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On December 24th, Auburn introduced Bryan Harsin as the new Auburn football head coach. Almost immediately, rumors, questions, and good-natured jokes began to circulate about what Harsin may bring to his new school’s traditional aesthetic history.

Why?

Well, because of the school he spent much of his life. Today, we’ll discuss what potential changes Harsin could bring to Auburn’s aesthetics.

Will Auburn adopt a colored turf?

Simple answer – no.

You can take the coach out of Boise but you can’t take the Smurf Turf out of the coach!

(don’t blame me, blame @CfieldsVFL) pic.twitter.com/CsGoGEYWus

— Clint Richardson (@Clintau24) December 22, 2020

As Harsin played and coached in multiple positions at Boise, he has spent much of his life surrounded by the famous blue football field. Boise installed the artificially-colored surface prior to the 1986 season and they haven’t looked back.

Would Bryan Harsin even be capable of doing such a thing at Auburn, a school that boasts such a proud turf management program?

Not at all.

As long as Auburn is an agricultural school, the Auburn football team will continue to play on real grass.

Just a few years ago, Auburn Baseball made a change to Plainsman Park and added artificial turf throughout the foul area. With how upset many Auburn fans were at that change, they’re bound to lose it if Pat Dye Field ever turned to turf.

Will we see a new endzone design?

Another simple answer – no.

Auburn’s endzone design hasn’t changed since 2006 (minus 2009, when the boarders didn’t include orange and navy) when the school adopted a new wordmark. The new Copperplate font was utilized throughout the university and was to adorn just about every aspect of the brand.

Prior to that, Auburn had kept the endzones incredibly simple with a sans-serif font. Only in 1998 did things change when Terry Bowden attempted to make his mark on Auburn’s aesthetics and added the 1990s arching wordmark to the endzones.

When Tommy Tuberville was brought in as head coach in 1999, he quickly reverted back to the traditional endzone design.

Since that time, the field hasn’t seen many large-scale changes. And that’s on purpose. Auburn, like most schools and businesses in the last twenty years, has truly taken ownership of their branding and will do just about whatever they can to protect it.

So no, Harsin will not change the field design because he pretty much doesn’t have the authority to do so.

But Auburn has different endzone designs in bowl games!

Bowl games are different for a number of reasons. That’s a ripe opportunity to do something different. And most of the time, the bowl game organizers are over the field design. That’s the bowl game’s brand, after all.

So yes, the orange and white Auburn text on a blue background did look good. But that would be even more work and more paint for the Auburn grounds crew. It’s a challenge that, at least until now, they’ve shown they don’t want to take on.

Boise wore a ton of uniform combinations. Will Auburn do the same?

Say it with me – no.

Auburn’s uniforms have changed over the years based on the head coach’s wishes. Shug Jordan helped solidify the Auburn football uniform as we know it and the adoption of the AU logo. Doug Barfield had an obsession with orange and added orange facemasks, belts, and of course jerseys to the arsenal. Bowden added the orange drop-shadow numbers and Tuberville cleaned house with the traditional uniforms and, as discussed above, endzone designs.

Much like the field design, the coach nowadays doesn’t seem to have that authority. And again, that’s on purpose.

Despite what the coach would ever want on the field, that has to go through the equipment manager. Dana Marquez has done a wonderful job during his time at Auburn keeping the football uniforms looking solid. There have been hints at Dana pushing the envelope a bit and wanting to see some sort of change. In fact, last week’s Citrus Bowl saw some new tweaks to the helmet, but they were rather minor.

But it’s all for not when the higher-up officials at Auburn have the final say.

Auburn’s uniforms are held in such high regard around campus and it absolutely has to do with those that hold the power (and checkbooks).

Bryan Harsin has already shown respect for the traditions that Auburn holds so dearly, and I doubt that would change for the uniforms.

That doesn’t mean things absolutely won’t change under Harsin. He could come in and fight for that more than previous coaches. It may even be the most fight that any Auburn coach has ever made in regards to uniforms.

Will Harsin make Auburn switch to Nike?

Once more – no.

The Auburn-Under Armour contract runs through 2025. Under Armour’s current financial situations aside (that’s a topic for another day), nothing can be done about that contract until it expires.

Could Harsin encourage Auburn to sign with Nike after the deal is up? Absolutely. And I don’t think he would be the only coach on campus to do so.

But no, Harsin can’t change the uniform manufacturer just because he wants to.

But what about his time at Arkansas State? What about that 2013 matchup?

