2021 Uniformity – Week 13: Traditional Sparky Uniform for Territorial Cup
A Week in Review
Not a whole heck of a lot to cover here. If you’re enough of a Sun Devil fan to be reading this article, then you stayed up late to watch ASU fall at the hands of Oregon State. It was a game marred with preventable mistakes in all three phases of the game. Because there is a big game to look forward to, I will choose not to look back on an ugly game. Instead, I will turn to why we’re all here. Uniforms.
Overall, the cohesiveness of the uniform was good. A maroon helmet matched the maroon jersey numbers, and the black decals matched the black pants. It looked good enough as an ensemble, but as an Arizona State uniform, it didn’t hit quite as I expected it to. I always reserve judgment until after a game is played, and this uniform is a perfect example as to why. There have been some looks that I initially disliked on the mannequin but loved on the field and others that I love on the mannequin but don’t live up to expectations. This past weekend’s uniform was the latter.
I’m not an opponent of maroon and black being used together on a helmet in the future; however, with this particular uniform combination, and maybe because the game was played at night rather than under sunlight, the helmet didn’t translate as intended. Individually, the components were amazing. I am still enamored with the decals and the maroon and gold gradient trim on the pitchfork. That was incredible creativity, and it shows the versatility that can be shown with decals to take helmets to the next level. However, in this particular instance, the assembled finished product was unable to take advantage of the amazing decals. That has landed this particular uniform combination the lowest grade of the season.
Maroon Helmet/White Jersey/Black Pants: C+
The Week to Come
Uniform
The prior eleven games are now in the rearview mirror. Lofty expectations for the overall season may not have been met, but this is the week that nothing else matters except the opponent in front of us. We now move on to the quest to keep the Territorial Cup for the fifth consecutive year. For the third consecutive edition of the Territorial Cup color versus color game, the Devils will wear a gold Sparky helmet/maroon jersey/gold pants uniform combination.
There are three generations of ASU Football uniforms that will be represented in one cohesive look for this Friday’s game. The Sparky helmet represents the 31 season era that lasted from 1980-2010, the jersey is the modern day generation, and the pants are the 1975 throwbacks. We will detail all of them in this article.
As a reminder, sublimation is a process 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, keeping with the simplified style that is being seen more in both college football and the NFL.
The gold player numbers on the uniforms being worn this weekend are outlined in black on both the front and back of the jersey, as are the TV numbers on the sleeves.
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 right shoulder, is a black and gold Pac 12 logo, and near the left shoulder is a gold Adidas logo. Finally, at the base of the collar is the black PT*42 shield in honor of ASU Football legend Pat Tillman. The players will also be given the option to wear a gold, long-sleeve undershirt to accent the overall uniform.
The gold pants have two-tone stripes on both legs. The stripes run vertically on the side of the leg from the hip to the bottom seam. The stripes have a gold center line with slightly thicker maroon lines on either side of the gold. There is also a maroon adidas logo near the left hip.
Helmet
The classic gold helmet features a maroon facemask, maroon chinstrap, Sparky decals with a white border, and for the second straight week, a maroon center stripe. The front bumper has a chrome gold base and metallic maroon font that reads PT*42, also honoring the legendary Sun Devil, Pat Tillman. An added element to the PT*42 front bumper decal is that the star separating the PT and 42 doubles as the star in the Arizona state flag, with tonal gold rays rising from it in subtle detail. This ties together nicely with the sublimated state flag on the jersey, lending to more continuity in the overall uniform.
The maroon decals on the back of the helmet include the Pac 12 shield, the Warning label, which is in the shape of the state of Arizona, features maroon text, and has a small maroon pitchfork over Tempe. The decals on the back of the helmet are rounded by the maroon “Sun Devils” text on the helmet’s rear bumper.
Cleats and Socks
Maroon cleats will be worn for this week's 13 matchup. From left to right, there are three different sets of cleats. The first three pairs are AdiZero, the next two are Freaks, and the last two are Nastys. The AdiZeros cleats are typically worn by speed position players (wide receivers and defensive backs), while the Freaks have a hybrid element and can be worn by mid-size players (fullbacks, linebackers, and tight ends), and the Nasty cleats worn by heavier players (linemen).
Beginning with the left three, the AdiZero furthest on the left features a maroon base and sole, a gold tongue, gold laces, three white adidas stripes near the toe on the outside of the shoe, and a prominent white AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect on the instep near the arch. It also has a gold finger loop on the heel. The next AdiZero is maroon on the outside of the shoe and on the sole, but more prominently gold on the instep and throughout the rest of the top of the shoe. The gold instep features a maroon AdiZero logo with a digital ghost effect and a gold finger loop on the heel. The third is the AdiZero Scorch which is a Primeknit mid-top. It has the same base color features as the previous pair, except the AdiZero logo with the digital ghost effect is silver rather than maroon.
