A Week in Review
2018 ended with the Sun Devils finishing 7-6 and leaving plenty on the table to be cause for optimism. By and large, the team outperformed expectations in not only wins and losses, but also how close ASU was to finishing the regular season with 4 more wins than the record shows. The overall season ended on tough, shorthanded performance against Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl, but let’s not dwell on that. We’re here to talk uniforms, so let’s review the Vegas Bowl combination.
The Sun Devils wore a gold helmet/maroon jersey/maroon pant uniform combination against the Bulldogs. It’s a classic look that Coach Bruce Snyder began using in the late 90’s and has been resurrected many times throughout the last two decades. This particular uniform had a slightly different look, however, as the decal combination was a first on the gold helmet. A large gold pitchfork with gold trim wrapped around the right side of the helmet, while there were gold player numbers with maroon trim on the left side of the helmet. An incredibly creative and good-looking choice by ASU Football Equipment Manager Jerry Neilly and his talented staff. The large gold pitchfork was used on the gold helmet earlier in the 2018 season during the military appreciation game against UCLA, but rather than player numbers opposite the pitchfork, there was a PT*42 shield.
From afar, the similarity in the color of the decals with the helmet itself caused them to blend in, however, the size of the pitchfork was its saving grace. That is the only real critique of this uniform combination. It was a very good look to end the 2018 campaign.
Las Vegas Bowl Uniforms: B+
The Week to Come
Uniform
After enduring three long seasons of shiny numbers and tire-tread patterned fabric, adidas graced the Sun Devils with a new generation of uniforms that are more sophisticated and traditionally collegiate. This second generation of adidas ASU uniforms will be used again for the 2019 season beginning this Thursday as the Sun Devils matchup against Kent State. When the Devils take the field against the Golden Flashes, they will do so following an established tradition. Since the 2011 rebrand, the Sun Devils have always made sure to wear their traditional gold helmet/maroon jersey/gold pant uniform combination for the first game of the season, and the 2019 season will be no different.
As a reminder, these uniforms utilize a process called sublimation in which heat is used to transfer ink into the uniform, providing a tonal effect within the color scheme of each jersey. The maroon jersey features a sublimated Arizona state flag in representing the sunset and the star across the chest in lieu of identifying text which is now on the back of the jersey. This lends to the style sweeping college football where teams are omitting the name of the team on the front of the jersey. This is not anything new for ASU, or college football, for that matter. In fact, “Arizona State” did not appear on the front of ASU Football’s uniforms until 1980.
The gold player numbers on the uniforms being worn this Thursday are outlined in black on both the front and back of the jersey, as are the TV numbers on the sleeves. The TV numbers on the sleeves take the place of the pitchfork stylized shoulder stripes.
The nameplate on the back of the jersey utilizes the gold Sun Devil Bold font and above the nameplate is a small, gold “ASU” outlined in black. On the front of the jersey, near the left shoulder, is a gold Adidas logo. Near the right shoulder is a maroon and gold Pac 12 shield as well as a white and gray “150” patch signifying the 150th season of college football. Finally, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend, Pat Tillman.
The gold pants have a small gold pitchfork with black trim near the right hip and a maroon adidas logo near the left hip. Replacing the large pitchfork on the left thigh, “Sun Devils” is in maroon Sun Devil Bold running vertically along the side of the left thigh. There is paneling on the pants that features the darker tonal gold, not only providing further dimension to the uniform as a whole but also serving a purpose in providing a greater range of motion.
Helmet
The gold helmet will feature standard-sized maroon pitchfork decals with gold trim. The facemask is maroon and the front bumpers will be both 2D and 3D with a gold base and maroon font that reads PT*42, also honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman.
The maroon decals on the back of the helmet include the Pac 12 shield, the outline of the state of Arizona with a small pitchfork over Tempe, and even the text in the Warning label. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded out by small Sparky decals on either side of the helmet’s rear bumper.
Cleats
Maroon will be worn for this week 1 matchup. The two sets of cleats pictured below feature the adidas Adi-Zero cleats on the top row and adidas Freaks on the bottom. The Adi-Zeroes are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the Freaks are typically worn by heavier players (linebackers and linemen).
Beginning with the top row, the Adi-Zero on the left features a maroon base and gold sole, a maroon and gold tongue, gold laces, three white adidas stripes near the toe on the outside of the shoe, and a prominent white adidas logo on the instep near the arch. The Adi-Zero in the middle is a Primeknit mid-top and has the same features as well, but the gold opening rises higher up on the ankle. The pair on the far right is a standard low-top Adi-Zero Primeknit with all the same features as the mid without going as high on the ankle.
The two pairs of adidas Freaks on the left also feature a maroon base and sole, with three white adidas stripes near the ankle on the outside of the shoes and three maroon adidas stripes on a reflective gold accent panel near the arch on the instep. They both also have a gold tongue and gold laces. The Freak low-top is on the far left and Freak mid-top is second to left, rising higher up the ankle. Second to the right, the Freak Primeknit mid-top has a maroon base and sole with three white adidas stripes near the ankle on the outside of the shoes and three maroon adidas stripes on a gold Primeknit fabric panel near the arch on the instep. The tongue and laces are gold as well. The Freak Torsion on the far right has a maroon base and sole. It also has three white adidas stripes on the outside of the shoe. There is a very large maroon adidas logo on a prominent reflective gold panel on the inside of the shoe. The tongue and large shoelaces are both gold, and a small, maroon adidas “Freak” logo can be found on the gold heel loop.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear white gloves, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gloves on the top are Adi-Zeros which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. For the first time in the past few years, the Adi-Zero gloves do not create an image when the palms are placed together. Instead, they feature a gold pitchfork with maroon trim on the palm of each glove. They also have a maroon adidas logo is on the back of the hand. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends. The adidas Freak gloves have pattern of small, repeating adidas logos that are gold in color on the palm, along with a large maroon adidas logo that is completed when the palms are placed together. The adidas Freaks also have a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand. Finally, for linemen, the gloves on the bottom are adidas Freak-Max, which boast extra padding on the heel of the palm meant to withstand all of the contact that linemen endure throughout the course of a game. They are plain white and black two-tone on the palm and along with a maroon adidas logo on the back of the hand, they also have gold accents on the knuckles and wrist-wrap.
Reaction
Tradition and passion set college football apart and nothing brings more tradition and passion than fans piling into a stadium for the first game of the season to watch their beloved team after more than 8 months of waiting.
Following the tradition of wearing the classic maroon and gold uniform combination for the first home game of the season honors the passion of the students, players, and fanbase. Personally, I love knowing that after the dog days of summer, I’m going to be able to walk into Sun Devil Stadium and see those classic colors to kickoff the season every year. It may not be much, but it truly means the world.
We’ve seen so many incredible uniform combinations throughout the years, and we’re certain to see more this year, something I’m very much looking forward to. There’s always room for that creativity and variety throughout the entire season, but there’s something about seeing those maroon jerseys with gold helmets and pants that truly gets you ready for Sun Devil Football.
What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