Oh, this one?

When Gus Malzahn coached at Arkansas State, he reportedly refused to outfit his team in the new grey alternate jerseys.

When ASU visited Auburn in 2013, they wore those grey tops in spite.

The jerseys were deemed illegal for illegible numbers.

Bryan Harsin was the ASU coach. pic.twitter.com/R3fhwFnq2T

— Clint Richardson (@Clintau24) December 23, 2020

The one where Arkansas State trotted out in “illegal” jerseys that featured illegible numbers and were penalized for them?

Yea, that has nothing to do with Harsin’s aesthetic tastes. If anything at all, it just shows that he is (possibly) a rather petty guy.

So what, if anything, will Bryan Harsin be able to change aesthetically?

Honestly? Very little.

And once again, that’s on purpose. Branding is important for any organization and Auburn takes their branding very seriously.

If every new coach at Auburn was able to make changes as they pleased, then it wouldn’t be the Auburn University brand anymore.

Harsin and the other coaches do have the opportunity to build and change their own personal branding. Gene Chizik had the jacket-thing, Gus Malzahn had the visor and sweater vest. PJ Fleck has the button-down and tie (and Row the Boat). Bill Belichick has the cutoff hoodie.

Coaches don’t indulge in creating their own brand like you see a lot of players doing (and many schools are now working directly with their student-athletes to build their brands). But, that may change one day.

What can we expect to see Bryan Harsin wear on gamedays?

Auburn coaches of late have really loved their go-to apparel choices. I personally hated laying the Malzahn Vest & Visor Tracker to rest with his dismissal last month. But will Harsin fill in that gap? It’s tough to say.

Looking through photos of his time at Arkansas State and Boise, Harsin wore a number of different styles on the sideline – hoodie, jacket, polo, quarter-zip; myriad of ball cap designs or no hat at all.

Despite the difference in weather from Boise to Auburn, I don’t know how much things will change for Harsin’s wardrobe. Expect polos and some light jackets towards the tail end of the season would be my initial guess. I don’t foresee Harsin being like Chizik and Malzahn in regards to a preferred apparel choice.

Moral of the story here is that, in today’s brand-centric world, a head coach doesn’t have as much leverage as you might think to make changes on an aesthetic level. You may see some small tweaks here and there (and know that I’ll cover it if it happens), but I wouldn’t place money on Auburn trotting out an alternate uniform solely because of the new man running things.

Boise played the uniform game long before Bryan Harsin was head coach and will continue to do so without him. The same has been true at Oregon and the majority of schools that sport a number of different looks on the gridiron.

At the very core of it all, it’s a school decision. And Auburn has shown great resilience in refusing to jump on the popular trend and play the uniform game.

Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. When people discuss the positives or negatives of hundreds of uniform combinations, Auburn is bound to be listed alongside Alabama and others for seeing success without participating.

“But it helps in recruiting!” you may say, and that’s not entirely true either. Numerous sites have discussed the numbers on that topic. You can also look directly at the College Football Playoffs every year and see that, of the eleven teams to ever make an appearance, Oregon has made one such appearance while Alabama and Clemson have made six.

But beyond that, you can’t put such a broad blanket statement on what an 18-year-old kid wants out of his playing career. Does one player want to wear the Oregon uniforms and go home with a ton of gear? Sure, that’s his choice. Could another player want to go to Alabama and the single uniform approach means nothing to him? Absolutely.

Did I miss anything? Leave a comment and let’s discuss what you think Bryan Harsin’s impact on Auburn uniforms and aesthetics could be!

Enjoy learning about Auburn uniforms and history? Want to see more like this? Be sure to follow the Auburn Uniform Database, like the AUD Facebook page, Instagram page, and follow me on Twitter for even more uniform news. To support this work, you can donate directly via Buy Me A Coffee. You can also purchase your favorite team’s merchandise through Fanatics, with a portion of your sale going to support this website.

On January 4, 1981, Auburn introduced a new head football coach following the difficult Doug Barfield era in which the Tigers went 27-27-1.

The new man for the job, Patrick Fain Dye, was the perfect fit at Auburn. Despite his All-American offensive and defensive play at Georgia in the 1950s, Pat Dye quickly fell in love with Auburn.

And Auburn quickly fell in love with Dye.

In that introduction press conference just days after New Year’s, Dye was asked about the eight-year losing streak to arch-rival Alabama. When a reporter asked, “how long will it take for you to beat Alabama?” Dye showed his quick wit in his response:

“Sixty minutes.”

