What goddamn idiot came up with the idea of rolling out throwback uniforms- on the road??? U$c and their stupid fair weather fans don't have the slightest idea what the whole idea of why Cal wears the Joe Roth uniforms, nor do they care. Why would we do this? On top of that- they don't even have the right color- JFC where did they get that odd blue color? Just another clear example of the incompetence of the current Athletic Department. It's an insult to the memory of Joe Roth to call these pieces of shit Joe Roth uniforms.
The "odd blue color" was the lighter navy blue that the team employed starting in 1972 through 1981. Joe Kapp ditched that shade when he took over in 1982 in favor of the darker Cal blue we've seen since, but if you look at Cal uniforms from the late 1950s, they too employed a slightly lighter shade for a time in the late 1950s.
It's not incompetence, someone actually did some research.
And for whatever it's worth, I understand that the Roth uniforms are part of U$c's homecoming celebration. They're supposed to be honoring their 1972 National Champions by wearing their 1972 uniforms (with arm striping as opposed to shoulder stripes). I would bet that the Trojans may be footing part of that bill to get us to play along.
If that's the purpose, for the sake of accuracy, Cal really ought to be wearing the white pants, rather than the blue which made its debut in 1974. If you want to blame anyone for incompetence, blame Heritage Hall down there.
I'm very familiar with the Roth-era uniforms as those were the years I was a student at Cal. I attended every home game and a bunch of away games as well. Someone may have done some research but they didn't do it very well. That is absolutely not the correct shade of blue from the away pants- the ones we wore were definitely darker. Do a google search for Cal Bears football 1975 and there are some excellent photos of some Cal legends wearing the away uniform. Contrast those with the teaser photo from the original article. Correct color? Nope.
I agree that it's odd that $c would include the Cal Roth-era uniforms as part of a celebration of their 1972 championship team as Joe was still in high school then. And I remember the all white look from that game. Awful- we should always stay away from white pants. I'd be happy to blame the Heritage Hall dopes for this one. But sadly the incompetence of our own AD is on display every Saturday in the fall and all winter on the hardwood. We've got a great beach volleyball venue though!
I like the Roth era kits as once a year thing. I was personally super bummed when they switched from the dark solid navy jersey, solid gold pants color scheme and switched to the swoopy stripe shit from the Tedford era. It looked cheesy then, looks even more cheesy now. That version with the stripe on the back of the helmet was worst of all. Id love to see them go back to a solid color scheme as a base, but incorporate variations of modern varieties similar to what’s been done, like inverse solid gold jerseys/solid navy pants for night games, combinations of solid white jerseys and either solid navy, solid gold, or even solid white pants for away. You could even switch up the helmets using variations of designs we have had in the past like the Block C, the bear claw, Script Cal on one side, or whatever. I don’t know, 1982-2001 had a solid consistent look. There were minor variations of course. Numbers on the sleeves, numbers not on the sleeves, outline colors of the numbers, script Cal on one side of the helmet from 87-91, ect, but it was mostly the same year to year.
While the Write4Cal staff has notably begged off directly mentioning the featured article on the Cal Basketball team on The Athletic website by Seth Davis, there was this nugget buried inside of it:
"Cal is halfway through its 10-year, $86 million deal with Under Armour, but the company is trying to terminate it, and the two sides could be nearing an exit next spring."
At last an answer finally provided about the Under Armour deal...as noted above, it's been next to impossible to buy new gear from the ASUC store or the AD website, meaning the school is missing out on yet another source of revenue...
It also explains the way in which the various non-football teams have begun sporting more and more generic uniforms.
I wonder if the "Sather Stripe" will survive in the our new Uniform Overlord era next spring?
Either way, the sheer diffidence shown by the AD, whether it's coaches or even uniform suppliers, or even the Chancellor's indifference to revenue sports is about all we can expect these days.
Cal MBB was one of the original Jordan Brand teams (along with, I think, Cincinnati, St. Johns, and North Carolina A&T). I'd love to see us rekindle that relationship.
Or, you know, be able to buy some sort of Cal merchandise.
Went into Bancroft Clothing shortly before the ND game to get some gear for my Chicago buddy's kids, and they essentially have gotten nearly entirely out of the Cal gear business (in the same way Cal Athletics has got out of the MBB business). I'm not sure there's a greater indictment on the state of Cal fandom than that.
