Colgate (1975); Holy Cross (1976)

This post will overlap with this one from several years back, but I wanted to illustrate how coaches used to take their "pet" uniform designs with them from one place to another. Neil Wheelwright coached Colgate from 1968-75, posting an unremarkable record 41-37-2. In 1973, the Gate unveiled uniforms with numbers on the helmets, jerseys with a big "COLGATE" on the front and socks that went halfway up the calves, augmented by two thin stripes. (This style was worn only at home in '73, a matching road outfit arrived a year later.) 

This Colgate photo is actually from 1973, but it gives me an excuse
to use an image of future Oakland Raiders star running back Mark van Eeghen (32).
He won two Super Bowls in Oakland and is their second all-time leading rusher
behind Marcus Allen.

A close-up of the 1974 Colgate road jersey.  I wonder if any unscrupulous
memorabilia dealers tried to pass off that helmet as coming from Alabama? 

In '76, Wheelwright moved on to future Patriot League rival Holy Cross, where he posted an unremarkable record of 20-35 from 1976-80. The Crusaders, who had worn white helmets with an "HC" on the sides and plain jerseys that looked like something you'd wear in practice, changed to unis bearing more than a passing resemblance to Colgate's: Numbers on the helmets, "HOLY CROSS" on the jersey front and even the same style of sock worn by the Raiders. The one notable difference was the silver pants, which retained Colgate's basic pattern with two stripes down the side.

Holy Cross' 1976 uniform, a carryover from Colgate's 1975 outfit.
The numbered helmet, though, was used on-and-off from the 1950s into the 2010s.

Meanwhile, under new coach/athletic director Frederick Dunlap, Colgate overhauled its uniform, switching to a Cornell-style "C" in 1976 and the iconic "'gate" logo in 1977. You can read more about that team here.

And hey, check out Colgate's home jerseys this year. Don't they look a tad familiar?