ASU Football: Jerseys to be more traditional moving forward

It was a topic of less serious discussion throughout the year, but it was clear Arizona State Sun Devils fans had mixed feelings toward their football team’s varied uniform combinations.

Traditionally, the Sun Devils wear primarily maroon and gold uniforms, but in 2016 the team experimented with several variations, including some which incorporated copper and gray.

Since Adidas became the school’s apparel provider in July 2015, the Sun Devils have worn many alternate outfits, including their “Desert Ice” and “Be the Hammer” themed combos. However, it appears the Maroon and Gold are on their way to reflecting their nickname more closely in the near future.

According to a report by azcentral’s Doug Haller, ASU will implement uniform rules to “keep from straying too far from its brand.” Uniforms will go through a review process before receiving final approval from Vice President of Athletics Ray Anderson.

Haller goes on to report a memo sent out states that uniforms “should primarily be maroon and gold” in its opening statement, which wasn’t always the case this year.

Against UCLA, the Sun Devils ventured from the norm by donning gray jerseys with white pants and helmets, pictured below.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On the road against Oregon, the Sun Devils wore white jerseys and pants with copper accents and helmets, pictured below.

Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports

According to Haller, the memo later states “traditional home or away uniforms always will be worn for rivalry games” — that is, the Territorial Cup.

In this year’s installment of the game against Arizona, the Sun Devils wore white jerseys with non-traditional gray pants and helmets. In 2015, the Sun Devils also wore non-traditional uniforms against the Wildcats, sporting an all-gray combination.

Both sets are pictured, here:

Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Here are the other points of emphasis outlined by Sun Devil athletics in the memo, according to Haller:

• Black uniforms are permitted but should be accented with maroon and gold.
• The use of copper should be limited to an accent color.
• Individual sports cans have unique uniforms for awareness of charitable causes such as Brest Cancer Awareness or Salute to Service.
• Throwback uniforms may be introduced but must tie to a significant accomplishment and be based on the uniform from the celebrated era.

According to Sun Devil Source, these are not new guidelines.

The site speculates the athletics department wants the equipment department to get the memo and “ensure ... maroon and gold colors are worn for Homecoming and the Territorial Cup.”

As aforementioned, ASU wore a non-traditional uniform against Arizona, however the Sun Devils did trot out a more traditional look against Washington State at its homecoming game.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Fans will just have to wait and see how strict these guidelines are adhered to in the future.

The Sun Devils are scheduled to kick off their season Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, against the New Mexico State Aggies in Tempe.