I know this is Cal football blasphemy, mainly because the unis are tied to the courageous legacy of Joe Roth, but as uniforms, I've always been meh to them.
I love the look of the Joe Roth jerseys but I can only recall ONE TIME that we have actually won while wearing them (last year). Uggghhhh......Is it 2023 yet?
Nice to still have that article floating around the internet. 😊
Interesting that Cal followed NFL template of two teams: Mike White followed the Packers' template as noted above.
It's funny that Vince Lombardi did the same thing when he took over the job as GM/Head Coach in Washington--converted their uniforms into clones of the Packers:
Sadly, Lombardi died before those uniforms ever saw the field.
In Tedford's case, those Cal uniforms of his era followed the template that the Denver Broncos starting using in the last 1990s--that's right, *those* Broncos--the ones QB'd by the biggest Furd crybaby in Big Game history, John Elway.
I get it, but pro influences on college uniforms have fascinated me ever since I learned how Iowa revamped their standard football uniform when their coach, Hayden Fry, had staff reach out to the Steelers and copied their uniform down to the actual size of the striping along the sides. So, if my uniform geekiness is showing, I can't help it. Avinash giving me the go-ahead to fly my uniform freak flag in that uniform article 5 years ago made my day.
I believe it should be “ what DO change ARE”. Subject/Verb and all that truck
I don't care if the team plays the game stark naked except for helmets, pads & jock straps. Win the freaking game. That is all that matters.
What goddamn idiot came up with the idea of rolling out throwback uniforms- on the road??? U$c and their stupid fair weather fans don't have the slightest idea what the whole idea of why Cal wears the Joe Roth uniforms, nor do they care. Why would we do this? On top of that- they don't even have the right color- JFC where did they get that odd blue color? Just another clear example of the incompetence of the current Athletic Department. It's an insult to the memory of Joe Roth to call these pieces of shit Joe Roth uniforms.
The "odd blue color" was the lighter navy blue that the team employed starting in 1972 through 1981. Joe Kapp ditched that shade when he took over in 1982 in favor of the darker Cal blue we've seen since, but if you look at Cal uniforms from the late 1950s, they too employed a slightly lighter shade for a time in the late 1950s.
It's not incompetence, someone actually did some research.
And for whatever it's worth, I understand that the Roth uniforms are part of U$c's homecoming celebration. They're supposed to be honoring their 1972 National Champions by wearing their 1972 uniforms (with arm striping as opposed to shoulder stripes). I would bet that the Trojans may be footing part of that bill to get us to play along.
If that's the purpose, for the sake of accuracy, Cal really ought to be wearing the white pants, rather than the blue which made its debut in 1974. If you want to blame anyone for incompetence, blame Heritage Hall down there.
So what year would this have been? https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTcyMTQzNjA5MTIwODI2NTMz/59fb-rosebowl-kapp-coin-tosstif.tiff Those look pretty dark. A lot of the photos I’m looking through are black and white so it’s hard to tell, but would the lighter shade of blue in the late 50’s coincide with the helmets with the multi stripes down the middle and player numbers on the side?
I'm very familiar with the Roth-era uniforms as those were the years I was a student at Cal. I attended every home game and a bunch of away games as well. Someone may have done some research but they didn't do it very well. That is absolutely not the correct shade of blue from the away pants- the ones we wore were definitely darker. Do a google search for Cal Bears football 1975 and there are some excellent photos of some Cal legends wearing the away uniform. Contrast those with the teaser photo from the original article. Correct color? Nope.
I agree that it's odd that $c would include the Cal Roth-era uniforms as part of a celebration of their 1972 championship team as Joe was still in high school then. And I remember the all white look from that game. Awful- we should always stay away from white pants. I'd be happy to blame the Heritage Hall dopes for this one. But sadly the incompetence of our own AD is on display every Saturday in the fall and all winter on the hardwood. We've got a great beach volleyball venue though!
