Bryant, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (2024)

The uniforms of 2024 continue with the Colonial Coastal Crumbling Athletic Association, which is slated to lose two longtime members in '25: Delaware to FBS (Conference USA and Richmond to the Patriot League (!). With the CAA adding random schools left and right over the last few years, I'm sure the folks there will find a couple community colleges in the Midwest to fill the void left by the Blue Hens and the Spiders.

OK, onto the unis ...

We begin with league newbie Bryant, which realized quickly that the CAA, even in its declining state, ain't the Big South (where the Bulldogs had a winning record in 2023). The only change in the uniforms was the addition of the CAA jersey patch, replacing the Big South versions. (Check out the gold jersey — it appears Bryant slapped a big square bearing the CAA logo over the Big South logo patch.)

Delaware didn't change a darn thing from 2023, although I suspect the Hens will make some alterations once they move up in the world.

Maine did some odd things in 2024. In '23, the Black Bears changed their road jerseys, using a number font similar to that on their iconic hockey jersey. In '24, Maine changed the home shirt to match the road versions ... only to change the road shirt in midseason, adopting drop-shadow numbers (which slowly appear to be making a comeback, perhaps thanks to the NFL 49ers reviving their 1994 uniform). The pants also went a midseason change, as the stripes down the sides were removed. The awesome power-blue alternate shirt, which was used in publicity photos, never saw game day action.

New Hampshire dusted off an old friend this past season — the "NH" helmet logo used from 1976-99. The Wildcats had used the logo occasionally in the past (a few Homecomings and a few times on a blue alternate helmet in 2017-18). My only suggestion would be to add a stripe or two down the middle, a la the "classic" look.

Speaking of stripes, UNH's silver helmet is no slouch itself in the classic helmet department (it's been used since 2003 and has been worn by many an NCAA FCS tournament team), but in midseason it randomly lost its stripes and looked rather naked without them. 

Rhode Island made no changes this season, although like UMaine, the Rams trotted out two different sets of road uniforms, something they also did in 2023.

There was one minor but significant addition to the jerseys late in the season — the NCAA patch symbolizing participation in the NCAA FCS tourney. Rhody reached the postseason for the first time since 1985 and the glory days of Tom "Air:" Earhardt.

Bryant, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (2023)

Our next look at the year in uniforms takes us to the Colonial Athletic Association Coastal Athletic Association Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference. How about "The Conference With Too Many Damn Teams"? or "Why won't the America East Conference add football already?"

Anyway, here's a look at the four CAA teams covered on this site, plus Bryant, which is leaving the Big South for the CAA next year, which will raise the conference's membership to 743.

Bryant — anyone else remember when the Patriots trained there in days of yore? — added a white shirt to more closely match the black jerseys introduced last year when the Bulldogs switched to New Balance uniforms. The gold alternate jersey worn last year was left on the bench in '23.

Delaware, which will be leaving the CAA for FBS and Conference USA in 2025, changed its blue jersey to match the white road version, and the blue pants now match the white and yellow versions with the big ol' hen on the right pant leg.

Maine made a few changes this year, which doesn't hide the fact that my Black Bears won two games for the second straight year. The helmet stripe colors were reversed and the script "Maine," last worn in 2015, returned, replacing the Maine logo with the black bear head. Only problem is that the size of the revived logo is tiny — did Maine borrow the decals from the hockey team or something?? And speaking of hockey, Maine added new road jerseys with numbers that mirror those worn by the pucksters. 

Finally, Maine changed its white pants, with a striping pattern that matches the ones on the helmet and navy blue jerseys.

New Hampshire didn't change much from last year, although the white helmets underwent a couple changes throughout the season: The Wildcats had a white wildcat logo for one game, switched to the throwback "NH" logo for homecoming and used a blue wildcat logo the rest of the way.

Rhode Island kept its multitude of jerseys and pants from 2022, and for good measure, added an alternate white uniform, giving the Rams four different shirts and FIVE different pants. But only one helmet? Yeah, I know, helmets are expensive. 😎

Northeastern Huskies (What If?)

The second installment of our "What If?" series continues with Northeastern, which has been "undefeated" since it dropped the program after the 2009 season. As I've wisecracked before, the school probably dumped football only when it realized it still had a football team. I'm not sure in anyone on Huntington Avenue misses football (like many New England schools, hockey dominates the conversation), but for anyone who does, here's what the Huskies' uniforms might have looked like had they stuck around. 

2011: Reebok continues to make the Huskies' unis — they were one of the last teams to use Reebok at the time of the program's cancellation —  and they give Northeastern a template similar to the CFL's Montreal Alouettes (Reebok also made the CFL unis around this time).

