How the Study Started
Samford professor Charles E. (Chuck) Stokes, who grew up a Clemson fan, saw a new “chrome” version of Clemson’s classic Paw helmet. The helmet was met with mixed responses on Clemson message boards. The most vocal fans insisted that Clemson shouldn’t depart from tradition, declaring that Clemson and other schools, like Alabama, which stick to traditional uniforms shouldn’t follow the “gimmicky” trends of schools like Oregon. Other fans liked the helmet and claimed that the players would be “hyped” to wear the new helmets, that the helmets would attract positive attention to the Clemson brand, and that prospective recruits would love the new design and be more likely to choose Clemson.
Samford professor Charles E. (Chuck) Stokes, who grew up a Clemson fan, saw a new “chrome” version of Clemson’s classic Paw helmet. The helmet was met with mixed responses on Clemson message boards. The most vocal fans insisted that Clemson shouldn’t depart from tradition, declaring that Clemson and other schools, like Alabama, which stick to traditional uniforms shouldn’t follow the “gimmicky” trends of schools like Oregon. Other fans liked the helmet and claimed that the players would be “hyped” to wear the new helmets, that the helmets would attract positive attention to the Clemson brand, and that prospective recruits would love the new design and be more likely to choose Clemson.
The pro-chrome fans also pointed out that Clemson has a beloved history of using alternate uniforms to motivate the team. For the final game of the 1980 season, Clemson head coach Danny Ford had his team warm up in the traditional home uniform of orange jerseys and white pants. But while in the locker room after warm ups, Coach Ford brought out orange pants for the team to change in to. The team hadn’t worn orange pants for many years and they were entirely new to that group of players. When the players ran back out onto the field wearing all orange uniforms, the crowd went wild. The players rode the wave of emotion to a stunning upset over their arch-rival South Carolina Gamecocks and the legend of the “Orange Britches” was launched. During the Ford-era, Clemson only brought out the orange britches for special games and rarely lost those games.
But there are examples of motivational uniform ploys gone bad. For instance, in Georgia’s infamous “blackout” game in 2008, the #3 ranked Bulldogs were trounced by the #10 Alabama Crimson Tide. Far from motivating the Bulldogs, the uniforms may have provided a distraction, as Alabama raced out to a 31-0 lead by halftime. A recent example from our own Samford University had the Samford Bulldogs wear a rare all-red uniform for a key conference battle vs UT Chattanooga. The Samford Bulldogs lost, though, and the reds were quickly tossed into storage.
Can uniforms really motivate teams to play better? Or do they distract or overhype players? Do recruits really care about uniforms? Fans passionately make the case for their side of the argument, but Dr. Stokes realized that these claims could be tested with data. The CFUS study was launched to collect and analyze data that can help tell the story of how uniforms impact college football. Like with many other arguments in sports, the empirical evidence from CFUS won’t decisively settle the score, but it can certainly add to the fun.
But there are examples of motivational uniform ploys gone bad. For instance, in Georgia’s infamous “blackout” game in 2008, the #3 ranked Bulldogs were trounced by the #10 Alabama Crimson Tide. Far from motivating the Bulldogs, the uniforms may have provided a distraction, as Alabama raced out to a 31-0 lead by halftime. A recent example from our own Samford University had the Samford Bulldogs wear a rare all-red uniform for a key conference battle vs UT Chattanooga. The Samford Bulldogs lost, though, and the reds were quickly tossed into storage.
Can uniforms really motivate teams to play better? Or do they distract or overhype players? Do recruits really care about uniforms? Fans passionately make the case for their side of the argument, but Dr. Stokes realized that these claims could be tested with data. The CFUS study was launched to collect and analyze data that can help tell the story of how uniforms impact college football. Like with many other arguments in sports, the empirical evidence from CFUS won’t decisively settle the score, but it can certainly add to the fun.