Back to the College Football Uniforms
Duke University isn’t known for its success on the football field, but the school’s current Nike contract has provided an avenue for juicing up its gridiron flair in recent years.
The Blue Devils have been the recipient of several radical helmet changes, an upgrade from the “Duke” script helmets worn from 1978 to 2003. In addition to the revised and more sleek “D” decal, Duke currently has four shell options on gameday — blue, white and two matte black versions.
Black has been a third color at the private ACC institution since 1994, but it’s been pushed to the forefront since head coach David Cutcliffe’s hiring in 2008. In 1999, the Blue Devils added a black stripe to their white and royal game pants. Four years later, black pants made their first appearance. Now under Cutcliffe, black is back in the form of helmets, tops and pants.
Nike went a bit outside the box with its second alternate matte black helmet, placing a shiny “D” decal on the side. Barely visible to the naked eye, the dark shell looks mean – even arrogant – for one of the ACC’s annual bottom-dwellers.
Most Duke purists prefer the simplistic royal and white uniform at home, jerseys decorated with visible white numbers without a third color.
At this point, there are no signs pointing to Nike incorporating the infamous “devilface” decal from 1966-69 back onto the helmets. An image of hoops coach Mike Krzyzewski might be the next best thing.
