My initial impression of the 2016 Shamrock Series uniform was one of thankfulness. In the harsh glow of my iPhone, I liked mostly what I did not see.
They could have been so. much. worse. #ShamrockSeries
— Bayou (@HLS_BayouIrish) July 21, 2016
I am now in love with them. These uniforms capture Notre Dame’s deep connection to the game’s opponent, Army, while staying far away from pretending. Had the uniforms been camouflage to match today’s combat uniform, it could have been taken as parody or a child’s game of dress-up.
As it is, the uniforms are uniquely Notre Dame. In 2014, the Shamrock Series uniform was an homage to the Administration Building, with some of its architectural details and design features literally sewn into the uniform. For 2016, the uniform incorporates the Basilica’s east transept, the World War One Memorial, with the famous “God, Country, Notre Dame” phrase and distinctive lettering.
The memorial honors Notre Dame’s “gallant dead” in the First World War, which, for America, actively began 99 years ago. Notre Dame’s contribution to the fight was remarkable, with 2,500 students, faculty, and alumni serving and forty-six making the ultimate sacrifice. At the dedication of the memorial, University President Fr. Matthew Walsh, himself a veteran of the Western Front as a chaplin, noted that “[t]he list of 46 men represents the greatest death rate for the number of students enrolled of any college in the United States. [. . .]. When you look over that group you see the universality of it. Almost every race and nationality is represented.” Fr. Walsh continued, “We should imitate our dead in that they have shown us the lesson of patriotism. If only the people of America would follow their example there would be no discrimination because of race or creed.”
The unifor
m, to me, clearly honors not just the memorial, but the sacrifice of those 46 gallant dead in the colors and details. Take, for example
, the cleats the players will wear in San Antonio. With the ascending two-tone design, to my eye they betoken the puttees and field service shoes of 1917. Puttees were worn by British and American soldiers, among those of other nations, and take their name from the Hindu word for “bandage.” They were tightly wrapped in spiral manner from ankle to knee to provide support on route marches.
The belt buckle channels the 1912 bronze wire buckle, which was maintained through subsequent uniform changes. The colors, too, the olive drab and yellow, are very similar to the colors on the soldiers’ uniforms in from 1910.
So I think Under Armour and the Irish have come up with a real winner, hitting a lot of wonderful tributes in this year’s Shamrock Series uniform.
In the “credit where credit is due department,” I took some of the images and information from David Cole’s Survey of U.S. Army Uniforms, Weapons, and Accoutrements, which you can find here. Also, Tom and Kate Hickey Family History features terrific photography.
Bayou Irish
Hating Hurricanes Since 1990.
Bayou Irish is a Jersey boy and Double Domer who fell under New Orleans' spell in 1995. He's been through Katrina and fourteen years in the Coast Guard, so we cut him some slack, mostly in the form of HLS-subsidized sazeracs. But, when he's not face down on the bar and communing with the ghosts of Faulkner and Capote at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, he's our man in SEC-land, doing his best to convince everyone around him that Graduation Success Rate is a better indicator of success than the number of MNC's won in the last five years.
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Probably the dopest review. HOLLA!
And they cost $104.99.
Just wondering – where are they made and what is the per-unit cost of manufacturing and shipping? (I readily concede that there is no chance of ever having those questions answered so consider it a rhetorical question.)
If there is any institution in the world better at marketing itself than nd, i hope I never find who it is.
Terry: why do you come here? and why do you hang around?
That’s actually a Morrissey line. Thanks for reading.
Stinker Tailor Solider Why
meaning?
Why do I come here?
Because I can.
Why do I hang around? Because i first went to ND in the early 60s and what I see bothers me.
My question: Why does the fact that I come here bother you so much?
Hi TERRY,
Ignore Bayou (he often replies to my emails with Boyz II Men lyrics, so it’s nothing personal).
The tag on these jerseys says 100% polyester. If I had to guess, I’d say these cost about $10-20 in raw materials. But I don’t think ND gets a cut of each item sold (though they may have escalators in the Under Armour contract if they hit certain numbers — that’s purely speculation, however) but rather a lump sum annually from the manufacturer in the form of cash, stock, and/or athlete/coach apparel.
I do want to circle back to something you alluded to earlier — that ND either overmarkets themselves, or that you’re bothered by something ND does (and who among us isn’t, amirite?)
In the landscape of college football, I think ND is fairly conservative in terms of on-field apparel. Oregon & Maryland are certainly outliers, but even stalwarts like UCLA gave gone further (in my opinion, to their detriment) of late.
With your experience, I imagine you’ve seen the time-tested phenomenon of selling overpriced baubles in the bookstore. If the market will support another jersey (or etched waterford crystal dinnerware, or outdoor grilling tools), is ND wrong to offer these on the open market? Consumers don’t *have* to buy, do they?
Thanks for your reply.
ND will make tons of money from these shirts, as they do every year.
I first came to ND in September 1961.
There was no Stephan Center, there was no Library, there was no ACC, Tom Clements’ older brother was across the hall, John Huarte was unknown, Northwestern, coached by Ara Parseghian, beat us every year, and we had panty raids on SMC, usually after we won a football game.
WHY did I come to ND? Because I was a good Catholic boy and that was where you should go if you could.
I never graduated – I flunked out in 1963, went into the Navy in 1964, returned in 1967, and flunked out again. But I still love the place , even though I haven’t been there for years, couldn’t afford to see a game, will never be there again.
As I have gotten older (72+) I have gotten more Catholic, and, IMO, ND has gotten less – Obama in 2009 and Biden in 2016.
To address your very reasonable question – “If the market will support another jersey (or etched waterford crystal dinnerware or outdoor grilling tools) is ND wrong to offer these on the open market ?”
No.
But – Notre Dame used to stand for something. In the words of George Weigel it was the “Flagship of American Catholic Universities.”
In my opinion and that of many others, that is no longer the case.
This isn’t the ’60s. Times change. Either change with them or get left in the past.
Terry – I admire your conservatism when it comes to the Catholic faith, however, Notre Dame is an institution of higher learning that gained its global notoriety much in thanks to the success of its football program. With this being said, it is unrealistic (putting it kindly) to prescribe to the idea that the Notre Dame Football Program, the one that buoyed the university itself into a global presence, would merely sit back on its heels while the rest of the college football landscape continues to adapt and change in accords with the 21st century. Had the university done this I imagine Notre Dame looking much more like Holy Cross or perhaps Boston College, in term of athletics. Thankfully they chose to aspire to change and remain prevalent athletically while still holding Catholic values. I couldn’t disagree with you more when you say that Notre Dame is no longer the “flagship of American Catholic Universities,” but the beauty of it is that you don’t have to agree with what I say and I don’t have to agree with what you say and you have the choice to take your fandom elsewhere if you aren’t happy with the university’s decisions. We do appreciate taking the time to read our site.
What is up with the snot green and puke yellow? Ugh, another failed shamrock series uniform.