This upcoming Saturday in Baton Rouge, the LSU Tigers football team will don throwback uniforms that’ll transport fans back to the first half of the 20th century.
On Monday, LSU head coach Les Miles announced the Tigers will wear throwback “Gridiron Gold” uniforms on Saturday when they host Mississippi State at Tiger Stadium. This Saturday September 17th is the annual Gold Game for the Tigers.
Back in the 1940s, the Tigers wore similar uniforms to this weekend’s “Gridiron Gold” set. The white helmets the players’ will wear to top off the uniform will have their jersey numbers both sides as well. LSU’s standard current helmets don’t have numbers on either side.
The bottom half of the “Gridiron Gold” uniform will feature pants with a block “L” logo on the right hip. Back on top, the retro “Sailor Mike” logo will be on the collars of the jerseys.
“We’re very excited to wear the old LSU colors and honor the past with this new uniform,” Leonard Fournette, LSU’s All-American running back, said. “It’s a special moment for us to be able to wear it and represent Louisiana on the field. The uniform is a throwback; it’s a classy look.”
The last time LSU wore gold jerseys at home was in 1996 when it beat Vanderbilt 35-0. LSU wore gold jerseys more recently in 1998 on the road against Florida.
Here is how LSU described the different aspects of the uniform in its press release:
Y.A. TITTLE ERA
The Gridiron Gold jersey design and numeral font are reminiscent of the style worn by Fighting Tigers during the college career of Y.A. Tittle, who played at LSU from 1944-47. In fact, the idea to create the throwback design was triggered by Tittle’s visit to the LSU campus just a few years ago. The Old Gold color of the throwback jersey mimics the color worn by Tittle and his teammates in the 1940s.HELMET NUMBERS
The numbers are a tribute to LSU’s helmet design from 1957-71, when the players’ jersey numbers were also displayed on each side of the headgear. Coach Paul Dietzel introduced the helmet design in his second season at LSU in 1957, when the Tigers wore black, two-inch “NCAA style” numerals on the headgear. The size expanded to three inches in 1958, the season LSU captured its first national title.LETTERMAN’S “L”
The block “L” on the right hip of the pants is the same style of letter that was worn by LSU athletics teams in the early-20th Century, including the 1908 football squad, which posted a perfect 10-0 mark. The block “L” is still used today as the official logo of the L Club, LSU’s organization for athletics letterwinners.SAILOR MIKE
The “Sailor Mike” logo was extremely popular among LSU fans in the 1940s and ‘50s, especially when the Tigers won their first football national championship in 1958. The logo is featured on the collar of the throwback jersey, centered above the player’s jersey number.
After the announcement, LSU previewed the uniform combination on Twitter and Instagram.
BREAKING: LSU to wear "Gridiron Gold" throwback uniforms Sept. 17.
Inside look: https://t.co/3qLUMmWeA4#AllForLSU pic.twitter.com/cAuliuyAc3— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 12, 2016
Gridiron Gold uniform specs.
Coming 9.17.16 to @LSUTigerStadium.#AllForLSU pic.twitter.com/CE6vcqt5k2— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 12, 2016
“We’re very excited to wear the old LSU colors and honor the past with this new uniform. It’s a special moment for us to be able to wear it and represent Louisiana on the field. The uniform is a throwback; it’s a classy look.” – RB | Leonard Fournette A photo posted by LSU Football (@lsufootball) on Sep 12, 2016 at 3:10pm PDT
[LSU]