The two pairs of adidas Freaks are in the middle of the group of cleats. The Freak pair on the left is the Freak mid. It has a maroon base and translucent gold sole, maroon laces, a maroon tongue with a white Freak logo on it, three white adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat near the toe, and a prominent white adidas logo on the instep. The Freak pair on the right is the Freak Ultra. It features all of the major base aesthetics as the Freak Mid, but also features primeknit material, darker maroon accents, gold stitch detailing around the lace eyelets, and a gold finger loop on the heel.
The final two pairs on the right are Nasty cleats. The second to last pair is the Nasty Torsion. It is a heavier duty cleat with a maroon base and sole, maroon laces, maroon eyelets with gold accents, a maroon tongue with a white Nasty logo on it, three white adidas stripes on the outside of the cleat, a white adidas logo on the inside of the cleat near the heel, a small plastic gold plate on the arch, and a maroon and gold finger loop that mimics the styling of the lace eyelets. The far right pair is the Nasty Fly. It essentially shares all the same major details as the Nasty Torsion; however, it is not as heavy duty, and instead of a maroon sole, it features a metallic gold sole.
Many players will be wearing these special edition maroon UltraBoost cleats as well. This pair of cleats is designed exclusively for ASU, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the UltraBoost 1.0 cleats that were originally designed for Arizona State 5 years ago. This cleat has a maroon and gold weave of primeknit material that makes up the majority of the top of the shoe. The top of the tongue is gold, and it has maroon laces. Maroon leather begins at the toe and wraps around the base of the shoe until it reaches the base of the heel. The base of the heel features a two-tone gold accent with an UltraBoost logo, while the top of the heel is a maroon mesh material. The top of the tongue has a black adidas logo, and there are three black adidas stripes on either side of the shoe, matched by black shoelace eyelets. The sole of the cleat is white with black-tipped spikes.
Maroon socks, or in the case photographed, a series of maroon sweatbands will be worn to match this week’s uniform. Yeah. Sweatbands. Don’t ask because I don’t know.
Gloves
The Sun Devils will wear maroon and white gloves, and as with the cleats, there are different gloves for different positions. The gloves on the top are AdiZeros which are typically worn by speed position players like wide receivers and defensive backs. The maroon gloves feature a palm design so that when the palms are placed together, it completes the image of the gold ASU Sunburst made famous by the 1975 undefeated Sun Devil team. They also have a white adidas logo on the back of the hand, maroon and gold detailing and a small “Z” AdiZero letter mark on the wrist strap, and gold stitching along the wrist strap. The gloves in the middle are adidas Freaks, worn by larger skill position players such as linebackers and tight ends. Like the AdiZero, the adidas Freak gloves feature a palm design so that when the palms are placed together, there is the image of the 1975 gold ASU Sunburst. On the back of the glove, the adidas Freaks also have some extra padding, a white adidas logo, and maroon and white striping, and the Freak logo on the wrist strap. 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
I love the creativity that we see on a week-to-week basis. So much so that I’ve even gone so far as to write a weekly column about it for seven seasons. The pitchfork is versatile and allows for variety while maintaining the ASU brand. That being said, there’s nothing like Sparky. With all of the details like the maroon center stripe, the maroon facemask, the Sparky decals, and now, the return of the classic gloss gold paints, this is the quintessential ASU helmet.
Wearing the same helmet/jersey/pant combination from last year gives this a bit more continuity, which is cool but not altogether necessary. I’d love just as much to see the modern maroon jersey and gold pants topped with Sparky as I do what the Devils are wearing this Saturday. That being said, I am a big fan of the pant leg stripes from the throwback uniforms and feel that they bring a fantastic old-school look to this uniform. I already know how good this is going to look on-field because I saw this uniform on the field for 23 years of my life before the switch to the pitchfork. This look is perfect, and all I hope for now is that the uniform is not the only ASU win on the field this weekend.
Arizona State has the opportunity to win their 5th Territorial Cup title in a row. The Sun Devils’ overall record currently sits at 44-49-1 in this rivalry, and while ASU has dominated the series 36-26-1 since becoming a university, it would be great to tally another win and inch closer to overtaking the all-time record by improving to 45-49-1. Let’s cheer for Sparky to lead us to that fifth straight win!
What Color ASU Fans Should Wear: Gold
#Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports
Welcome back to #Faniforms Presented by Cactus Sports! Uniformity loves to highlight your best gameday #faniforms that you wear to support the Sun Devils each week. As a reminder, with Uniformity’s new partnership with Cactus Sports, three #faniforms will be chosen at random each week, just like in the past, but this season, there will be a weekly Twitter poll to vote for which of those three #faniforms will become a contest finalist. At the end of the regular season, all of the finalists will be entered into a final vote, with the grand prize being a $100 gift card to Cactus Sports! Reminder, when posting to Twitter, remember to use the hashtag #faniform and tag the Uniformity Twitter account @ASU_Uniformity. Here are this week’s selections! Keep an eye out on Twitter for the fan vote! Cast your vote for the best #faniform each week!
Congratulations to @toeknee216on, earning a finalist spot last week! And best of luck to @alec_degregoris, @Cawley_TV, and @asudbubba in this week’s Twitter poll!
