K-State Brand and Uniforms

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Jax
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Re: K-State Brand and Uniforms

Post by Jax » December 10th, 2019, 3:54 pm

The thread title was misleading for me since the brand has nothing to do with changing uniforms. The Powercat is and will always be an iconic brand. Hilltopwildcat said it best, the brand will resurface nationally once we regain national relevance.

I am also in agreement with 02Cat. I understand that some believe uni changes help recruitment. But can someone name the last time a team with a plethora of uni combinations made the playoffs, left alone won a national championship? I would say with exception of the Pac 12, it may be hard to find a Power 5 conference champ that uses a lot of uniform combos.
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Post by AJcat7755 » December 10th, 2019, 4:13 pm

02Cat wrote:
December 10th, 2019, 1:51 pm
Look at the top programs, as called out by ESPN's from earlier this year.https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... -150-years

1. Alabama - I don't recall any variation in uniform
2. Notre Dame - they occasionally wore green tops, they occasionally alter the uniform but overall very little variation
3. Ohio State - they have really only one variation which is a throw back and is pretty much the same each time they go away from traditional uniforms
4. Oklahoma - same as Ohio State
5. USC - I don't recall any variation in uniform, sans minor changes in the stripe positioning on the jersey
6. Michigan - I think I've seen them wear different jerseys once or twice, but very little variation
7. Yale (I'm going to discredit this due to the last 100 years of Yale not being relevant outside the Ivy League)
8. Nebraska - They've screwed around a little with the uniforms, recently wearing a black jersey
9. Texas - I don't recall any variation in uniform
10. North Dakota State (I'm going to discredit this as ESPN's silly attempt to be non-biased)

The Blue Bloods don't vary their uniform much, because they don't have to. I think K-State should vary the uniforms only slightly, specifically along the lines of Oklahoma and Ohio State. Find one alternate and stick with it. I would be good if that was a tie in to Fort Riley and it was some kind of cammo that they only wear on Fort Riley Day, but I'm not married to that idea.

Overall, this is a game and games are supposed to be fun but we can't lose sight of the fact that fans are fickle people and some people root for Texas because they like the uniforms. I think if we get into a slump where we have twelve different helmets with 30 jerseys and pants, we've got real problems. Name one school with this many uniform variations that is a school/program you would consider stable? Okie State is probably the longest running "successful" program that switches up uniforms every game, but Gundy is far from stable and now that T. Boone is gone who knows what will happen in Stillwater. Oregon changes Head Coaches almost as often as they do uniforms. Even Nebraska,finds themselves in an identity crisis because their program has dwindled down to near irrelevance that of this list of the top 10 programs, they change uniforms the most in an attempt to spark something.
Just google "X team name alternative jersey" because it's more then you think.

2. Notre Dame - From 2011 to 2018, ND had 1 game each year where they wore an alternative helmet (2011 they had 2). As for uniforms, they wore throwbacks this year for a game. They have worn green tops with yellow bottoms, all green, and the "shamrock" series jerseys with gold lettering.
3. Ohio State - Has had 12+ alternative helmets worn since 2009. They have had more then just 1 variation over the years: https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/ ... Huv4fasjM/
4. Oklahoma - Has used an all white helmet, a camo/stripped one "rough rider", and white with OU on it. They have done all white jerseys, all red jerseys and alternating top and bottom and the before mentioned "rough rider" jersey used in 2014.
6. Michigan - All blue, all yellow, blue tops and yellow bottom, they have had stripes on the shoulders, stripes on their numbers.
8. Nebraska - 7 different helmets one offs since 2012. Been using a lot of black alternatives, including jerseys with the skull and crossbones on the shoulders.

The fact you don't remember these alternatives goes to the point that nation wide, no one remembers the alternatives except the fans of the schools themselves. So why is it an issue to have different ones for a few games? They haven't gone overboard and used a different one for every game.

As for Oregon. They had a brand identity issue in the early 2000s. Nike came in and helped them become known for the crazy changes. It worked for them because they never had a brand before, but that is not an approach everyone can take. However, they have had 3 HC since 2009, each last 4 years with Cristobal getting his 4th next year. That is not a lot of coaching changes compared to the 35+ helmets they have used in that time.

