May 20, 2003
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Archived Columns
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This edition of "Inside ASU Football" is devoted to the official unveiling of our new uniforms (see pictures). We have had many requests to get an early glimpse and since we just received the home jersey last week, decided to go ahead at this time.
The Process:
Contrary to popular belief, the coaching staff does not sit around the office all-day and think of new uniform designs! "Adidas" brought us some artwork shortly after the Holiday Bowl that featured a variety of styles and combinations. From that point, we put together a committee that represented a cross section of people who care deeply about ASU Football. Current players, former players, administrators, boosters, equipment staff, and my wife were all included and had the opportunity to look at the various options and make suggestions toward subtle changes. After hearing from the committee, we sent the artwork back to Adidas to have samples made. After seeing the samples, the equipment staff and myself made some final minor changes to come up with what you see here.
Home Uniforms:
Same Helmet and pants as last year. The jersey features more gold in the form of a "saber" on each side, plus the "Arizona State" is much bigger than the prior "Sun Devils" moniker. Also, the more rounded numbers font makes for a sleeker look that the players like.
Road Uniforms:
We decided to stay with the "Saber" look and wanted the jersey and pants to match up; thus, the white on white look. Although this uniform features less gold, we did make the gold accents bigger than the original design. Also, to complement the "sabers", the road helmet will have two partial "Saber" stripes going back approximately one-half of the length of the helmet, which allows us to keep the "Sparky" logo intact.
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| Home Jersey | Home Jersey |
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| Road Jersey | Road Jersey |
As I mentioned in a prior article, any time changes are made in the uniform, a certain percentage of the people will not be 100% satisfied. Might I suggest that we focus on how we play in those uniforms, because deep down if the players feel good about how they look, it could even help us out in the long run. Nobody at ASU wants to downplay the football tradition that dates back to Coach Kush, but we must be realistic enough to admit that our uniform has changed many times over the years. As the current coach, it seems to me that the "Sparky" logo on the helmet and the gold pants at home are the two most important links to the ASU uniform. I would like us to make it a tradition to beat the Wildcats and pack the stadium. To me, that would be the type of tradition that would help us keep the best high school players in Arizona, and grow the program on a national level. For those of you that still want to complain about the new uniforms, please contact someone besides me; perhaps our Head Equipment man, Mark Zimmer! For everyone else, let's get ready for Camp T!
GO DEVILS!
PS: A special thanks to our model, Cornell Canidate!
Have you ever wished you had the opportunity to ask head coach Dirk Koetter your most pressing question regarding ASU football? Here's your opportunity! Each week throughout the season, Coach Koetter will provide an insider's look at Arizona State football. As a part of this feature, he will take questions from Sun Devil fans and answer them on TheSunDevils.com! While he won't be able to answer every question submitted, he will do his best to get to as many as he can. Submit your question today with the form below!
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