Good Thursday morning, UWers. I hope everyone had a very nice Wednesday.
ICYMI: Yesterday the Utah Hockey Club officially became the Utah Mammoth (yes, singular), and unveiled new logos and uniform updates as well. And we got even more leaks of the Boston Red Sox City Connect, showing details heretofore not seen.
Now then.
The Houston Cougars have added another sport to their growing list of teams sporting a light blue color, which the University refers to as “Houston Blue,” and that sport is baseball. And they continue to troll the ownership of the Tennessee Titans in the process, which is an added bonus.
And what does a university based in Texas have to do with a professional football team in Tennessee? It all has to do with the beloved old Houston Oilers uniforms and a petty squabble over just who does that Houston Blue color belong to.
I’ll be brief. Back in 2023, the Tennessee Titans announced they would be wearing throwback uniforms to their first two years in Tennessee, when they were still known as the Oilers. Shortly after we learned the Titans would be throwing back, the University of Houston introduced an alternate football uniform that bore a striking resemblance to the old Oilers uniforms. The Cougars wore those uniforms and it didn’t go unnoticed by the Titans.
Not long after the Cougars wore their Oilers-inspired alts, the Tennessee Titans sent the Cougars a cease and desist, and threatening the Cougars with a trademark suit. Apparently unmoved by the Titans/NFL threat, in 2024 the Cougars announced they would again wear “Houston Blue” football uniforms in the upcoming fall season.
There was a slight twist, however. Here’s the uniform the Cougars wore in 2023 that so offended the Titans brass:
And let’s be honest. That’s pretty much a Houston Oilers uniform the Houston Cougars were wearing. So the C&D did have some effect, as the Houston Blue uniforms the team wore in 2024 were noticeably different:
Gone are the Oilers-esque stripes, on helmet, jersey and pants, replaced with a red stripe on the helmet and pants. But the jerseys were still “Houston Blue.”
Those changes must have satisfied the Titans, so Houston decided to have some fun with the situation, and began outfitting athletes in different disciplines in that same “Houston” wordmark and that same blue.
So far, the Cougars have added volleyball…
…golf…
…and softball:
(The look might extend to other sports as well, but I know for sure all of the above)
And you can now add another discipline to the Houston Blue crew: baseball
The team unveiled the uniforms on Monday and were supposed to wear them Tuesday, but the game was canceled due to inclement weather (but the Cougars will wear them on the field on May 15 instead).
Unfortunately, we only get a peek at the pants, but they are white with what appear to be fairly thick red stripes (certainly thicker than those of the softball team). Here are a couple pics of the cap and jersey.
And here’s a look at the back of the jersey.
As you can see, the Houston Blue jerseys feature the same “Houston” wordmark as the other sports, and they have a white front number outlined in red. Rear numbers are also white and outlined in red. But the best part of the whole uniform may be the cap, which has a Houston Blue brim and crown, with a white front panel. The logo is the school’s classic interlocking “UH” logo, rendered in red, along with red eyelets and squatchee.
I like the uniform a lot, but I love even more how much the University is leaning into the whole Houston Blue is “ours” vibe. Good for them for spreading the look and color across multiple sports (as alternates).
If there ever really was a battle over whether the Titans or city of Houston “owns” that shade of blue, now that the Titans have announced they will no longer wear their Oilers throwbacks, it appears we have a winner.
Your thoughts?
Titans ownership has been vindictive and petty toward Houston ever since they left for Tennessee. They should just give it up and acknowledge they don’t have an exclusive claim on that color any more than the Yankees can claim navy blue.
While they’re at it, they should let the Texans have the Oilers name and records, too – like the Ravens did with the Browns.
The Ravens didn’t “give” the replacement team the Browns name, colors and records; the city of Cleveland threatened to sue the NFL and the team’s ownership to block the team’s move to Baltimore. Leaving the Browns identity and records behind was part of the settlement with the NFL and the city of Cleveland. There were other behind the scenes forces involved, such as Art Modell’s company that was managing the old stadium, etc, which gave the city more leverage than in most franchise moves.
I get it, Houston likes this color combination. But it reminds me of a nagging toddler to keep insisting on wanting these colors for your city’s teams. Let it go. The past is in the past. Having said that I like this baseball uniform a lot on its own, without this clamoring for columbia blue aspect.
Agreed. Either UH needs to make this their official color scheme or let it go already.
I can understand some of where they are coming from in Houston, but also it seems a little excessive to me. The Oilers never were really that successful outside of their early years in the AFL, so it isn’t as if there was some great winning tradition that was stollen and fans miss. Of course your team doesn’t have to have banners like the Celtics to make a connection with the hometown. I think there are a few other factors in play why they are clamoring for this color:
1. The Texans have never really had anything substantial in their franchise history thus far to connect the city/fan and the franchise, so rose colored glasses / nostalgia comes into play for the Oilers.
