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Why was SMU wearing black unis against Army?
by Paul Lukas
ESPN

Who was that black-clad team playing against Army in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl?

It was SMU. The Mustangs said they wore black in honor of Army, because Army's team name is the Black Knights. For those keeping score at home, that means there were two teams on the field honoring Army and none honoring SMU.


Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Could we see SMU wearing black again in the future?

The explanation for the black jerseys might be disingenuous (let's get real: SMU just wanted a new jersey to sell), but it sure opened up some interesting possibilities. Imagine if Michigan wore red against Ohio State to "honor" the Buckeyes. Or if Alabama wore blue while playing Auburn. And why stop with college football? In the NFL, the Vikings could wear green while playing the Packers, the Cowboys could wear burgundy while playing the Skins and the Chiefs could wear black when facing off against the Raiders. Hey, a gratuitous use of black, just like SMU -- perfect!

Speaking of SMU, a Dallas radio station host reportedly said this morning that he'd seen photos of black helmets and black pants to go along with the Mustangs' black jerseys. Can't wait to hear what kind of convoluted explanation they come up with when those show up on the field next year.

If you love black unis, go support a team that wears them because they are part of their school colors...like TT. SMU's colors are Yale blue and Harvard crimson...even our paid guns who have no affiliation to the university, i.e. non-alums, and who run the university haven't figured that out yet. Sad.

Yeah, except ESPN got it wrong. It wasn't about selling jerseys. We don't sell enough jerseys for that to matter. Adidas wasn't making us wear them, a la Nike and TCU's original Rose Bowl uniform.

It was about one man who loves to wear black.

Anyone close to the program knows changing uniforms wouldn't generate the retail sales necessary to even pay for the player's uniforms--we aren't the Cowboys or Rangers--how stupid to even imply it was done to make money, the players and coaches simply thought it was "cool".

Mexmustang wrote:Anyone close to the program knows changing uniforms wouldn't generate the retail sales necessary to even pay for the player's uniforms--we aren't the Cowboys or Rangers--how stupid to even imply it was done to make money, the players and coaches simply thought it was "cool".

Let them be happy and have some fun

Longtime wrote:Yeah, except ESPN got it wrong. It wasn't about selling jerseys. We don't sell enough jerseys for that to matter. Adidas wasn't making us wear them, a la Nike and TCU's original Rose Bowl uniform.

It was about one man who loves to wear black.

Exactly. I assume it was about an image, a perception, that someone figured would be appealing to recruits.

My guess is recruits would like for us to win......

It absolutely amazes me how folks will throw tradition (which is the glue that binds generation to generation) under the bus. If you don't like our colors, mascot, band, etc., go root for a school that has those things.

yes, in my opinion it was just done for players, coaches, recruits and fans to enjoy. Dozens of teams have unleashed black jerseys or third jerseys in recent seasons, especially in bowl games

they might not have looked great, or traditional, and we might not have played well in them, but teams in football and basketball have being doing this for years, lets just take it as a good sign that ADIDAS and the Athletic Dept. were willing to invest a little extra into uni design and production, and whether we like it or not, it wouldn't have even been a reality for our program 3 or 4 years ago..

And I'll add this, while I have the utmost respect for our military services, as do our players and coaches, I think we have a tough time getting up for these games because of how much emphasis we put on honoring them before gameday. I think its hard tor really get pumped up to whoop a team's [deleted] when you spend the whole week celebrating and honoring them, just my opinion/

and as far as jerseys go, I'm more bothered by the Hawaiin helmet stickers and the lack of blue jersey usage than I am by wearing black for one special occasion, highschool kids love that so I'm ok with it once in a while

I am with you on the Hawaiian stuff. Leave it in Hawaii, and that includes June wearing a lei to the games. I am sure the refs get a big charge out of that.

Blue jerseys please. I can't think of many teams who wear our color blue. Tons of teams wear red all the time. We need a defining uniform. All the successful teams - USC, Florida, LSU, UT hardly ever jack with their uniforms. Nike uniforms all suck.

Oliver wrote:yes, in my opinion it was just done for players, coaches, recruits and fans to enjoy. Dozens of teams have unleashed black jerseys or third jerseys in recent seasons, especially in bowl games

they might not have looked great, or traditional, and we might not have played well in them, but teams in football and basketball have being doing this for years, lets just take it as a good sign that ADIDAS and the Athletic Dept. were willing to invest a little extra into uni design and production, and whether we like it or not, it wouldn't have even been a reality for our program 3 or 4 years ago..

Best comment yet...The black was done for players, recruits etc...The recruits LOVE stuff like this...We barely sell our regular jerseys.

Can you imagine Alabama or Texas working in black jerseys? The whole thing is embarrassing.