The Univ. of Michigan football team and adidas have teamed to create a special jersey for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against the Univ. of South Carolina. The jersey will be white with blue across the shoulders and down to the sleeve. A maize block "M" will appear on the left and right sleeves of the jersey, and the player numbers will be maize with a blue outline. The player's last name will appear in blue. The phrase "It's Great To Be A Michigan Wolverine" will be stitched into the inside neck of the jersey. The team will wear adiZero "M" Statement gloves, while UM's helmet will feature the traditional maize wings and a slightly different navy finish (UM). UM AD Dave Brandon said that he would "like to do one special uniform during the regular season and something different for bowl games." He added that several poll results showed that UM's winged helmet is "ranked as the most recognizable in the game." He said changes to the helmet will be "few and far between" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/19). UM S Jordan Kovacs said, "They're pretty unique and pretty special. We like to wear our unique uniforms in big games, special games, and this is a big game for our seniors. It'll be fun. They look good." Brandon prior to football season said that UM would "back off changing the uniform so often ... but conceded it's what the players want" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/19). In Ann Arbor, Nick Baumgardner noted UM wore "a total of six different uniform combinations in 2011, and the only alterations it made to the helmet were adding numbers during Big Ten play." This season, the team has "only wore a special uniform once -- against Alabama in the Cowboys Classic" (ANNARBOR.com, 12/18).
SALUTE THE TROOPS: YAHOO SPORTS' Graham Watson noted Rice Univ. has "unveiled a new helmet to salute the Armed Forces" during the Dec. 29 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force. The helmets are "similar to the ones the Owls wore as a tribute for 9/11 last year." They feature the school's "R" logo as an American flag and "a Stars and Stripes design running down the middle of the helmet" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/18).