2014: Nike takes over and makes some adjustments. The Huskies switch to the Nike Pro Combat template, but the jerseys retain some elements of the 2011 look. The "N" on the helmets is replaced by a paw, and the "retro" Husky (used on the hockey sweaters during this period) appears on the sleeves. Nike also introduces a unique dark gray-and-black alternate uniform, because Nike. A breast cancer awareness uniform features pink helmet trim and socks.

2017: The uniform becomes more streamlined and the jersey fonts are altered. A new black uniform with minimal red elements is added, with an oversized retro Husky on the helmet.

2019: The Huskies celebrate college football's 150th anniversary with a retro helmet and jersey honoring the 1963 Eastern Bowl team, which lost to East Carolina in Allentown, Pa.

2021: Under Armour, which makes Northeastern's hockey uniforms, takes over for football and gives the Huskies a uniform based on their hockey sweaters. The new Husky head logo blends into the black helmet. A rather bizarre all-white alternate uniform is added, with gray numbers, outlined in black, on an icy-white jersey.  

Boston University (What If?)

One of my favorite uniform sites is Steven Grant Design, which features a treasure trove of ice hockey concepts, plus blank templates for those who wish to make and submit their own jersey designs. (Someday, I should unleash my Hockey East concepts!) Grant recently did a series of "What If" concepts for defect NHL teams like the Minnesota North Stars had they stayed put, while capturing the NHL's (often hilarious) fashion trends over the last 30 years. What does this have to do with football? Well I naturally began thinking about applying Grant's concept to defunct college football programs, which leads to this post.

What follows is a fictional timeline of what Boston University's uniforms might have looked like had the school decided to spare the program in 1997. You can check out the final-year unis here. I hope to eventually add Vermont and Northeastern. 

2000: The Terriers do some minor changes, making the sleeve logo match the official one (the '97 version had a more homemade look) and adding a tiny "BOSTON" wordmark. Russell replaces Wilson as the uniform supplier.

2005: Nike replaces Wilson, but few changes are made other than the "BU" replacing the uniform number on the helmets. (If you so a search for BU basketball and hockey, you'll see BU's uniforms across the board are pretty conservative.) The Terriers also sport a 1950s throwback uniform in honor of legendary football and baseball star Harry Agganis, who died 50 years earlier.

(I just realized I've never done the Agganis-era uniform for this site. I'll have to change that eventually.)

2008: The piping craze overtakes college football by this point, and BU is no exception, although the Terriers try to keep it classy. (Penn had a similar pattern around this time.) By this time, the red pants are gone, and the CAA patch replaces that of its predecessor, the Atlantic 10.

2014: Piping becomes as passe as it was trendy just a few years earlier, and BU ditches the weird stripes in favor of contrasting sleeve panels, a la New Hampshire. The Terriers also join the trend of placing a logo on one side of the helmet and a uniform number on the other. And speaking of trends, BU unveils a special breast cancer awareness uniform, along with a pink-tinged helmet.

Also note the addition of the Patriot League logo; the real-life Terriers joined the PL in 2013, and it's a safe bet they would have joined in football, too.

2015: Nothing changes except for the addition on an all-black alternate. The reaction from fans and alumni is swift and severe, and the unis are worn for only game before they are discarded and sold off at a spring cleaning sale a few years later.

2019: By this time, Under Armour is making the Terriers' uniforms, as it does for their other sports in real life. The contrasting panels are replaced by shoulder stripes, which makes the unis resemble Cornell's from about a decade earlier. An alternate helmet has a slightly oversized Terrier head. and a 1969 throwback uniform honors the 150th anniversary of college football and the 50th anniversary of BU's Pasadena Bowl team.

2021: Most of the designs, including the popular throwback, are still around, but a new alternate uniform replicates the BU hockey design, right down to the pants and socks. Which goes to show that even if football had stayed on Commonwealth Avenue, hockey likely would remain the top dog.

Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (2021)

In our next installment of the uniforms of fall 2021, we move on to the four Colonial Athletic Association teams covered on this little ol' blog. Frankly, there's not much new to report from these guys.

Delaware, thought to be national title contender, instead fell below .500, another reason why preseason polls aren't worth the virtual ink they're printed on. The Blue Hens kept the same unis from the spring 2021 season, and they brought back the "classic" blue shirt-yellow pants combo not worn last season.

Maine made one change, adding light blue alternate pants to give the Black Bears even more of a resemblance to the vintage Tennessee Titans. (An aside: As someone old enough to remember when they were the old Houston Oilers, it's very strange to type "vintage Tennessee Titans.") I corrected one small mistake I made last season: The sleeve trim is separated by navy blue stripes, while the spring graphic shows the white and light blue stripes joined together. For whatever reason, Maine wore those "error" jerseys on photo day for the spring season, but not in actual game play. Huh. 

