Colorado Unveils Fresh New Uniforms

The University of Colorado unveiled a full new set of uniforms on Friday afternoon including an updated look, two new helmets (white and dark steel gray) and an all new dark steel gray alternate uniform.

The helmets. pic.twitter.com/XMPZA6fvxB

— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) May 1, 2015

Buffs fans had been waiting for this day for a long time, and Colorado Director of Equipment Operations, JT Galloway says he’s been right with them.

“It actually started shortly after Coach [Mike MacIntyre] got here,” he said of work on a new uniform. “We were talking everything equipment, we got around to the uniforms and we made the initial reach out to Nike about tweaking our look.”

One of the things that took so much time, was finding the perfect balance of sticking with Colorado’s rich history, while still looking updated and fresh.

“We are very proud of our tradition and we have a very strong brand. That brand is with our Ralphie logo, which is the best logo in sports, it’s the bold colorado across the chest,” said Galloway. “There are a lot of schools that you turn on the television and you don’t know who’s playing, teams have really gone away from who they are, and we didn’t want to do that.”

So instead of going crazy, Galloway and the team working on the uniforms stuck with a template very similar to the iconic 2001 uniforms, but found little ways to make them new and uniquely Colorado.

The numbers on the white and silver jerseys, when viewed up close, have a texture to them.

“It’s a rock like surface, and the mentality is, it’s not on our black uniform, because we have the Flatirons right with us every time we play here,” Galloway told. “The thought is, we’re taking the Flatirons, we’re taking that ruggedness on the road with us.”

Galloway says they spent a ton of time with Nike reviewing photos of the Flatirons to find the right look.

Seemingly, the early favorite addition for the fans is the sleek new silver/gray helmet which also fits in with the team’s tradition as they have worn silver helmets multiple times in their history. CU will be the only team in the country donning this particular color.

“There were a couple different editions of the silver until we came up with this version,” said Galloway. “We messed with matte, we tried a high gloss, this is the happy marriage of the two. It’s a different, unique look, up close it has a different texture to it, we’re really happy how it came out.”

The numbers also have a reflective silver and gold trim around them, that is said to really pop under the lights.

Silver around the numbers is reflective pic.twitter.com/UKro9kD9np

— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) May 1, 2015

Mike MacIntyre even got his own little touch in there, with the stiching of UNCOMMON in the collar.

Colorado showed off four combinations of their new look today, but the school now has a plethora of options as to what they can trot out an any given Saturday, 48 to be exact.

“One of the main points with Nike was, we want what we call an interchangeable system,” Galloway explained. “That’s why all the helmets have the same logo, the number trim is the same, there isn’t one that doesn’t flow with the other.”
Of course, everybody now wants to talk what combo to where when.

“We actually met with coach today and threw out some suggestions for certain games, that’s exciting to think about, that’s really cool,” he said smiling ear to ear. ”The players already have their opinions about what we should wear against Hawaii, or SC on a Friday night.”

All in all, today was a big day for Colorado. Their new unis got all sorts of hype on twitter, the players are happy, the fans are happy, and the coaches are happy.

The uniforms are crisp, there is no doubt about it, the all-white look is huge with the players. The oversized numbers scream Colorado, the re-incorporation of silver is something fans have been wanting for years, and the little details make it all feel personal.

Good on you, CU.

https://vimeo.com/126477440