On Thursday, Baylor football unveiled a new throwback uniform, paying homage to the look the Bears sported from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The retro combination will be worn for the Big 12 opener against Colorado on Saturday, Sept. 26, at McLane Stadium.
What were your thoughts when you saw the uniform reveal?
Colt: Back when Baylor won the Big 12 Championship in 2013, when they were wearing the original throwback uniforms against Texas, that immediately became my favorite set. Clean, classic, and easily identifiable as Baylor had they decided to wear it more regularly. I was disappointed when it never returned. It never made sense when Baylor was rolling through uniform variations almost every week back then.
But I have a new favorite now: it blends the classic look with the new chrome helmet, stripes and stickers, and I’m all for it. The retro claws on the shoulders, Baylor across the chest, and simplicity tie everything together.
I suspect this will become a regular tradition, and I just hope the Bears can wear this set in some big games in the future. Who knows, maybe the Colorado game is a big game.
Grayson: Incredible. These are absolutely perfect. The helmet is perfection and needs to be worn many times every single season. The bear claw is so cool and a perfect chance to lean into Baylor’s brand instead of going with the same basic color rush stuff we see from pretty much every college nowadays. This is not the NFL and doesn’t need to continue leaning that direction. I also continue to think Baylor needs to be written on the front of all of the jerseys; that should be standard. This is college football where these kinds of traditions matter and are so unique to the sport.
Baylor athletic director Doug McNamee and deputy athletic director Jovan Overshown executed this unveiling to perfection. The two of them got this done quickly but also managed to make it high quality. This is a fantastic way to slowly but surely get some of the fanbase back on board while also creating the exact excitement needed heading into a pivotal season for the program. Fantastic work by him and everyone involved. Baylor hit a home run here!
Jack: I was born in 1998. I didn’t pay much attention to Baylor football until the Art Briles era. I didn’t cheer for the Bears until I was a freshman on campus in 2017. These might be my favorite Baylor football jerseys ever.
I really like what the Bears have sported since the 2019 Baylor United campaign, but these just feel different. They feel unique across college football. The golds don’t match! Who cares, this is Baylor football. What’s with the stars? Who cares, this is Baylor football. The bear paw is just kinda weird on the shoulder! Who cares. This is Baylor football.
I don’t know exactly how to put it, since I didn’t experience the jerseys that inspired this modern remake, but these throwbacks just feel like a timeless — if not a little quirky — design that sets Baylor apart. Rhule wanted to emulate Penn State's simplicity, and these are pretty simple, just in a Baylor way. They are “high school” in the weird, overdone way that just screams “this town lives and breathes for this team,” and isn’t that part of what so many Texans love about the sport?
I hope these appear a lot, a lot more than just against Colorado at the end of September. I didn’t think Baylor would put out an alternate jersey that makes me want to ditch the current base uniforms, but these do.
Levi: I don’t have a ton to share here, other than I think these new uniforms are awesome. Similar to Grayson, I’m not a fan of the lazy-slop designs we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the last decade, where it’s basically the same cut-and-paste template for dozens of teams.
This, however, has all the unique touches: the bear-claw on the shoulders, the stars on the helmet, and, in my opinion, the best feature being “Baylor” across the chest plate. Make uniforms fun again and make all jerseys say “Baylor” on them!
On a side note, it’s incredible how much athletic director Doug McNamee has done for the fans in just eight months on the job.
