The storied college football rivalry between the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan gets a special new twist this fall. Today ND unveiled retro football uniforms that the Fighting Irish will wear against the Wolverines on Sept. 10th, to honor of the first ever night game at Michigan Stadium.
This is the first prime-time matchup between the Irish and Wolverines since 1990; when both were ranked in the top-five.
“We are happy to partner with adidas to help commemorate the first night game at Michigan Stadium with new uniforms,” said Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly. “It seems fitting that the two schools with the two best winning percentages in college football play in this historic game. I know our players are looking forward to the contest and both teams’ new uniforms will only add to the excitement in the Big House on September 10.”
Paying homage to the rich football tradition of Notre Dame football, the Irish “Under the Lights” adidas uniform includes a white jersey with Kelly green lettering and two Kelly green shoulder stripes, old gold-colored pants, white socks with green stripes and white shoes. A large shamrock logo appears on the traditional gold helmet for thefirst time since the early 1960s. The years the Fighting Irish won National Championships are listed inside the bottom hem of the jersey.
“Since 1997, adidas and Notre Dame have had a strong relationship and we are glad to produce an exciting opportunity for our student-athletes and fans by creating vintage uniforms for this game,” said Notre Dame Vice President and Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “Special events like this make college football unique on the sporting landscape and we are happy to partner with adidas and Michigan in this project. We look forward to working with adidas in honoring our unparalleled history and tradition while also focusing on new and innovative initiatives for the future.”
“Notre Dame’s first-ever varsity football game was against Michigan in 1887 so the ‘Under the Lights’ game is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the long-standing heritage between two of the most successful programs in college football history.” said Jon Yuska, director of sports licensing design, adidas.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports You can follow him on Twitter