One month after unveiling entirely new football jerseys, Kansas has added another wrinkle to its game-day wardrobe.
The Jayhawks will wear all-new all-black “Blackhawk” uniforms when they take the field Friday night in prime time against Illinois, the team announced Sunday, as a result of what head coach Lance Leipold characterized as a player-led campaign started by safety Kenny Logan Jr.
“I’ve had them at every other school,” Leipold said Monday. “You know, players love them, and they want them, and everything else that happens in college athletics today is a lot about (being) driven by players. They’re the ones out there doing it and everything else.”
The alternate uniform features a few novel touches that distinguish it from the blue home and white road jerseys, including the 1941 angry-looking jayhawk (sometimes known as the “warhawk”) on the black helmet; red, white and blue stripes on the pants to preserve the traditional KU colors; and the circus font, a departure from the more standard block letters present on KU’s recently created jerseys.
“I think we respected our school colors, we respected our past in the circus font, and everything, I think we touched on it all,” Leipold said. “Now does that mean we please everybody? Probably not. But they never told me I would when I became a head coach.”
The design also features a small blue-and-white flag with a capital “K” just above the player name on the back of the jersey.
The reveal video for the jerseys, posted online Sunday, featured quarterback Jalon Daniels modeling the uniform as a remix of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” played.
KU has worn black in the past, including for a November 2012 home game against Iowa State, though those jerseys were paired with a white helmet and generally featured less red.
The Blackhawk design sparked some lavish praise and fervent opposition on social media, though as Leipold pointed out, what ultimately matters is how KU plays while wearing them against Illinois Friday.
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