2. The Texans identity (at least the original one) while solid and acceptable, has nothing that stands out, be it the name, logo, uniform, or colors. None of it was particularly unique. The baby blue was used far less in US sports.
3. Baby blue is now in fashion in the sports world, so of course that makes a return to it all the more enticing.
All that said I do find a lot of the Titans moves in regard to this issue very petty. I’ve advocated for some sort of shared use of the Oilers brand between the Titans and Texans. Like keep the name itself retired, but the Titans use fauxbacks based on the final Oilers design, the one they wore in Tennessee for a few years. Let the Texans use fauxbacks to the Oilers early AFL championship days with the blue helmets.
“…the one they wore in Tennessee for a few years…”
Just a fun fact, that would have to be the all-white Oilers uniform. They never actually wore their Columbia Blue tops in Tennessee. They played nearly every game in all-white in ’97 (except week 2 in Miami and Thanksgiving Day in Dallas) and every game in all-white in ’98.
I thought the all white was exclusive to the final season. I didn’t realize the few times they did actually wear blue the prior season was on the road against white-at-home teams. Were it not for that presumably they’d have never wore the blue top while in Tennessee?
Any idea why this was the case? Were they trying to distance themselves from the Oilers identity? Certainly wasn’t a white at home because of the heat thing, later in the season the temperature is fine in Memphis/Nashville.
Are you sure about that??? Look at the patch… link Here is another one link
Susan, check the GUD:
link
On the one card he is playing on a dirt infield. They played at Miami, who was wearing white at home in September, so that is almost certainly where that photo is from. GUD confirms only instances of the Tennessee Oilers wearing blue was on the road against Dallas and Miami.
This reminds me of the Jim Gaffigan joke about the guy who watches the movie Heat six years after it came out then insists on discussing it when he gets to the office.
It was 20 years ago. Let it go.
Houston Texans: PLEASE… respect yourselves. Move to a city that will respect you, rather than constantly compare you to their mediocre former team who will always be better than you because they wore boilerplate baby blue jerseys. Nothing you do will be good enough for the city of Houston. St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland would probably treat you better at this point.
Spoken like a man who has no idea how intertwined this color is with the city of Houston – even outside of sports.
But please do go on.
Nah. I said what I wanted to say. Just someone who has no horse in the race that’s absolutely sick of having to hear about it.
The powder blue trend of the 2020s is way worse than the black trend of the 2000s at this point.
Luv it.
‘Howston’
Blech.
Hey, that’s the way New Yorkers pronounce the street in Lower Manhattan.
Might be the worst placket disaster I’ve ever seen.
Imagine for a second The Texans trot out Oilers throwbacks – against The Titans – wearing a fairly similar color set. Which team looks more ridiculous and petty? It’s gonna be The Texans.
Titans have stated they are done with the Oilers throwbacks and I’m sure that had something to do with Nashville breaking the bank for them with that massive building they are getting. If a university wants that look – have at it.
Huge thanks to the women’s softball team. They clearly understand the concept of properly fitted baseball pants and stirrups.
This would have made a cool Astros City Connect.
I am beyond tired of powder blue on the whole, but no one “owns” a color combination. Glad to see UH add some color though, they needed to be more than red and white
Forgive me for seeming naïve, but don’t the Cleveland Guardians periodically need to issue old Indians’ apparel to satisfy a copyright circumstance? Same thing with the Commanders? Perhaps Tennessee’s trotting out of Oilers’ uniforms addresses a similar topic.
Nice to see the Columbia blue on the baseball team. It look good.
MY thoughts? Go Houston and F**K Titans ownership forever.
Where do I go to order the hat?
Not there yet – but this is probably your best bet. link
Interesting Uni Easter Egg – The baseball player with the bat has a sticker close to the grip with a West Virginia Univ logo. Must have been a transfer who still likes to use his old bat…
I’m just here for GTGFTS and GTGFTU ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
GTGFTS
23 Aug 2022
Austin Davis is rudely greeted in relief, giving up a 3 run triple to George Springer as the Jays send 12 to the plate in the second inning en route to a 9-3 win
GTGFTU
5 July 2019
Mariners wearing their second of 4 uniform combinations with the ID4 cap vs. Oakland.
A’s win 5-2
And that UH logo is strikingly similar to Kentuckys UK logo.
I’m really loving this but would love to see the lower leg stylings of the baseball team. I have a feeling that the softball team has better looking stirrups though.
It’s absolutely baffled me that the Texans ownership thinks they have some claim to powder blue. Come off it.
UH those uni’s look pretty good. Especially the hat, I just UH can’t figure out why I think they look good…. It’s UH weird.
Uh-huh!