Indiana football is honoring late coach Bill Mallory and giving a nod to 1987 style with their throwback uniforms for its game Saturday against Cincinnati.
The retro uniforms inspired the Indiana Daily Student to create four alternate jerseys, each drawing from either Indiana landmarks, Hoosier football history or previous team styles.
Evan Gerike: The Sample Unis
For a school who flaunts the “cream and crimson”, Indiana largely underuses cream. The Hoosiers could use a true cream uniform instead of just the white away jerseys.
Indiana basketball played with the idea a couple times in the 2014 and 2015 Big Ten tournaments, but the basketball jerseys underwhelmed me and the football team never really tried the look.
My mockup of the cream uniform leans into Indiana iconography, bringing back the limestone look. The style takes inspiration from the Sample Gates, featuring light patterns similar to the bricks at the Gates. It’s also notably different from the 2017 limestone uniforms that just made the team look dirty.
Bradley Hohulin: B-Town Blues
While baby blue is a far departure from crimson, Indiana football historians will recognize the homage to the Hoosier uniforms of the late ‘50s under head coach Phil Dickens. However, this jersey is all about honoring the college town to which the university is intrinsically linked.
The bright blue mirrors the pastel colors featured in various art throughout Bloomington such as the murals at People’s Park and Mother Bear’s Pizza.
The uniform features a groovy ‘70s font and a logo reminiscent of Indiana’s pre-2000 trident. The pants and jersey sleeves display bold red and white stripes referencing the Hoosiers’ iconic candy stripes.
Indiana football’s history may be littered with disappointment and mediocrity, but that’s no reason we can’t celebrate the past.
Luke Christopher Norton: Blackout time
Who doesn’t love a *good* blackout jersey? Former wide receiver Whop Philyor teased possible black uniforms on Instagram before the 2019 season, but the idea never came to fruition.
However, the teased uniforms were ALL black. In other words, boring.
Since every college in the country has seemed to experiment with the blackout uniform, my mockup looks to be more distinctive with a Hoosiers flair. The style is an all-black jersey with red numbering and matching black pants that include red piping on the side.
All throughout the jersey is the Indiana candy stripe. It features on the sleeves, socks and gloves.
Patrick Felts: 1997 Oval
I’m in agreement with the idea of a blackout concept. However, my idea is not a completely new jersey, but a throwback.
The idea of a black jersey is nothing new to Indiana football, kind of. The team wore black jerseys for one game in 1997, a 49-7 home loss to rival University of Kentucky. The uniforms were never seen again after this game, but if it’s up to me, they’d make a comeback.
The oval IU logo on the black helmet, while controversial among fans, is one of my favorites in the team’s history. It’s connotations with legendary quarterback Antwaan Randle El make it an excellent era to pay homage to with a throwback.
Picture the Hoosiers in one-game black uniforms, running onto the field at Memorial Stadium to a full crowd matching both their energy and their colors, and that’s one intimidating atmosphere.
Sign me up.
