Florida University, located in Miami, last night unveiled an all-black alternate uniform, adorned with bright pink and baby blue accoutrements (numbers, wordmark, striping, etc.), which they are affectionately referring to as their “Miami Vice” look.
Let’s take a look at the uniforms and then we’ll get into the details, starting with the obligatory “hype” video.
For the 305. Welcome to #ViceU
Oct. 11 / 7:30pm / ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/DkGxz1ZGz4
— FIU Football (@FIUFootball) August 10, 2023
The video features wide receiver Dean Patterson driving a Lamborghini down a Florida highway, with Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight as background music — an obvious evocation of one of the television show’s video montages.
The video does a good job of showing the full uniform (including the back). Let’s look at some photos:
I’m not one for storytelling, but to FIU’s credit, they actually did just that in a most Vice-like way, covering the details thusly:
Not bad (and certainly not awful when compared to most of the current forced “storytelling” that goes into unis these days; it covers the details found on the uni without employing typical word salads that are just corporate-speak).
The black, pink and baby blue have become colors associated with Miami, and the team makes good use of them. It’s busy, but not overly designed — although it continues the trend of putting an “area code” as a feature of the uniform. FIU puts the “305” on both the back neckline of the jersey and the helmet.
FIU lets the colors do the talking, rather than load up the uniform with extraneous doo-dads. The palm trees are really the only “flash” on the jersey, with its basic black template featuring “FIU” and uni number in bright pink, outlined in white, with a baby blue blockshadow effect added to the number.
The jersey back features the same number treatment as the front (there are also TV numbers on the shoulders), and NOB is legible and rendered in white.
The pants are black with a pink stripe fading to baby blue in a triangular point near the hem.
Last season, the team went with a “Vice Night” theme for their football field, so the new uniform is an extension of that. It’s probably safe to assume the team will customize their field this year when the uniforms are worn — they’ll be worn only once, against UTEP on “FIU Vice Night,” a nationally televised game (ESPN2) on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
I feel this the “Vice” theme is about one more uniform from becoming stars & stripes.
I’ll give up on it when the Colts decide to try “Indiana Vice Nights” and do a pink, black and blue. Until then I’m ok with it being a Miami specific VFVS (Vice For Vice Sake).
It’s a stupid nitpick, but the car he’s driving in the hype video is a Lamborghini not a Ferrari as you said.
D’OH! I knew that too, but for some reason wrote Ferrari. Now fixed — good catch!
Hey Phil! With Paul out for the month, is there another address we can send ticker items to?
Keep sending them to link. We all check that.
But it is a Lamborghini, not a Lomborghini…
Ugh. I’m just having a bad day with this car…
Fixed (finally)
It should’ve BEEN a Ferrari though. Come one FIU.
I’m sure they could’ve found someone with a white Testarossa or a black Daytona Spyder
I can barely make out the colours of the uniform under that pink light.
the P in Panthers is the same one that the Padres had in the early ’00
I like these because it utilizes a theme from a local city, and isn’t just some repetitious Stars & Stripes nonsense.
I would like this if these were school colors.
And I’m not against FIU making these the school colors. You’re not exactly a legacy program, there are plenty of navy and gold teams out there already, and these colors are associated with Miami…so keep them.
Now, can we have a road uni in baby blue like one of Sonny Crockett’s suits?
Palm trees look rad ngl
I don’t like the inconsistentsys in today’s football uniforms. I.E sloppy undershirts hanging out. Mismatching socks on different players. No socks. High pants showing knee. Etc.
Maybe I’m just getting old
Nice uniform and a keeper, ditch the regular ones. One detail that should be added: sunglasses on the Panther.
I know some people think the Miami Vice thing is getting old, but like, these have to be so fun for the art departments.
I can’t believe I like these as much as I do- but I do. Always thought it would have been a neat alternate for the Miami Dolphins- not necessarily the black, but their white throwback uni’s, swap the orange w/hot pink & the aqua w/an electric/neon-ish blue-green.