Daniel Huggett“Hell, no, I’m not going to candy this thing up. These are work clothes.” This iconic quote from the late Darrell K. Royal has long since served as the battle cry for UT fans who do not want to see their beloved football team wear alternate uniforms. In an era where nearly every college program has at least three or more on-field combinations to swap between, the Longhorns continue to take the field in the same two uniform combinations that they have worn for the last half-century.
However, there was one time when Texas wore what would by all accounts be considered a true alternate uniform (aside from the many “throwback” uniforms that the team has played in over the years). On October 12th, 2013 the Longhorns took the field wearing burnt orange uniforms that featured metallic gold accents throughout. The occasion; the 108th edition of the River River Rivalry, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Wearing these uniforms, the Horns upset the Oklahoma Sooners (who were also wearing special gold-accented uniforms), snapping a 3 game losing streak to their hated arch-rivals.
This iconic win in what would be Mack Brown’s final season as UT’s head coach established these uniforms as fan-favorites, that are still remembered fondly a decade later. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of that game, we look back on what is arguably the most infamous alternate uniform that Texas Football has ever worn: the 2013 Nike Pro Combat Red River Rivalry Uniforms.
Uniform Description
At first glance, these alternates largely resembled UT’s home uniforms for that year. 2013 saw the Longhorns upgrade to Nike’s Pro Combat Hypercool template, a then state of the art uniform designed to more lightweight and breathable than prior kits. The Longhorns also used this chassis as the base for their 2013 Red River Rivalry uniforms.
Aesthetically, the uniform was comprised of a classic burnt orange jersey paired with white pants, a white helmet, and primarily white and burnt orange cleats. As usual, the jersey featured white font and numbers, as well as a white Longhorn logo on neckline (2013 was the first year that this controversial design detail made its debut). Additionally, the helmets featured numbers above the Longhorn sticker decal, paying homage to the 50th anniversary of the 1963 National Championship team.
While at a glance these might have appeared to be the same uniforms that the Horns had worn for the past 50 years, upon closer inspection the details began to (quite literally) shine. Aside from the helmet and socks, every piece of the uniform featured metallic gold accents. While these were most apparent on the outlines of the jersey numbers and the palms of the gloves, hints of gold were also visible on the cleats, pants, and even the undershirt. A gold patch and Nike Swoosh on the upper chest rounded out the jersey, clearly indicating that they were something a bit different from the usual set.
Given that UT’s official school colors are burnt orange and white, gold accents might have seemed like an odd choice for a Texas football uniform. The extra touch of gold paid homage to Golden Hat, the trophy awarded each year to the winner of the Red River Rivalry. While these uniforms might have technically been considered an alternate, their tasteful use of gold paired with the Longhorns’ traditional home set resulted in a product that all fans could appreciate.
Fan and Sideline Gear
In addition to the uniforms, Nike also produced a wide variety of shirts, hats, and jackets for fans and coaches to wear during the game. These pieces all featured gold accents and various details that were found on the jerseys, such as the gold “rivalry” patch. Additionally, many of the shirts sported an upward facing chevron pattern, to signify that the Longhorns travel “up” to Dallas for the game (OU’s apparel instead features a downward chevron, conveying their respective journey to the Cotton Bowl from Norman). Among the collection, the gold plated hat and the golden “Hook’em Horns” hand sign shirt seemed to be the pieces that fans gravitated to the most.
However, the star of this collection was easily the Nike Free Trainer 5.0 NRG Rivalry sneaker. Like the uniforms and apparel, this shoe featured burnt orange and white paired with gold accents. The Longhorn logo was embalmed on the tongue, and the same upward chevron pattern that appeared on some of the apparel was also imprinted on the insole. Finally the burnt orange sections of the upper were made from a 3M material, which lite up when the light hit them at the right angle.
The shoes released on 10/9/13 and sold out immediately on Nike.com. During that era, it was still a relatively rare occurrence for a pair of UT trainers to be released to the general public (the first of many “Week Zero” releases would not occur until the following year), so the excitement for a new pair of Texas shoes was clearly there from fans. While those who were lucky enough to snag a pair wore their new Free Trainers in the stands, the shoes were also worn by the Texas coaching staff on the sidelines during team’s upset victory. Similarly to the uniforms, this win, paired with a unique colorway on one of best Nike training silhouettes in recent memory, cemented these as one of the all-time great pairs of Texas sneakers.
A Two Year Project?
Additionally, there has long been a rumor that these golden uniforms were intended to be a two year deal, and that they would also have been worn again in 2014. This alternate (allegedly) would have seen the Longhorns wear a gold-accented version of their traditional Stormtrooper road uniforms, while the Sooners would have received the same treatment to their regular home jerseys.
The most common rumor for their cancelation was the production of OU merchandise that featured a “Horns Down” logo, primarily on the inverse of the “Hook’em Horns” Texas shirt mentioned above. Allegedly, UT did not appreciate Nike releasing gear that sported the infamous hand-sign, and decided the nix the entire project after only one year. While this does offer a possible explanation as to why we never saw a continuation of these uniforms, it should be noted that this is only a rumor circulated on message boards and via social media, and it has never been confirmed by UT officials (at least to the author’s knowledge).
Legacy
A memorable game paired with an interesting idea cemented these uniforms as classics. Their unique, but still overall traditional design struck an interesting balance that helped to appease both those who desire and those who detest alternate uniforms. But despite this, these served as a basis for what a UT third jersey could be; a banner for the pro-alternate crowd to wave when they voice their longing for one. All of this, in addition to the collection of interesting gear that released alongside them, has allowed these Red River Rivalry uniforms to remain on the minds of Longhorn fans a decade later.
Although the supposed two-year deal never happened, it still would be awesome to see gold return in some capacity to the Cotton Bowl each year (aside from the Golden Hat of course). While a full-blown uniform might be asking too much, having both teams wear gold-accented cleats and gloves would be an acceptable compromise. Either of these options would be more feasible to produce than a complete uniform set, and would likely still generate excitement from both fans and players who want to see something a little different.
What are you thoughts on UT’s 2013 Red River Rivalry uniforms? Would you like to see the Longhorn’s wear an alternate similar to these in the future, or should Texas instead try to stay as traditional as possible?
Images via Texas Athletics, Nike, and USA TODAY Sports
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