Georgia football revived black jerseys, now it’s time for red pants
Georgia football wore black jerseys Saturday. It was the first time the Bulldogs have worn alternate uniforms since 2011.
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Georgia is not a team that strays from the norm too often with their uniform choices. But beginning this past Saturday against Louisiana Lafayette, Georgia will designate a game a year to wear black jerseys.
When they were unveiled in 2007 they were an instant hit. Mainly because they look so natural for Georgia. They’re not some funky style. There’s no mirror helmet, necessary piping or stripes. It’s the same jersey, just inverse colors. They don’t stick to tradition, but they build on it.
But there was once a time when Georgia made a similar uniform decision on an almost annual basis. From 1978-1988, Georgia would often make a different alteration to their traditional uniform.
Just read this quote. It’s one of Larry Munson’s most famous play-by-play calls. From 1980, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The debut drive of Herschel Walker and the Heisman winners first collegiate touchdown.
"We hand it off to Herschel there’s a hole. Five, ten, 12 he’s running all over people, oh you Herschel Walker… He ran right over two men, Herschel ran right over two men. They had him dead away inside the nine. My God a freshman."
If you’re a Georgia fan, you’ve seen that play at least a dozen times. And as you read that quote you saw a mental image of that run going through your head. You imagined seeing Walker plow through multiple defenders for a 16-yard touchdown run in silver britches. No, the Bulldogs were wearing red pants that day.
In 1978, Vince Dooley introduced the red pants and Georgia wore them exclusively on the road from several games over the next 11 seasons. They were the primary road style in 1978. Temporarily retired after the 1980 Tennessee game. Then brought back in 1985 at Clemson and used sparingly for the next three seasons.
But after a loss to South Carolina while wearing the red pants, Vince Dooley retired them permanently. Red pants were not seen on a Georgia football team again until 2011 when they were included in Georgia’s Nike Pro Combat uniform for the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against Boise State.
If Georgia’s starting a new tradition of annual blackouts, maybe it’s time to bring back the old tradition of red pants in big road games. It would look great to travel up to Knoxville, Columbia, Baton Rouge or Auburn.
It’s a fantastic style. Just like red helmets, black jerseys, and silver britches somehow looks naturally like Georgia, red, helmets, white jerseys, and red pants did as well. Maybe it’s because of that night in Knoxville, or their revival in the upset win over Clemson in 1985. Or any highlight with Willie McClendon, Lindsay Scott, Tim Worley, Wayne Johnson and Rodney Hampton.
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It will be a fun throwback to those players and Vince Dooley’s last 11 seasons at Georgia. It’ll bring back memories of those aforementioned legends for the older Georgia fans. Younger sports fans in general love alternate uniforms. We all know recruits love them too, and that might be the most important point.
Lastly, in 15 road games wearing red pants, Georgia is 12-3. The style isn’t unprecedented, they are somewhat traditional and for you superstitious types out there, they are winners.