Back to the College Football Uniforms
The Hawkeyes have proudly worn their black and yellow color scheme – or some close variation – for more than 100 years, but in recent memory as a Nike school, Iowa’s attempted to juice things up a bit with touches of silver and bronze.
In 2012, Nike supplied Iowa with several different combinations including a pair throwback alternates. The first was strange black and bronze two-tone jersey worn against Iowa State. The black top had large bronze accents at the rib cage on each side with white numerals. Bronze, almost mud-colored pants, finished the uniform.
The second “throwback”, a set honoring military personnel overseas, was a painfully boring combination worn against Purdue that featured silver pants and a black jersey finished off with a silver helmet – Iowa’s first silver shell in history. On that helmet, a black Hawkeye decal was worn on the left while an American Flag image was stuck on the right.
Nike’s decision to think backward instead of forward with the Hawkeyes in 2012 backfired by most accounts. While most schools have an upgraded look when the swoosh thinks outside the box, the Hawkeyes’ stale incorporation of silver and bronze didn’t work.
Iowa’s basic home get up is the program’s best look, black tops with yellow pants. On the road, white jerseys with yellow and black striped sleeves match well with yellow pants and gives the Hawkeyes a Pittsburgh Steelers-style appeal.
