added back to the sleeves of the jersey for the first time since 1973. There will also be gray trim around the numerals of the jersey along with the name plate on the back of the jersey. The road jersey will be white, with crimson numbers and gray trim; names will also be in crimson trimmed in gray.
The pants will continue to be white, but instead of the traditional two crimson stripes, a gray stripe replaces one of the crimson stripes, the stripes will be widened and no white will be shown between the stripes. The shoes worn will be white.
The helmet will still be the traditional crimson with numerals on each side, but they will be trimmed in gray and a gray stripe will be added down the center of the helmet. Additionally, the paint scheme will change from a lacquer base to a urethane base. The urethane base will give the helmets a “metallic” look that a lot of college and pro teams are using today.
“We are fortunate and honored to have a partner like NIKE provide such outstanding services for us,” athletic director Mal Moore said. “This uniform change adds a different look while still keeping with Alabama’s rich tradition.”
Aside from a slightly different look, there are several main technical details of the new uniform. These include:
-Innovative Fit. The new jersey has an updated design and new performance fabrics producing a tight shrink-wrapped fit, thus minimizing “grab” points that opponents can hang onto;
-Weight Reduction. Both the jersey and pants are lighter weight;
-Increased Ventilation. A light-weight mesh is added in areas traditionally covered by non-breathable fabrics (upper back, neck and under arms), now enabling heat to escape;
-Improved Moisture Management. Both jersey and pant are produced with the most technical uniform fabrics by NIKE that hold far less moisture, thus carrying less weight; this is very significant in the game pants.
Alabama Football Uniform Evolution
1892 - Alabama uniform was described as being white with crimson stockings. Large crimson letters U. of A. on their sweaters. Also crimson sweaters with white A.
1894 - Extended collar with string tie; thick pants.
1895 - Striped stockings appear.
1896 - Extra padding in arms.
1897 - Increase in padding of arms.
1898 - No team.
1899 - Striped jerseys; Solid color stockings (Crimson).
1900 - Crimson jersey with stripes or arms; Solid color stockings (Crimson); Noseguards form of helmet.
1902 - Uniforms were a combination of past several years.
1903 - Crimson jersey; Crimson stockings with white stripe; form of shoulder padding.
1904 - Skin guards and increase in shoulder padding.
1905 - Mixture of uniforms of past several years. Vest Shoulder padding
1910 - Increased shoulder padding.
1918 - No team.
1919 - Solid (Crimson?) with white stripes on arms; Thigh and knee pads present.
(Corolla shows all white jerseys for road games.)
1920 - Jerseys now have thicker white stripes on arms; White stockings; Numbers on backs of jerseys.
1921 - Improvement in shoulder pads.
1922 - Thinner white stripes on jersey.
1923 - Jerseys now have stripes running up and down with two patches on inside of arms.
1924 - Long stripe down arm and also increase in padding.
1925 - Increase in padding.
1926 - Some players still without helmets (leather). Increase in padding.
1927 - Increase in padding especially on the legs.
1928 - Use of white jerseys also; Increase in padding especially on the legs.
1929 - Increase in padding especially on the legs.
1930 - Now team also has solid (Crimson & White) jerseys with numbers on front. New white helmet with crimson markings.
1931 - Solid Crimson and White jerseys; Numbers on front all year, but still use of front stripe jersey; Helmets dark (Black?) with white markings.
1942 - Some players have form of facemask.
1943 - No team.
1945 - White pants worn midway through season.
1946 - White pants with two crimson stripes down side of leg.
1947 - Crimson and White jerseys; White pants with two Crimson stripes down side of leg; Two tone (Tan?) pants home game? Dark helmet (Black).
1948 - Two tone pants all year.
1949 - White helmets with crimson stripe; Crimson jerseys.
1950 - Also new white jerseys with crimson shoulders and three crimson stripes on arms.
1953 - January 1, 1953 Bama has white pants with one crimson stripe down side of leg November 14, 1953 two stripes on pants.
1954 - New style white jersey; No crimson on shoulders; Stripes on arms.
1955 - All white helmets; New design: No stripes on pants, shirts, or helmets; Some form of a face mask, plastic face guard.
1956 - Facemasks; Crimson stripe on helmets.
1957 - Numbers on side of helmets.
1958 - White helmet with crimson stripe; Three stripes on arms; Numbers on side of arms and helmets; White pants with two crimson stripes down side of leg.
1959 - Last year with stripes on arms.
1960 - Crimson helmet used in Bowl game, December 17, 1960 vs. Texas. White numbers on side. White stripe down middle.
1961 - Red and white helmets used.
1962 - At times during the 1960s, Alabama used white helmets on eligible receivers in games at night or when another team¹s helmet matched or resembled ours in color.
1969 - Crimson helmets all year 100 decal on side of helmet (100 years of football).
1971 - Wore white helmets in season opener against USC. October 23, 1971 vs.
Houston is the last time used white helmets in game until 1983.
1974 - No numbers on side of arms.
1980 - January 1st was the first time players allowed to wear white shoes.
1981 - Names on back of jerseys.
1983 - White helmets to go along with crimson helmets; No names on back of jerseys. White and crimson jersey, white pants with two crimson stripes; Numbers also on side of helmets; White shoes - socks.
1984 - Crimson helmets for home games; white helmets for road games.
1985 - Crimson helmets only.
1988 - Went back to wearing black shoes.
1992 - Wore Centennial patch on left shoulder.
1998 - Wore bowl patch on bowl game jersey
2005 - Wore a helmet sticker including the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to honor the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
2006 - Wore a commemorative jersey in the game against Ole Miss to honor the 25th anniversary of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's 315th win. The jersey featured houndstooth trim around the collar.
Wore a 175th anniversary patch to commemorate the 175th birthday of the University of Alabama.
Clint Hamilton is the Sports Editor for the Piedmont Gazette
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