The mysterious photo day jersey, which will mystify 
historians for centuries to come.

With a new coach TBA coming next season, a uniform change for 2022 is always a possibility. 

New Hampshire played a full schedule after a one-and-done slate last spring, and had their worst record in 19 years. The Wildcats again mixed and matched their jerseys and pants, but the navy blue helmet worn from 2017-19 appears to have been retired. 

Rhode Island racked up its best record since 2001, and had as many uniform combos as it had victories (seven). The light blue jerseys were worn only once; considering light blue is supposed to be Rhody's primary color, it should probably see more playing time. The gray camo pants, last worn in 2019, made a return.

UMass Minutemen (2011-12)

We live in the age of "doubling down." Not just do people refuse to admit to mistakes these days, they'll further defend themselves at the first hint of criticism in an effort to ultimately be proven right. Think Al Bundy and his 555-SHOE hotline on "Married ... With Children."

Which brings us to UMass football and its decade-long disaster known as "FBS football."

I try not to badmouth any schools on this little ol' blog, but UMass' move to football's top tier ... well, as John Fogerty once sang, "Things got bad and things got worse." At least UConn's move up was based on certainties (a new stadium, a BCS conference). UMass' was based on ifs:

* IF we do well in the MAC and get an invite to the Big East ...

* IF we draw at a stadium two hours from campus (Gillette Stadium; that's like UConn playing home games in the Yale Bowl) ... 

Anyway, UMass got kicked out of the MAC when the league realized the school was using it as a steppingstone to a bigger conference, and the Minutemen played before bad crowds at Gillette and returned to campus, where they've played before even worse crowds than in their FCS days. (Don't believe me? Check the attendance figures on UMass' season-by-season Wikipedia pages. I know college can get sketchy with this stuff, but if these numbers are to be believed, they drew more for Stony Brook back in the day than BOSTON COLLEGE in 2021.) Oh, and they've never won more than four games in a season. In an effort to boost the program, the school killed it dead. 

And what does UMass say? "Just give a few more years. ... We'll find the right coach. ... We've got a good plan." Yup, doubling down, even though a return to FCS and the CAA makes all the sense in the world. (And I don't want to hear about money. If you're content winning 1-2 games a year because you're getting seven figures from Florida State and Georgia in body bag games, then you're better off not having a program at all.)

(deep breath) OK, rant over. Onto the uniforms. As you can see above, UMass revamped its unis between 2011 and '12, and it's a good example of how much football uniforms have changed as a whole over the last dozen years. The '11 unis have thick black panels on the jerseys sides and tails crawling up, a la the Denver Broncos. Fashion-wise, they're holdover from the 'aughties. The red-white-blue helmet stripes were done as a 9/11 tribute in the season's second game (which was also when names are added to the shirts), and the Minutemen wound up using them the rest of the year. 

Watch what you ask for, fellas.

In 2012, UMass did a complete overhaul under new coach Charley Molnar (a name that still makes some fans shudder). Black, a trim color the previous few years, became the predominant hue, and the current logo (MASS over the U) debuted, one of the few things the Minutemen have done right in the last decade. The overhaul also marked a change to the "modern" football uniform: UMass switched to the Adidas Techfit jerseys (the kind that look as if they were spray-painted on you) and the Ridell Revolution helmet started to see more use over the next year or two or three. Molnar was fired after the 2013 season -- and the black helmets, jerseys and pants went with him. At least UMass didn't "double down" on that mistake.

Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island (2019)

Our look at the uniforms of 2019 continues with four CAA teams. The eight Ivy League schools were reviewed here.

Delaware (5-7 overall, 3-5 CAA, tied for ninth) keep the exact same look from last year, right down to the exact same combinations. The only difference was the addition of the College Football 150 patch, worn by all four teams profiled here.

Maine (6-6, 4-4, tied for fifth) took a tumble after 2018's dream season, when the Black Bears destroyed UNH, beat an FBS team, won the CAA outright and reached the FCS final four. This year, it was return to the usual .500 or so season capped with a loss to UNH. Maine kept last year's terrific uniform and, for one game, wore the classic winged helmet of yore. (Read more about the greatest helmet ever here, here and here.) Maine joined Penn and Princeton in adding throwback elements for college football's 150th birthday season.

New Hampshire (6-5, 5-3, tied for third) climbed back above .500 after 2018's disaster ended the Wildcats' 14-year NCAA FCS tournament run with a thud, but failed to return to the tourney this year. The one difference from last year's uniform was a change in the blue alternate helmet, which changed to a Wildcat mascot head on each side after having a throwback logo on one side and a number on the other. The blue lid ended up seeing more playing time than the traditional sliver versions -- I have blue appearing in seven games to silver's four.

