PRINTUniformology
Color combinations ... jinx or genius?
Elise Catchings
October 22, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Editor's note: click here to see the Tiger's complete record from 2002 to 2008
The uniform. Some athletes play the game just to wear one. Passionate players who spend the game warming the bench might say, “At least I have a uniform.” In 480 B.C. the Spartans marched to battle wearing royal reds; today the Tigers prowl Faurot Field in a slew of blacks, golds and whites.
Black jerseys and pants are worn at home, while white is reserved for road games. But in 2005, the Tigers took the turf in new designs from Nike, which made news for their stretchy and moisture-wicking fabric. These new uniforms (called alternates) added a dash of gold to the black-and-white repertoire. Yet suspicion lingers over the use of alternates.
Remember last football season, when the Tigers played KU in Kansas City? They took the field in mustard-colored uniforms and lost the game on a last-second touchdown play. Those were alternates.
MU Athletics Department Director of Equipment, Donald Barnes, says the process of deciding what to wear takes place a week or two before the game. Sounds like a girl getting ready for a date. The team captains have some say, but ultimately the call falls to Coach Pinkel and his staff. “Uniform doesn’t define who we are and how we do in the game,” says Barnes.
Despite Barnes’ claim, the record books show that black-on-black is the force behind firstplace when the Tigers take the field (not to mention it’s more slimming). Sure, homefield advantage is a factor, as are other lurking variables such as playing crappy nonconference teams at Faurot Field, but the data proves the Tigers are fiercest when they pay homage to the Stones and paint themselves black.
Editor's Note: See below for the win-loss ratios of uniform combinations.
- Score! Who won it, 2002 to 2008
- Game Day Guide
- The visor
- The tailgating zoo
- Hey buddy, you're in my seat
- The Price of Playing
- Know your enemy
- Letting 'em out of their cages and corrals
- Stat Showdown
- Game Day Whereabouts
- Remember the Tigers
- Studying the stereotype
- Censorship Uncensored
- And the winner is...
- Endzone ensembles
- I'm with the band
- Supporting Cast
- Prep and pride off the field
- An Obituary for the beloved Reactor
- The Lost, the Found and the Confiscated
- Columbia's Hangover
- Play by play
- Mo' Money
- Makin' Bank
- Tiger Watch Party
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