After sleeping through the Oregon State Spring Game on Pac 12 Network, I woke up to a replay of the SC-Oregon game from the Coliseum last fall. One glimpse of the new socks and shoes, which are now composed of the colors "USC Cardinal/PMS 201c and USC Gold/PMS 123c" made me sick to my stomach.
I'm no SC fan. I'm definitely not a fan of their wunderkind head coach, Lane Kiffen. What I was a huge fan of though, was their adherence to the traditional design of their football uniform. I'm no SC historian, and I'm too lazy/incapable of going back more than 50 years, so let's just go back to this:
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| Mike Garrett former SC great and Athletic Director circa 1965 |
It's not a HD pic, but it shows the traditional jersey, helmet and pant, worn with white socks and black shoes with white shoelaces. If anyone can name the manufacturer of the cleats worn by Mr. Garrett in the photo above, then you're too old to be reading a blog. That's right though, they appear to be "Spot-Bilt" - truly and unapologetically old-school.
Some other SC "notables" that ran roughshod with their feet confined in white socks and black shoes include:
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| Left to right: OJ; Charles White; Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush |
I'm not sure what prompted SC to abandon over 50 years of tradition and "update" their uniform from the knees down? I want to blame Nike, but they only manufacturer the shoes and socks. You would think that changing a half century of tradition might require the approval of someone in a high position of authority, so the question is, who runs the show at SC? It can't be Kiffen, can it? He definitely is a prime suspect. Any guy that wears a visor is clearly capable of far more serious fashion-related offenses. Hard to fathom Rhodes Scholar and two-time All American Pat Hayden being the driving force, or signing-off on the change to cardinal and gold-colored shoes and socks. Do we need to go as high as President C.L. Max Nikias?
I would really like to know. Because this is a disgrace:
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