Syracuse Head Coach Fran Brown's Decision to nix All-Orange Uniforms for Stanford Match Explained

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse head coach Fran Brown stated he vetoed the concept of the Orange carrying all-orange uniforms for its sport towards Stanford in favor of the varsity’s conventional house look.

When Syracuse hosts the Cardinal on Friday night time, the Orange will put on orange pants, blue jerseys and an orange helmet for the third consecutive sport to open the season.

“They tried to get at me to have us wear all orange for the game this week,” Brown said during his weekly radio show on Wednesday. “I was like, ‘Nah, we ain’t doing that.’ Let’s wear the colors that are Syracuse. When you look at those colors, you see it, and that’s Syracuse.

It’s a throwback approach to fashion in an era when many programs have attempted to mimic Oregon and trot out unique looks as often as possible.

Oregon’s array of uniform options and their role in recruiting has been referenced regularly as the school’s football program has gone from downtrodden to a national powerhouse.

Of course, it’s very unclear whether it’s the Nike uniforms –– or the other investments that Nike founder Phil Knight has made — that deserve the credit for the school’s rise to athletic prominence.

Brown said he plans to take an old-school approach at SU.

“There are certain things that you wear when you’re away, certain things you wear when you’re home,” Brown stated. “We have to integrate that more. Once we get that, we can have a little throw-off jersey and things of that nature. We have to learn to win in these uniforms.”

Brown’s choice is a nod towards Syracuse’s soccer historical past, one which he has referenced typically throughout his first 9 months on the job.

In addition to respecting custom, Brown stated he views different uniforms as one thing that his workforce wants to earn the appropriate to put on.

“I like them” Brown stated of the present threads. “We’ve got to stick to tradition. We’ll get upgrades and all that other stuff when we get everything back the way it’s supposed to be.”

Syracuse’s uniforms have typically been a sensitive topic because the workforce has principally struggled over the previous 20 years.

The earlier uniforms, which the workforce wore from 2014 to 2018, have been unpopular with a considerable part of the fanbase. Nike defined a few of its ghastly trend selections by saying they have been impressed by the New York City skyline and Manhattan’s Gothic structure.

Conversation in regards to the workforce’s uniforms has decreased because the present variations, that are extra standard, have been adopted in 2019.