Good Thursday morning, Uni Watchers! I hope everyone had a good Wednesday.
As has now become an annual tradition since 2017, yesterday the University of Central Florida Kinghts have unveiled this year’s edition of their “Space Game” uniforms. Almost every previous edition has been spectacular, and the 2024 uniforms are no exception.
Now in its eighth year, this year’s theme is “Mission VIII: Powering Humankind’s Return to the Moon.”
The “Space Game” focuses on the university’s origins, while trying to advocate for support of the Kennedy Space Center & Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s space force branch. This year, the Knights will wear the new uniforms when they take on new Big XII rival Arizona Wildcats on November 2nd.
As always, there is a great deal of storytelling involved with the uniforms — but unlike most “storytelling,” the uniforms are designed to recognize the University’s relationship with the nearby space exploration facilities. The Mission VIII uniforms are inspired by NASA’s Artemis program, intended to reestablish human presence on the moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and with a long-term goal of creating a permanent lunar base.
UCF’s Exolith lab is home to the world’s largest simulated lunar surface with its regolith bin.
Before we get into the uniforms, the obligatory hype video:
Mission VIII
Powering Humankind's Return to the Moon pic.twitter.com/aQF6dT08Ec
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) September 18, 2024
Let’s take a look at the uniforms now. After this section, I’ll share the graphics provided by UCF to explain the details (which are many) of the uniforms.
HELMET
As you can see, the helmet is black, with a white UCF decal, with light blue accents. The rear of the helmet has a light blue neck bumper with the words “Reach For The Stars,” (UCF’s motto) and the center “stripe” is made of the eight “Mission” logos. Front bumper reads “SPACEU”.
UNIFORM
The jersey is mostly black, with a gradient pattern fading to white at the bottom. The gradient pattern is actually trying to represent moon dirt or regolith. Numbers are white, with a light blue drop shadow.
Sleeve caps feature a “constellation” pattern.
Pants are white, with a pattern running down the side (I’ll let the storytelling graphic explain), and feature a Mission VIII patch on the right front hip.
Those are the “basics” — but as I said, there’s much more to the uniforms than initially meets the eye. Here’s how UCF describes the various elements on the uniforms:
Now that is how you do storytelling. No “Bigger/Faster/Stronger” nonsense and word salads. Each part of the uniform’s design has a purpose, and for the most part, the descriptions are both apt and concise. The only exception occurs at the very end when the pants stripe description adds, “This also represents our players’ speed taking off down the field.” But that’s the only time the graphic strays from a valid explanation of a uniform element.
As far as institutions of higher learning go, UCF is relatively new. It was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University with the goal of providing personnel for the growing U.S. space program at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and it achieved that. UCF is the top supplier of graduates to the aerospace and defense industry.
According to a release from the university, 29% of Kennedy Space Center employees are alumni, and more than 30 graduates are involved in NASA’s Artemis I mission to return astronauts to the moon.
So the “Space Game” uniform isn’t a gimmick, as so many “City” and alternate uniforms are. The University has a true and special relationship with the Space Program and the Space Game uniforms are an attempt to bring that history and relationship to light.
But not only are the uniforms pretty spectacular, the team has performed spectacularly well when wearing them. They are a perfect 7-0 while wearing them, with some of the victories by 40 points or more. They’ve never not won by less than double-digits thus far. Here are the results and opponents in the seven previous Space Game unis:
• Oct. 14, 2017: 63-21 win against East Carolina
• Nov. 1, 2018: 52-40 win against Temple
• Nov. 2, 2019: 44-29 win against Houston
• Oct. 24, 2020: 51-34 win against Tulane
• Oct. 22, 2021: 24-7 win against Memphis
• Oct. 13, 2022: 70-13 win against Temple
If you’re curious, the University has put together some excellent recaps of the uniforms and the games, which are well worth a look:
If you’re interested in reading more about how these uniforms come about, here is an excellent article from 2023 (originally published Oct. 12, 2022, in the lead up to the UCF football team’s sixth space game).
So, what are your thoughts on the new Space Game uniform? Yes, they are another “alternate” uniform (in an era when such uniforms are profligate), but I don’t consider these at all to be gimmicky or a merch dump (although the university definitely does sell a good amount of Space Game paraphernalia). But you may disagree. What say you?
The UCF Mission VIII sticker with the orbit forming an 8 also pay homage to Apollo 8, which was the first circumlunar mission mission to orbit the moon back in 1968: link
Yea, I don’t know why they didn’t say that instead of trying to tie to red vector on the meatball logo.
The Exolith Lab is excellent. One of the highlights of the Astronomy class that I teach is my students get to “touch” the Moon with samples from that lab (wearing plastic gloves) and feel the differences in the lunar regolith.
For a gimmick uniform I like it a lot. My only gripe would probably be using the light blue in there, since it isn’t a school color, though I understand the reasoning for it.
Has UCF ever used their pegasus logo on their helmet? That would be a great design.
I agree about the Pegasus design. They do this so well, so consistently that it doesn’t feel like a gimmick to me anymore.
Uni Tweet of the Day: Shouldn’t that be their dark, ROAD uniforms?
The NHL didn’t go to white at home until 1970.
On a side note, the North Stars are wearing their prototypes, with the weird N and rounded numbers.
GTGFTU
2017, Week 15 against the Broncos?
GTGFTS September 16, 1965 @ Fenway Red Sox 2, Indians 0. Dave Morehead no-hits Cleveland
UCF unis are cool, but how can the pants be white and have a white stripe that one can see in the pic?
Aren’t the pants gray or silver?
quick typo heads up “when they play take on new Big XII rival Arizona Wildcats”
Thanks, Joel! Now fixed.
no problem, Feel free to delete my comment :)
Wow the LA Kings and North Stars uniforms were so good.
More often than not I love these types of unis, the space program ones, the army/navy/air force special occasion or rivalry unis, etc. something about government/military/engineering type designs just fits with football and they just put forth a good effort most of the time.
I saw an interesting news feature about folks who play for military schools, and how they need to bulk up for football, especially linemen, but after the season is over they have to scramble to lose the weight again to qualify for their military service/graduation, and if they intend on entering the NFL draft or competing in the combine that’s adds an extra burden on their weight/fitness. I’m sure I’m misrepresenting the situation at least a little bit but that’s the gist. Anyway, I realize this has nothing to do with UCF.