Tweet
I am posting this here as a separate thread so it can be reference again in the future if needed. Post replies if you have any comments or corrections. (edited and updated 1/21/20)
Here is some history of Bradley's alternate colored uniforms-
It took a lot of research looking through reports and photos from old games going back many years to compile this information.
I am personally in favor of the Bradley team using alternative color uniforms, and many colleges do it regularly. I would like to see them bring back the alternate color uniforms.
Please feel free to comment whether you like the idea, or if you have any suggestions for Bradley.
It has been almost 7 years since the last time Bradley played a game using an alternative color uniform, and that was used for a special promotion 2/16/2013 (see below).
And it has now been more than 8 years since the last time Bradley played a game using an alternate color uniform that was not associated with a promotion. That was a game on 12/22/2011. See below for the details.....
Here is the history of Bradley's alternate colored uniforms-
Prior to 2009, ever since official school colors were adopted in the 1930's, Bradley always used two uniform colors, white for home games and red for away games. But as more and more schools adopted alternate color uniforms, there were suggestions by fans that Bradley should do so as well. But former Bradley AD Ken Kavanagh was always against the idea. And as much as I respected Ken, I was disappointed in the decision not to allow them. I personally favored anything that promoted fan interest. But he felt strongly that Bradley's colors were Red and White, and that the uniforms should not feature any other color.
But after Ken left in June, 2009, the athletic administration was more open to an alternate jersey color, and plans began to develop to use them.
At that time, Bradley was aligned with Nike, and Nike favored their schools' use of additional uniforms each year, and new AD Michael Cross liked the idea.
So, Black Nike uniforms were unveiled for the first ever Bradley "Blackout Game" promotion February 9, 2010 against Illinois State. The team wore the new black uniforms, and all 11,281 fans (the 5th largest crowd in Bradley's history) received nice black tee shirts (I still have mine!).
Bradley lead for the first 38 minutes of that game, but faded at the end and lost 62-61 to a pretty good Redbird team.
Game summary-
But then Bradley returned to the red and white uniforms for the remaining 5 regular-season games that year.
Then, Bradley surprised everyone and broke the black Nike uniforms out again on 3/5/10 in their opening game in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MVC Tournament. #5 seeded Bradley blasted a pretty good #4 seeded Creighton team 81-62 to advance to play #1 seeded UNI.
But then the magic apparently wore off. The Braves wore the black Nike uniforms one more time that season the next day on 3/6/10 in the semifinal round against the top seeded UNI, and lost 57-40-
The next season, 2010-11, was a bad year for Bradley when Taylor Brown was out all year with his heart issue, and Sam Maniscalco missed almost the entire season with an ankle injury. But Bradley did not wear the black uniforms again during that entire 2010-11 regular season.
However, Bradley brought the Black Nike uniforms out of mothballs for the opening round of the 2011 MVC Tournament in a game against Drake on 3/3/11, and #10 seed Bradley played extremely well and clobbered #7 seed Drake 63-48 for Jim Les' last win as Bradley coach.
Then, on 3/4/11, Bradley went back to their red road uniforms for a quarterfinal game against Wichita State.
Jordan Prosser had dislocated his left kneecap in the previous night's win over Drake, and joined Sam Maniscalco and Taylor Brown in street clothes and did not play. #10 seed Bradley played the #2 seed Wichita State, and the undermanned Bradley team lost 70-56 and was eliminated from the tournament.
I am not sure why Bradley did not wear the black uniforms that game. One rumor was that it had to do with black being one of Wichita State's colors, and that they did not approve, even though WSU wore their white uniforms that game.
http://www.bradleybraves.com/news/20...px?path=mbball
Then in the 2011-2012 season, Geno Ford's first season at Bradley, Bradley broke out all new designed Nike black uniforms in the Chicago Invitational Challenge played at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL. They played Wisconsin in the opening game on 11/25/11, and lost 66-43-
The next night, on 11/26/11, Bradley went back to wearing their new red Nike uniforms and lost to Nevada 64-49-
Bradley wore the new black uniforms one more time on 12/22/11 at Michigan in a nationally televised game. Geno Ford's first Bradley team played well, but lost 77-66-
That was the last time (12-22-11) Bradley ever wore black uniforms. Bradley did not wear the black Nike uniforms again that season (2011-12) nor the following season (2012-13), so they apparently put them back in storage, and they have never been used again since.
Then, prior to the 2013-14 season, the administration switched uniform manufacturer from Nike to Adidas for the next 5 years.
And after the 2017-18 season, Bradley dumped Adidas, and switched to Under Armour as their shoe, uniform and apparel manufacturer.
They never used Adidas black uniforms, or any alternate color Adidas uniforms. And there has not been any alternative color uniforms under the Under Armour deal, either.
So there must be 2 complete sets of those old Black Nike uniforms sitting in some storage room somewhere (the set that was used 4 different times during the 2009-10 & 2010-11 seasons, and the second set that was used twice in the 2011-12 season). If anyone knows anything about them, or if they still exist, let us know.
One more alternative color uniforms-
Does anyone recall that Bradley wore one other different colored uniform a single time in a home game for a special promotional occasion?
In a home game on 2/16/13 against conference opponent Indiana State, Bradley wore pink NIKE uniforms as a breast cancer awareness promotion.
Bradley won the game 80-68. The pink uniforms were auctioned off in a silent auction during that game, and have never been used again since.-
That game (2/16/13) ironically was just 3 days before Bradley announced they had signed a deal to switch from Nike to Adidas for the following season-
https://www.pjstar.com/x1037513903/B...al-with-Adidas
Here is some history of Bradley's alternate colored uniforms-
It took a lot of research looking through reports and photos from old games going back many years to compile this information.
