In 1976, Bob Griffin became Rhode Island’s head coach. As is frequently the case, a uniform change came with the coaching change. Gold trim was added to the light blue-and-white ensemble that had been used since 1967:
The jerseys were used through 1982, with one odd detour: A shirt with a slightly lighter shade of blue, sleeve stripes and names on the back was used in 1979 only. I believe this marked the only time Rhody wore names on the jerseys:
From photos I’ve seen in the 1980 Renaissance yearbook, the Rams wore new gold/yellow pants at home and the old white ones on the road. It wouldn’t shock me if the pants were mixed-and-matched, but the yearbook pics are the only ones I’ve seen from this season.
In 1980, the 1976-78 jerseys returned, and the gold pants were used full-time. The rams' horns on the helmets were lightened to more closely match the jerseys, and gold/yellow facemasks were added:
In ’81-82, the stripes on the pants changed to the look Rhody used through 1992:
You can see the rest of the Griffin-era look here and here. In 1993, Griffin was gone … and so was the gold, never to return.
Next week, we’ll look at another team that used gold/yellow for a spell, the Brown Bears.
these are magnificent
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