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Post by AJcat7755 » December 10th, 2019, 4:20 pm

Jax wrote:
December 10th, 2019, 3:54 pm
The thread title was misleading for me since the brand has nothing to do with changing uniforms. The Powercat is and will always be an iconic brand. Hilltopwildcat said it best, the brand will resurface nationally once we regain national relevance.

I am also in agreement with 02Cat. I understand that some believe uni changes help recruitment. But can someone name the last time a team with a plethora of uni combinations made the playoffs, left alone won a national championship? I would say with exception of the Pac 12, it may be hard to find a Power 5 conference champ that uses a lot of uniform combos.
LSU: https://www.lsureveille.com/sports/rank ... c96a7.html

Clemson: https://www.uniswag.com/blog/clemsons-purple-uniforms

Georgia won the SEC in 2017, they have used various helmets and jerseys to incorporate black and silver into their color schemes.

Michigan State won the Big 10 in 2015 and 2013: They love the neon green being incorporated into their jerseys

Florida State won the ACC in 2014 and 2013 and 2012: They have worn red helmets and black jerseys mixed in.

Baylor and TCU won the Big 12 before: didn't make the playoffs, but they have lots of variations.

Wisconsin in 2012 (although they shouldn't have been in the title game but were due to probation of others): They have pulled out the alternative helmet and jersey in the past.

As long as teams don't lose sight of their brand, an alternative for 3 or less games out of 12+ games in a season isn't as big of a deal as it's being made out to be.

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Post by DioCat » December 10th, 2019, 8:13 pm

Anyone remember that in 1977 the Domers donned green uniforms for their game against USC. A relatively unknown quarterback named Joe Montana led the 11th ranked Irish to a 49-19 thrashing of the 5th ranked Trojans. Alternative uni’s have been around for a while!

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Post by KSUbetcha » December 10th, 2019, 8:21 pm

I always liked the Cowboys style uniforms, maybe they'll pull a 2.0 version and put the Powercats on the shoulder as well. Seems like many teams are experimenting with uniform variations. And the players seem to like it as well.

If the product on the field does not reflect a new winning attitude & record, then all the uni updates won't mean squat. Kinda like our stepchilden down the road in Larrytown.

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Post by n2catnip » December 10th, 2019, 8:33 pm

epicsnyder wrote:
December 10th, 2019, 3:46 pm
I just attended a conference in Vegas. I was stopped NUMEROUS times by people asking me "K-State?" with smiles on their faces while I had my powercat polo on, jacket, t-shirt, or backpack. Everywhere I went. Airport, hotel/casino, the conference center, on the strip, restaurants, etc. And every single one of them mention something about our recent basketball success, football win over OU, and many of them commented on how much they think CK is a perfect fit and will have us challenging OU and conference titles very soon. I go to this same convention every year. The last time that many people commented was in 2012. But people always start conversations with me when I have that logo somewhere on my person. And I am talking anywhere I am in the country. I am rarely in Kansas anymore. So, from my experience, our "brand" isn't lacking for national attention. The powercat logo, and our traditional uniforms are recognized by every college football fan all across the country. I just don't see this as an issue.. And I agree with O2Cat, and commented on here before about my dislike for the gazillion uni options and that traditionally strong programs don't do that. Don't need to. All they do is win. W-I-N. Winning gives you brand recognition above EVERYTHING else.

Beat Navy!!!
I've travelled all over the US and the Powercat is a recognized logo that frequently solicits comments. I was in Tokyo several years ago and even had several folks comment about the logo.

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Post by Ksustephens » December 11th, 2019, 12:19 am

Plus so many HS teams use the logo - Power Cat has to be the most used logo overall - how many HS are licensed to use now? Hell even Mahommes donned the Powercat before he was a Red Raider and now a Chief

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Post by ArKSU » December 11th, 2019, 2:16 am

tmcats
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Perhaps, you're feeling the Quantum physics. After all, A2+B2 may not always be C2 depending on the string or loop on which you exist.

BTW, why are you questioning the efficacy of that which has been shown to be efficacious?
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Post by tmcats » December 11th, 2019, 11:34 am

yeah, the priest at st. thomas aquinas on arkansas's campus noticed my vest powercat coming out of mass sunday and was all over it: "hey, k-state."
Why is there something rather than nothing?

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