Good look at the PD decal on the helmet of J.J. Pegues. (image via Sara Palczewski, OANews)

Pat Dye didn’t back down to the historic names and programs in the Southeastern Conference. Especially not Bear Bryant. His mentality and coaching ability won the favor of many around the league and the fans of his Tigers football team.

Pat Dye passed away on June 1, 2020, at the age of 80.

Following the delayed start of collegiate sports, Auburn debuted a memorial logo in Dye’s honor on Friday. The design features Dye’s initials, “sixty” and “minutes” around the top and bottom, and sixty orange and blue stripes on the outline, both in reference to the coach’s often-quoted line.

Pat Dye’s oldest child, Pat Dye Jr., assisted in the creation of the design.

The new design was worn on the back of the helmets as a decal. It replaced the Rod Bramblett decal that was worn in the same spot throughout the 2019 season.

The PD logo was also placed on the field, opposite of the SEC logo on the 25-yard lines. The field at Jordan-Hare Stadium also featured Pat Dye’s name back in 2005, when the playing surfaced was renamed in his honor.

Pat Dye Field has remained free of additional designs, minus the occasional ribbons, over the years. The SEC logo was first added in 2007 with the league’s 75th anniversary. Auburn celebrated the school’s 150th anniversary with the special logo on the field in 2006. Other than Dye’s name in 2005, Auburn has never honored a single person, let alone memorialize their passing, on the hallowed field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In addition to the announced memorials, the current Auburn football head coach broke out his own surprise to honor Coach Dye.

Gus Malzahn pulling out his best Pat Dye impression. (image via John Reed, USA Today)

Gus Malzahn walked out onto the field for pre-game warmups sporting a classic Dye sideline look – throwback ballcap, short-sleeved button-up shirt, orange and blue tie, navy slacks, and white sneakers.

Malzahn skipped his own trademark apparel approach of a visor and sweater vest to pay tribute to Pat Dye in a special and unique way. This wasn’t the first time that Malzahn has changed his apparel to honor another coach, as he went without a visor for the 2015 game at Kentucky after Steve Spurrier announced his retirement from South Carolina.

Pat Dye sported a beautiful collection of hats during his tenure on the sidelines. They’ve been a hot commodity in recent years. A local bookstore has placed multiple orders just to keep up with the demand. Malzahn sported a fitted Under Armour hat on the sidelines, which has not been available for purchase as of yet.

Smoke Monday warms up prior to Saturday’s game against Kentucky (image via Joshua Fisher, Auburn Plainsman)

On September 10, Auburn announced the “Together We Will” initiative in response to the on-going social justice conversation in the country. The initiative’s goal is to “support and advance the Auburn Family in its quest toward positive action on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

The launch of the initiative coincided with the launch of a t-shirt sale to raise money for the university’s scholarship fund to recruit and retain minority students. The t-shirts featured a new emblem that featured a black hand and a white hand engaging in a handshake. The logo was designed to be in the shape of a heart as well.

The launch of the Together We Will initiative included the announcement that the unity logo would be worn on Auburn uniforms during the season. When the 2020-21 athletic season kicked off on September 18 with the Auburn soccer team, the emblem was missing from the team’s kits.

When Auburn football players walked out of the tunnel for pregame warmups, the handshaking emblem was displayed on the front of the jerseys, adjacent to the SEC patch.

KJ Britt sports the new SEC Together shirt during pregame warmups. (image via Shanna Lockwood, Auburn Athletics)

The majority of football teams throughout the sport are including some form of social justice messaging on their uniforms for this season, with a myriad of approaches. Helmet decals, helmet bumpers, jersey decals. Unity. Equality. Together. The number of different approaches is equal to the number of teams taking part in the practice.

Throughout the SEC, teams will also be wearing matching t-shirts during pre-game warmups, prior to the players dressing out in uniform. The black t-shirts read “Together” with the “o” being replaced with the SEC logo. The initial release from the SEC offices states that the shirts will be worn on the first day of competition for all sports during the 2020-21 season. I expect they may be worn more than just once, however.

Those new t-shirts also coincide with a new NCAA rule that states all athletes must have their jersey numbers visible during pre-game warmups. The “Dan Mullen Rule,” as the Florida head coach referred to it, will change how some teams warm up. Florida typically does not wear jersey numbers on warmup shirts, which Mullen believes to be the reason for the rule change.

