new jerseys

[BradleyBrave]

Many college teams, as well as a lot of pro teams, use the 3rd color uniform as a way to generate fan interest, and increase merchandising. Some schools have made a lot of money with sales of their jerseys.
I don't think Bradley would have to change their school colors or song. And I prefer to stay with the Red and White. But if BU did adopt an alternate uni, I would also support that. Wearing a black (or other) uniform for 1 or 2 home games a year wouldn't take anything away from our school's colors. It's not like Red & White are unique to Bradley or are associated by people nationwide with Bradley. I wish that were true (like the Carolina Blue, or the Texas burnt orange). There are way too many schools that have Red and White as their colors.
IMO, if it would help market Bradley, or give Bradley more regional or national attention, it would be OK.

I agree with the increased marketing/merchandising appeal, but IMO that can be accomplished with some retro/throwback uniforms worn for a game or two rather than an alternative 'black' jersey. For a while, we did have blue as our trim color rather than black. I would be in favor of seeing some of the 1980's uniforms brought back with the bold lettering and blue trim, or the home uniforms with 'Bradley' in script across the front, ala Jim's playing days. I think both of those could be big sellers, not only with the younger crowd, but also with some of the older folks who remember those great teams.

Not to start down this trail again, but I think a makeover of the logo could help in the merchandising regard as well.

[That Guy]

Instead of having a black alternate jersey, has anyone thought of having gray alternates? I think this would look pretty sweet. Gray with the red numbering and trim. I could see KennyK possibly letting that one slide...

[Da Coach]

Just a quick survery of the official colors of the Division I colleges, and it's clear that the 2 most common colors are red and white.
Close to 100 schools have white as one of their colors, and nearly 70 have red as one of their colors.
If you count all shades of red (such as maroon) the number is much higher.
And over 30 schools have the same combination as Bradley--red and white.
Just some of the easily recognizable Red/White schools are--
Bradley
Illinois State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Alabama
Arkansas
Ball State
Houston
Iowa State (they have 3 colors, including gold)
Louisiana Lafayette
Maryland
Miami (OH)
Nebraska
New Mexico State
North Carolina State
Oklahoma
Rutgers
Stanford
Temple
Utah
Harvard
Cornell

The same trend follows for lower division colleges and for high schools. Red & White is the most common combination everywhere. So I would not be opposed to a minor change that would give more distinction to the Bradley uniforms or colors.

[tornado]

Wait a minute...
New Mexico State is not RED, they are a deep crimson, almost maroon.

http://www.nmstatesports.com/AdMonitor.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1900&MONITOR_AD_ID=24108

[georgethedog]

Instead of having a black alternate jersey, has anyone thought of having gray alternates? I think this would look pretty sweet. Gray with the red numbering and trim. I could see KennyK possibly letting that one slide...

Grey with red would make us look like conferderates!

[That Guy]

Just a quick survery of the official colors of the Division I colleges, and it's clear that the 2 most common colors are red and white.
Close to 100 schools have white as one of their colors, and nearly 70 have red as one of their colors.
If you count all shades of red (such as maroon) the number is much higher.
And over 30 schools have the same combination as Bradley--red and white.
Just some of the easily recognizable Red/White schools are--
Bradley
Illinois State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Alabama
Arkansas
Ball State
Houston
Iowa State (they have 3 colors, including gold)
Louisiana Lafayette
Maryland
Miami (OH)
Nebraska
New Mexico State
North Carolina State
Oklahoma
Rutgers
Stanford
Temple
Utah
Harvard
Cornell

The same trend follows for lower division colleges and for high schools. Red & White is the most common combination everywhere. So I would not be opposed to a minor change that would give more distinction to the Bradley uniforms or colors.

Actually Indiana's official colors are crimson & cream...

[Da Coach]

Yes, several schools call their shades of red crimson, cherry, or cardinal red, and their whites cream. But it is still red and white. I have both Bradley's and Indiana's uniforms at home, and the colors are indistinguishable. So I included these virtually identical shades of red and white together. Don't be so picky.

[BradleyBrave]

Yes, several schools call their shades of red crimson, cherry, or cardinal red, and their whites cream. But it is still red and white. I have both Bradley's and Indiana's uniforms at home, and the colors are indistinguishable. So I included these virtually identical shades of red and white together. Don't be so picky.

One thing that teams can be well-known for is tradition. I would prefer that we would get one uniform and stick with it, and build it into the culture and winning tradition that is Bradley Basketball. I'm all for a 'retro' night here and there, but I think some continuity in the uniform we hold in high esteem is important. Most of the great programs have kept relatively the same font and uniform design for decades. with only minor tweaks here and there. I suggest we do the same.

