On LawnBoyz, White Shoes, and Purdue

You can get this in a few shirt styles.
Buy one for the White Out vs Michigan.

Last weekend was a case where I'm glad I was wrong. It was the most complete game I've seen this team play since James Franklin took over, possibly since well before that. Sean Clifford, despite the pick, is showing us one of the reasons Tommy Stevens transferred. It's a great way for this team to enter the Big Ten schedule.

In victory, particularly when it's that dominant, fans choose to get upset over things that might be obscured somewhat if the team stunk. This time it was the LawnBoyz chain the running backs wear after good plays. I love it. I made it into a shirt (I'm not the only one) and you should buy one. But many other fans who are mostly the "I'm not racist, but..." types, had a big problem with it, including that the chain was "ghetto." We know what that really means, and those people can suck it.

Then came the Generations of Greatness uniforms for this week vs Purdue. Overall I like the throwback mashups they do, but for the white cleats. I hate them on any team. Seeing them on Penn State is of course going to annoy me. Plenty of fans love the look, and the players do, too.

I'd caution them to chill out when attacking people like me who don't like the white shoes as if we're the same group as those who don't like the LawnBoyz chain. We aren't. Most of the people I've seen who don't like the white shoes say it's purely aesthetic reasons. That's the camp I'm in. I also don't like that they're wearing them to "honor" the 1979 Sugar Bowl team. Let Bama honor that team.

If Penn State wants to wear white cleats, fine. But don't do it under the veil of honoring a team that lost the biggest game to that point in Penn State football history. Just make some alternate uniforms and wear white shoes that way.

I'm still waiting for the truly great throwback design--pinks and blacks. Give me them, and you can have your white shoes.

As for this week, I'm assuming Penn State will win comfortably. Without Rondale Moore, Elijah Sindelar, and others, Purdue can hope to scare the home team a bit, but pulling the upset would be too much for such a depleted starting lineup.

The pick: Penn State 38, Purdue 14

Penn State's 'New' Uniforms Are Official

Penn State announced on GoPSF.com and Youtube today the unveiling of the Nittany Lions' "new" football uniforms. The image in this post is from the info video on posted to Youtube. You can see the uniforms, as it was first announced a few weeks ago, will shed the gaudy white trim around the collar and sleeves. This is basically the uniforms Penn State wore in the 1970s. Also, and I'm not sure exactly yet, but the numbers look slightly larger, which is how they were up until the mid-1990s.

Of course, Joe Paterno had the final say. "We went to Coach Paterno and said, 'Coach, we really don't have to have that white trim on there anymore,'" Brad "Spider" Caldwell says in the video. "He's like, 'We don't need that anyway. So let's go back to the way we used to be.'"

Penn State will not wear these uniforms in the Blue-White Game this weekend.

I personally like it, though most of you voted against the changes in our poll when this was first discussed.



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Penn State Uniforms Going Back to Basics (updated 2x)

Waaaayyy too flashy for Penn Staters...
(Photo: LBU/Mike)

For those of you non-Penn State fans, the Nittany Lions uniforms are some of the most plain, boring, old-fashioned rags worn in college football. But what you might not expect is that most Penn State fans haven't been keen on the "flashy" white trim around the neckline and sleeves.

Well, Penn State agrees, will change the uniforms--to be even more plain, boring and old-fashioned--and I, for one, couldn't be happier.

Speaking to a class at Penn State, D'Elia said the home uniform white trim around the neck and on the sleeves will be eliminated. He also said the road uniform blue trim will be eliminated.

This is really a good move, even if it's a somewhat minor one by the branding department. Okay, so changing college football's most iconic uniforms is never a "minor" anything. But considering the mood around the fanbase has been swaying in a negative direction the last 8-10 years--with all the commercialization, piped-in music, etc.--this is smart. D'Elia can only preach "old school" so much without doing something to truly reflect that image Penn State cherishes. This is that something. And I like it.

Update 1: Added a poll.

Uniform Changes: Trim, or No Trim?

Update 2: Scrappled posted this great link in the comments below. Thought it deserved a bump up into the post: Past PSU Uniforms Art.

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Outback Bowl '11: Penn State to wear home uniforms

(Photo: PSU/Tony Mancuso)

Maybe you knew this, maybe not. But in case you're wondering, Penn State will wear its home blue and white uniforms for tomorrow's Outback Bowl.

Florida will be debuting a not-very-fancy NIKE Pro Combat uniform, which is really no different than an all-white version they have worn in the past.

Penn State has done an incredible job winning bowl games under Joe Paterno. So good, in fact, that it really doesn't matter what uniform Penn State wears. The Nittany Lions will probably win, regardless.

Through my impeccable researching skills, I've dug up which uniform Penn State has worn in every bowl appearance since beginning Big Ten football play in 1993.