For some more thoughts on the Pat Dye logo, Gus Malzahn’s apparel choices, and the Unity patch, listen to this E2C Network podcast episode.

Enjoy learning about Auburn uniforms and staying up to date on all the news? Want to see more like this? Be sure to follow the Auburn Uniform Database, like the AUD Facebook page, Instagram page, and follow me on Twitter for even more uniform news. You can also purchase your favorite team’s merchandise through Fanatics, with a portion of your sale going to support this website.

Featured images via Sara Palczewski, OANews

The first portion of this article was originally run on Uni Watch in February 2019.

The second half dives into another Auburn football uniform oddity.

(image via Andy Carpenter, Twitter)

Famed Auburn coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan was no stranger to tweaking Auburn’s football uniforms. When he first took over in 1951, the Tigers wore orange pants. Orange jerseys were worn the next four seasons. Blue leather helmets were replaced with white suspension lids. Jordan oversaw the addition of the Northwestern stripes, gigantic player numbers, and eventually the AU logo on the helmets. And maybe even experimented with a tiger head once before. But there’s one thing that doesn’t get talked about a lot – number outlines.

Throughout the 84 seasons of football uniforms confirmed through photographic and newspaper evidence, never has Auburn worn two-colored numbers. Well, maybe.

In the early 1970s, Shug wanted to give the blue jerseys a bit of a pop, and apparently adding an orange outline to the white numbers was the way to go. With most photos of the era, it’s difficult to tell for sure if and when this actually came to the field. Andy Carpenter, a Twitter follower, once shared photos of his father’s jersey from the era. Lo and behold, there are the orange outlines.

Lee Carpenter played for Auburn from 1971-1974. He was involved in the infamous “Punt Bama Punt” Iron Bowl from 1972. Andy has even shared his father’s jersey from that game. With this criteria alone, it’s easy to narrow it down to 1973 and 1974.

Auburn’s own yearbook, the Glomerata, only has one image from the 1974 season showcasing what could be the orange outlines.

(image 1975 via Auburn Glomerata)

Georgia Tech’s Blueprint yearbook has a few better photos.

(image via 1975 Georgia BluePrint)

That’s all the evidence I’ve been able to gather on this topic. No doubt the orange outlines existed, but it’s difficult to nail down the specific games. There didn’t seem to be much talk about the tweak to the uniforms back in the day either. Newspapers.com, a great asset, doesn’t seem to have any articles with even a mention.

The 1971 A-Day game also featured an interesting football number design. A photo showing the post-game ceremony in which Pat Sullivan would receive the game ball, Tommy Yearout is the subject of the image for our purposes. Take a look:

Yearout was captain of the Blue team for the spring game. As you can clearly notice, the front numbers are orange!

In 1969, Auburn transitioned to the “fishnet” jerseys, with mesh covering the entire front and back of the shirt. That’s why you can clearly see the pads underneath the jersey. These were meant to help the athletes deal with the heat, specifically on Tennessee’s infamous turf field at Neyland Stadium.

But why the orange numbers? And why not have them match the TV numbers on the shoulder?

Well, mismatching TV numbers were nothing new. Ohio State did just that for many years.

The best theory is also the most simple one – it was just a test. Auburn probably wanted to see how legible and effective the orange numerals were during the A-Day game, so they just changed out the numbers on the mesh. No need in messing with the better-assembled numbers on the shoulders.

As mentioned above, Shug Jordan seemingly enjoyed testing things out with the uniforms. The story goes that Jordan wanted an eagle image on the helmets, but it was athletic director Jeff Beard that insisted on the AU letters. And of course the Esso Tiger head that appeared on a helmet. Jordan was head coach at Auburn for 25 years, but didn’t settle on the “traditional” Auburn football uniform until 1966. Many things changed throughout his tenure, including wearing orange jerseys and even orange pants during his first season as head honcho.

While Auburn’s football uniforms have remained rather unchanged since 1966, there are still a ton of unique oddities like these across the program’s history. On this site, we’ve covered the orange outline and orange A-Day numbers as discussed above, the issue of the wrong #2 being used for many years, and the testing of a tiger head image on the helmets, and so much more.

What Auburn uniform oddities should be covered next?

Enjoy learning about Auburn uniforms and history? Want to see more like this? Be sure to follow the Auburn Uniform Database, like the AUD Facebook page, Instagram page, and follow me on Twitter for even more uniform news. You can also purchase your favorite team’s merchandise through Fanatics, with a portion of your sale going to support this website.