[georgethedog]

Yes, several schools call their shades of red crimson, cherry, or cardinal red, and their whites cream. But it is still red and white. I have both Bradley's and Indiana's uniforms at home, and the colors are indistinguishable. So I included these virtually identical shades of red and white together. Don't be so picky.

One thing that teams can be well-known for is tradition. I would prefer that we would get one uniform and stick with it, and build it into the culture and winning tradition that is Bradley Basketball. I'm all for a 'retro' night here and there, but I think some continuity in the uniform we hold in high esteem is important. Most of the great programs have kept relatively the same font and uniform design for decades. with only minor tweaks here and there. I suggest we do the same.

Agreed. In order to "brand" something you need it to be recognizable and changing can hurt. How many times has Duke changed uniforms? How many times has Coca-cola changed its logo. All good brands keep a consistent recognizable look. Bradley should do the same.

[squirrel]

Many college teams, as well as a lot of pro teams, use the 3rd color uniform as a way to generate fan interest, and increase merchandising. Some schools have made a lot of money with sales of their jerseys.
I don't think Bradley would have to change their school colors or song. And I prefer to stay with the Red and White. But if BU did adopt an alternate uni, I would also support that. Wearing a black (or other) uniform for 1 or 2 home games a year wouldn't take anything away from our school's colors. It's not like Red & White are unique to Bradley or are associated by people nationwide with Bradley. I wish that were true (like the Carolina Blue, or the Texas burnt orange). There are way too many schools that have Red and White as their colors.
IMO, if it would help market Bradley, or give Bradley more regional or national attention, it would be OK.

I agree with the increased marketing/merchandising appeal, but IMO that can be accomplished with some retro/throwback uniforms worn for a game or two rather than an alternative 'black' jersey. For a while, we did have blue as our trim color rather than black. I would be in favor of seeing some of the 1980's uniforms brought back with the bold lettering and blue trim, or the home uniforms with 'Bradley' in script across the front, ala Jim's playing days. I think both of those could be big sellers, not only with the younger crowd, but also with some of the older folks who remember those great teams.

Not to start down this trail again, but I think a makeover of the logo could help in the merchandising regard as well.

The rule on the stripes is that there is to be no markings of any kind on the front legs of the uniform. This is because some conferences and schools had billboard sized logos on the fronts, and the NCAA wants to eliminate that visibility.

Why they did not keep that exclusively to logos and included striping I do not know.

Jerseys are now sold in the bookstore. They currently have #33 (Hawkins) on them (no name).

Without looking it up, Bradley's original school colors were maroon, black (or maybe blue), and white, as it was a feeder school associated with the University of Chicago whose team wore maroon and were called the Maroons.

During the centennial season they wore special maroon colored centennial unis for a game I believe.

I have thought about the uniform thing a bit.

While I don't like the Phoenix Suns PHX jerseys, I see a wonderful opportunity being missed for Bradley along those lines.

I do like the font we've used for "BRADLEY" the last couple seasons.

Bradley has stood out on the court the last couple seasons. Now's the time to do something. I know people don't think marketing is important. But it is. This is why. There is demand.

Having a mascot makes these things a lot easier.

[Chucky T's]

Maybe I'm off base here but I think some people are misunderstanding the point about an "alternitive" uniform. IMO we are not talking about a jersey that BU would wear several times a season. I think an alternative jersey could be worn once, maybe twice a year. Imagine breaking out some really sharp looking black, red, and white uni's at Redbird Arena. (just to add a little more fire to the War on 74) I would compare this to Notre Dame football when they break out the green jerseys for their biggest game of the year. Anyway, it's just an idea and it could be a nice merchandising opportunity for BU.

[BradleyBrave]

Maybe I'm off base here but I think some people are misunderstanding the point about an "alternitive" uniform. IMO we are not talking about a jersey that BU would wear several times a season. I think an alternative jersey could be worn once, maybe twice a year. Imagine breaking out some really sharp looking black, red, and white uni's at Redbird Arena. (just to add a little more fire to the War on 74) I would compare this to Notre Dame football when they break out the green jerseys for their biggest game of the year. Anyway, it's just an idea and it could be a nice merchandising opportunity for BU.

I think that changing uniforms for big games takes the focus off of what is really important, and that's the game. IMO if we're going to do a 'turn back the clock' game or something like that, it should be once, maybe twice a year. I agree with Squirrel that marketing is important, but I don't necessarily think a mascot is absolutely necessary to market. A revamped logo and a consistent, traditional uniform coupled with winning basketball could sell a lot of merchandise. I think we have the winning basketball part taken care of. Let's go from there...

[That Guy]

Would retro night mean that the shorts go back to being retro length too? That could make things interesting...

[Chico]

I remember in coach Les's first year he told the team that if they didn't hustle he would make them wear the uniforms from his playing days. That MADE them hustle.