Daniel HuggettThere are few college football teams that have subverted the alternate uniform craze as well as the University of Texas Longhorns. The team has deviated from their standard jersey set only three times since 2009, with each alternate being fairly conservative when compared to those worn by other schools. This Saturday will see the Longhorn’s add another notch to that count, as when the team takes the field against Kansas they will don special throwback uniforms to honor the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship team.
These throwback uniforms are a modern take on those worn by Texas during the 1969 season. That campaign saw the Longhorns go a perfect 11-0, with wins over No. 2 Arkansas in the “Game of the Century” and No. 9 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to claim the program’s second National Championship. Led by the legendary coach Darrell K Royal, the 1969 team was stacked with future Longhorn Legends like QB James Street, RB Steve Worster, and S Freddie Steinmark.
Starting from the top, the helmets on these Texas Longhorns throwback uniforms feature a burnt orange football-shaped sticker with the number “150” inside it, paying homage to the 150th year of college football. This is a nod to the helmet stickers worn by the team 50 years ago, which instead had the number “100” to celebrate the then 100th anniversary of college football in 1969. The helmets also omit the “Horns” script that sits above the face mask on the standard uniforms in favor of two black Nike Swooshes.
Traditionalists will likely be most excited about the jersey, which strips away the “TEXAS” font, Big 12 patch, CFB150 patch, and Longhorn logo from the front. The TV numbers and player nameplates are also not present on the shoulders and back respectively. This leaves only the player numbers, Nike Swoosh, and shoulder stripes set on a burnt orange base, admittedly a stark contrast to the more cluttered jersey usually worn by Texas the last few seasons.
The rest of the uniform features white pants with a burnt orange swoosh, white and burnt orange socks (instead of the black socks usually worn by the team during home games), and black cleats. White gloves with the same Longhorn Logo and “150” football-shaped logo as the helmet round out a throwback uniform that looks traditional yet unique when compared to UT’s standard home set.
This Saturday will be the first time since November of 2015 that Texas Football has worn throwback uniforms. That year also saw the team wear throwbacks in the style of the 1969 National Championship team, although the uniforms were worn to honor Freddie Steinmark and the release of the “My All American” movie. Coincidentally, the 2015 Texas Longhorns throwback uniforms were also worn against the Kansas Jayhawks, in which UT emerged victorious by a score of 59-20.
With it being the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship team, I had a feeling Texas Football would do something to commemorate the event. Even if it was predictable, I’m glad the program went all out and designed a complete throwback uniform rather than doing something more minor, such as wearing a patch or helmet sticker.
While I am firmly opposed to the University of Texas football team wearing any alternate uniform that deviates from their traditional set, I believe that a throwback uniform should be something that is worn each season. Special uniforms like these get players, recruits, and fans excited, while still keeping with the tradition of the school and paying homage to those who played for this program in the past. I also would like to see an “away” throwback uniform at some point as well, and while it would only require creating an inverse version of the burnt orange retro jersey, only time will tell if this is something that Tom Herman will activate on.
As stated prior, the Texas Longhorns will wear these throwback uniforms on 10/19/19, when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks in DKR Texas Memorial Stadium.
For those wanting to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship at home or in the stands, a limited edition replica version of the throwback jersey is available for purchase from the University Co-op here.
What do you think of these Texas Longhorns throwback uniforms, and should UT wear a variation of them every season? Sound off below in the comments.
Images by @TexasFootball
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