I am personally in favor of the Bradley team using alternative color uniforms, and many colleges do it regularly. I would like to see them bring back the alternate color uniforms.
Please feel free to comment whether you like the idea, or if you have any suggestions for Bradley.
It has been almost 7 years since the last time Bradley played a game using an alternative color uniform, and that was used for a special promotion 2/16/2013 (see below).
And it has now been more than 8 years since the last time Bradley played a game using an alternate color uniform that was not associated with a promotion. That was a game on 12/22/2011. See below for the details.....
Here is the history of Bradley's alternate colored uniforms-
Prior to 2009, ever since official school colors were adopted in the 1930's, Bradley always used two uniform colors, white for home games and red for away games. But as more and more schools adopted alternate color uniforms, there were suggestions by fans that Bradley should do so as well. But former Bradley AD Ken Kavanagh was always against the idea. And as much as I respected Ken, I was disappointed in the decision not to allow them. I personally favored anything that promoted fan interest. But he felt strongly that Bradley's colors were Red and White, and that the uniforms should not feature any other color.
But after Ken left in June, 2009, the athletic administration was more open to an alternate jersey color, and plans began to develop to use them.
At that time, Bradley was aligned with Nike, and Nike favored their schools' use of additional uniforms each year, and new AD Michael Cross liked the idea.
So, Black Nike uniforms were unveiled for the first ever Bradley "Blackout Game" promotion February 9, 2010 against Illinois State. The team wore the new black uniforms, and all 11,281 fans (the 5th largest crowd in Bradley's history) received nice black tee shirts (I still have mine!).
Bradley lead for the first 38 minutes of that game, but faded at the end and lost 62-61 to a pretty good Redbird team.
Game summary-
But then Bradley returned to the red and white uniforms for the remaining 5 regular-season games that year.
Then, Bradley surprised everyone and broke the black Nike uniforms out again on 3/5/10 in their opening game in the quarterfinals of the 2010 MVC Tournament. #5 seeded Bradley blasted a pretty good #4 seeded Creighton team 81-62 to advance to play #1 seeded UNI.
But then the magic apparently wore off. The Braves wore the black Nike uniforms one more time that season the next day on 3/6/10 in the semifinal round against the top seeded UNI, and lost 57-40-
The next season, 2010-11, was a bad year for Bradley when Taylor Brown was out all year with his heart issue, and Sam Maniscalco missed almost the entire season with an ankle injury. But Bradley did not wear the black uniforms again during that entire 2010-11 regular season.
However, Bradley brought the Black Nike uniforms out of mothballs for the opening round of the 2011 MVC Tournament in a game against Drake on 3/3/11, and #10 seed Bradley played extremely well and clobbered #7 seed Drake 63-48 for Jim Les' last win as Bradley coach.
Then, on 3/4/11, Bradley went back to their red road uniforms for a quarterfinal game against Wichita State.
Jordan Prosser had dislocated his left kneecap in the previous night's win over Drake, and joined Sam Maniscalco and Taylor Brown in street clothes and did not play. #10 seed Bradley played the #2 seed Wichita State, and the undermanned Bradley team lost 70-56 and was eliminated from the tournament.
I am not sure why Bradley did not wear the black uniforms that game. One rumor was that it had to do with black being one of Wichita State's colors, and that they did not approve, even though WSU wore their white uniforms that game.
http://www.bradleybraves.com/news/20...px?path=mbball
Then in the 2011-2012 season, Geno Ford's first season at Bradley, Bradley broke out all new designed Nike black uniforms in the Chicago Invitational Challenge played at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL. They played Wisconsin in the opening game on 11/25/11, and lost 66-43-
The next night, on 11/26/11, Bradley went back to wearing their new red Nike uniforms and lost to Nevada 64-49-
Bradley wore the new black uniforms one more time on 12/22/11 at Michigan in a nationally televised game. Geno Ford's first Bradley team played well, but lost 77-66-
That was the last time (12-22-11) Bradley ever wore black uniforms. Bradley did not wear the black Nike uniforms again that season (2011-12) nor the following season (2012-13), so they apparently put them back in storage, and they have never been used again since.
Then, prior to the 2013-14 season, the administration switched uniform manufacturer from Nike to Adidas for the next 5 years.
And after the 2017-18 season, Bradley dumped Adidas, and switched to Under Armour as their shoe, uniform and apparel manufacturer.
They never used Adidas black uniforms, or any alternate color Adidas uniforms. And there has not been any alternative color uniforms under the Under Armour deal, either.
So there must be 2 complete sets of those old Black Nike uniforms sitting in some storage room somewhere (the set that was used 4 different times during the 2009-10 & 2010-11 seasons, and the second set that was used twice in the 2011-12 season). If anyone knows anything about them, or if they still exist, let us know.
One more alternative color uniforms-
Does anyone recall that Bradley wore one other different colored uniform a single time in a home game for a special promotional occasion?
In a home game on 2/16/13 against conference opponent Indiana State, Bradley wore pink NIKE uniforms as a breast cancer awareness promotion.
Bradley won the game 80-68. The pink uniforms were auctioned off in a silent auction during that game, and have never been used again since.-
That game (2/16/13) ironically was just 3 days before Bradley announced they had signed a deal to switch from Nike to Adidas for the following season-
https://www.pjstar.com/x1037513903/B...al-with-Adidas
Comment