Georgia Tech has unveiled a new black uniform that will be worn for this Saturday’s home game against Bowling Green.
The uniform is a shout-out to the school’s old “Black Watch defense” from the 1980s. Quoting from the press release:
Georgia Tech wore black jerseys for home games under legendary alumnus and head coach Bill Curry in the 1980s. The [term] “Black Watch defense” was coined for the Yellow Jackets’ ACC-leading units under defensive coordinator Bill Lindsey in 1984 and ’85. Lindsey dubbed the most prominent players on his Tech defenses the “Black Watch,” in honor of the famed Scottish military forces that took the same name beginning in the 1700s.
You can see lots of additional pics in this slideshow:
But the big gimmick is that the uniform’s graphics glow in the dark, as you can see in this video clip:
I suppose the glowing elements might come handy if the power went out during a night game. But Saturday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 3:30pm Eastern, so they won’t even be able to dim the lights for player intros or anything like that. Pretty odd choice to pair this particular gimmick with an afternoon game.
(My thanks to Phil for his assistance with this post.)
Glow in the dark are dumb enough, but to have them worn for an outdoor afternoon game is… link
I completely agree – why wear glow in the dark unis at 3:30 pm? Against mighty rival Bowling Green? Saw a rumor Tech had these unis last year but didn’t wear them. Why not wear Ghost unis for Halloween? Jackets have home games Oct 21 and 28, but you never know what time TV has the game time moved to. As a Tech alumni the jersey is spot on, though I hate the BFBS. Glad the pants have stripes. They’ll most probably wear black tights and cleats, making it worse. I love the stripes on the helmets – similar to Tech helmets back in the early 70’s, when Eddie McAshan was the first black starting QB in the deep South. What was interesting about those Black Watch teams in the 80’s was that certain defenders wore special helmets, with black stripes and a black, unlined GT logo replacing the regular white GT. The rest of the team wore regular helmets.
I always joke when someone calls a normal looking,block font, sensible striped uniform boring that they must have grown up with light up shoes and flashing light toddler shirts……We’re going to see that soon enough.
Is “Adidas Ghost Stories” a new line of gimmicks?
Texas A&M tried this back in 2015 and it did not go well. Played one day game in them and one night game and it didn’t really glow either time.
What a disappointment. As an alum, it’s rare that I see headlines about our team. Even rarer that they are headlines that I’m pleased with. I hate BFBS even if it has historical precedent.
Leave glow in the dark to club visitors and fishermen/women.
NC State will be wearing glow in the dark Unis tonight vs Lville on popular sports channel… The CW.
That game is on ESPN, next week vs Marshall is on the CW however
Am I taking crazy pills or is that jersey dark navy? Which makes sense since navy is a school color. Also, did GT actually wear black jerseys in the 80’s? My brief research is inconclusive, but I’m no GT historian. I know the references to the current and 80’s black jersey’s are straight from the GT press release, but it just seems odd. Could this be a Yankees hat situation, where many think their cap is black? Even from GT’s own organization?
Yes Tech wore black back in the 1980’s. This Ghost jersey is pretty much exactly like the 80’s jersey.
Will all players wear BUZZ as NOB or is that just for the photo-op?
Photo op.
I became a Tech fan when we wore black and I would not mind if we used black as our third color rather than navy, but it is what it is. I think these are a sharp looking unis and I love mono black looks, but as a traditionalist, there is no precedence for mono black in my memory. I also think the helmet looks fantastic, though a little New Orleans Saints or PUrdue, but again, it is not historical to my memory. That being said, I would much prefer this alternate to some absolutely crazy uni.
As for the game and kickoff time, per one of our beat writers, Tech had to identify the game for these unis before the season and, as you all know, we have no control over kickoff time that far in advance.
Good post. These helmets stripes were worn back in the early 70’s, with the standard white GT logo and grey facemasks. Looks great. I don’t mind the black helmet logo outlined in white, but hopefully it is a one time deal. Not a fan of the black nose bumper, but look forward to seeing it on the field. Interesting number font. Not a true block number, but kind of the current GT numbers with a block twist.
Hey, at least the hype video didn’t include some guy dusting off his chest. Man, am I sick of all that posing. These GITD unis will come in handy when Johnny from “Airplane” pulls the plug on the locker room lights!