Go Bears
I like the Roth era kits as once a year thing. I was personally super bummed when they switched from the dark solid navy jersey, solid gold pants color scheme and switched to the swoopy stripe shit from the Tedford era. It looked cheesy then, looks even more cheesy now. That version with the stripe on the back of the helmet was worst of all. Id love to see them go back to a solid color scheme as a base, but incorporate variations of modern varieties similar to what’s been done, like inverse solid gold jerseys/solid navy pants for night games, combinations of solid white jerseys and either solid navy, solid gold, or even solid white pants for away. You could even switch up the helmets using variations of designs we have had in the past like the Block C, the bear claw, Script Cal on one side, or whatever. I don’t know, 1982-2001 had a solid consistent look. There were minor variations of course. Numbers on the sleeves, numbers not on the sleeves, outline colors of the numbers, script Cal on one side of the helmet from 87-91, ect, but it was mostly the same year to year.
Jersey is fantastic! Not 100% sold on the shorts but I'm coming around.
It’s totally nit picky, but 1975 was the magical Joe Roth year, and those face masks were grey. 1976 was when they had gold face masks.
BLUEI ONLY NEEDS GOLD TO TRIM OR HIGHLIGHT BUT NOT AS A ASE COLOR!! GERBEAR
While the Write4Cal staff has notably begged off directly mentioning the featured article on the Cal Basketball team on The Athletic website by Seth Davis, there was this nugget buried inside of it:
"Cal is halfway through its 10-year, $86 million deal with Under Armour, but the company is trying to terminate it, and the two sides could be nearing an exit next spring."
At last an answer finally provided about the Under Armour deal...as noted above, it's been next to impossible to buy new gear from the ASUC store or the AD website, meaning the school is missing out on yet another source of revenue...
It also explains the way in which the various non-football teams have begun sporting more and more generic uniforms.
I wonder if the "Sather Stripe" will survive in the our new Uniform Overlord era next spring?
Either way, the sheer diffidence shown by the AD, whether it's coaches or even uniform suppliers, or even the Chancellor's indifference to revenue sports is about all we can expect these days.
High school level at best, insignificant, plus the color palette is incorrect
Watching the offense will be 50% less painful when the players look that sharp
Cal MBB was one of the original Jordan Brand teams (along with, I think, Cincinnati, St. Johns, and North Carolina A&T). I'd love to see us rekindle that relationship.
Or, you know, be able to buy some sort of Cal merchandise.
Went into Bancroft Clothing shortly before the ND game to get some gear for my Chicago buddy's kids, and they essentially have gotten nearly entirely out of the Cal gear business (in the same way Cal Athletics has got out of the MBB business). I'm not sure there's a greater indictment on the state of Cal fandom than that.
I know this is Cal football blasphemy, mainly because the unis are tied to the courageous legacy of Joe Roth, but as uniforms, I've always been meh to them.
Kinda agree... love the idea, but not so much the look... I have to say, though, I think this road kit is stepping up the game.
If you can find it, the all-white version of the Joe Roth uniforms are gorgeous.
Here's a look at it:
https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/lists/usc-throwback-uniforms-for-this-weekends-homecoming-game-vs-cal-seems-like-it/
Here's a different look--and a chance to buy it!--featuring Cal great Steve Bartkowski:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144151589876
Great look!
Disagree the joe Roth uniforms are by far the best
I love the look of the Joe Roth jerseys but I can only recall ONE TIME that we have actually won while wearing them (last year). Uggghhhh......Is it 2023 yet?
Never one to purchase or wear a football jersey, but I'd wear these. Classy!
That wha-ka-cha-wa background music took an already good highlight reel and turned it up to 11.
Nice to still have that article floating around the internet. 😊
Interesting that Cal followed NFL template of two teams: Mike White followed the Packers' template as noted above.
It's funny that Vince Lombardi did the same thing when he took over the job as GM/Head Coach in Washington--converted their uniforms into clones of the Packers:
https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=teams-season&team_id=WAS&year=1970
Sadly, Lombardi died before those uniforms ever saw the field.
In Tedford's case, those Cal uniforms of his era followed the template that the Denver Broncos starting using in the last 1990s--that's right, *those* Broncos--the ones QB'd by the biggest Furd crybaby in Big Game history, John Elway.
https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=teams-season&team_id=DEN&year=1997
I get it, but pro influences on college uniforms have fascinated me ever since I learned how Iowa revamped their standard football uniform when their coach, Hayden Fry, had staff reach out to the Steelers and copied their uniform down to the actual size of the striping along the sides. So, if my uniform geekiness is showing, I can't help it. Avinash giving me the go-ahead to fly my uniform freak flag in that uniform article 5 years ago made my day.