Rhode Island (2-10, 0-8, 12th and dead last) achieved a dubious distinction on the field, when the Rams had more HERO FCS All-Americans (three) than wins (two). Rhody modified its light blue and white jerseys while keeping the navy shirts from last year. The Rams trotted out four different sets of pants, including those gray camo pants that just won't go away.

Boston College (2018); UNH (2018); Yale (2018)

Let's tear through some more 2018 uniforms, shall we?

Boston College (7-5 overall, 4-4 ACC) had another respectable year in a tough conference. The Eagles also had some blasts from the past: Two of their wins came against long-ago rivals UMass and Holy Cross, and they also debuted a 1980s throwback alternate. (And if I hear anyone whining about how the originals had no BC logo on the shoulders, they'll have to watch the Mad Fisherman marathon on NESN next Christmas, 'K?) The "Bandana Man" alternate was used for this the straight season. The Eagles reached the First Responder Bowl in Dallas ... which was cancelled by lightning after seven minutes. Sigh.

Fly like a eagle with these BC unis: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2007, 2000, 1995-96, 1994, 1989-90, 1984, 1982, 1978-80, 1968-77, 1962-63, 1958-60, 1957, 1955-56, 1950-52, 1939, 1935-38, Rivalry Week (w/Holy Cross).

Well, it had to end eventually, right? New Hampshire  (4-7 overall, 3-5 CAA) saw its run of 14 straight NCAA FCS playoff berths and seven consecutive Brice-Cowell musket wins over Maine come to a crashing halt. The seven losses matched the number of combinations the Wildcats wore, which included a slightly altered road jersey with traditional-looking numbers. 

Stay Granite Strong with these Wildcat uniforms: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010-13, 2000, 1998,  1979-83, 1976-77, 1975, 1968-71 (part 1) (part 2), 1966-67, 1965 1955, 1950, 1947-48, 1938, 1936. Rivalry Week: Maine-UNH.

One year after winning the Ivy League title, Yale (5-5 overall, 3-4 Ivy) also came down to earth. The Bulldogs, as usual, receive a KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) award for using only two combos. One small addition was made: A memorial patch for legendary coach Carm Cozza, who died shortly after the 2017 season.

More Yale uniforms that'll make any Bulldog salivate: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2006-11, 1997-98, 1994, 1996, 1979-82, 1978, 1974-77, 1972-73, 1967-68, 1965, 1959-60, 1954-58,  1949-53, 1934-36, 1930. Rivalry Week: Harvard-Yale. 

Rhode Island (2018), UConn (2018), UMass (2018)

Let's celebrate the New Year by knocking off a few more 2018 uniforms, shall we?

Longtime punching bag Rhode Island (6-5 overall, 4-4 CAA) achieved its first winning season since 2001, and even cracked the FCS Top 25 polls for several weeks. The Rams kept the same uniform formula they've had the last few seasons, mixing and matching three different jerseys and three different pants. I wouldn't mind seeing the navy jerseys and pants fade away, though (those are Maine colors, ya know).

Ram on with more Rhody unis: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2003-07, 1997-99, 1983-92, 1976-82, 1967-71, 1966, 1963-65, 1962, 1957-61, 1951, 1947-50, 1936-39. Rivalry Week: UConn-Rhody.

First, the good news from UConn (1-11, 0-8 American): Once-and-again coach Randy Edsall brought back the big "C" helmet from the 2000s glory days, something he had dropped some no-so-subtle hints about doing for a while upon his return to Storrs. The bad news: The Huskies fielded unquestionably their worst team since joining the then-Big East in 2003. The quote this AP story: "The Huskies this season gave up the most yards (7,409), yards per game (617.4), points (605) and points per game (50.41) of any major college football team in NCAA history." And they had almost as many uni combos as points allowed, as you can see above. The Huskies' only win was over old Ramnapping Trophy rival Rhode Island.

More UConn unis for the Huskymanicas: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2003 (Inside the Jersey), 2002, 1989-93, 1984-88, 1971-72, 1970, 1966-67, 1965, 1958-60, 1957, 1951, 1950, 1948-49, 1934. Rivalry Week: UConn-Rhode Island. 

And that brings us to UMass (4-8 as a independent), in its seventh season of impersonating an FBS program. Seriously, would either UConn or UMass have won the CAA this year? The Minutemen kept the same basic elements as in years past, and turned to the 1990s for its Homecoming throwback helmet (hopefully, that remains a tradition in Amherst). But UMass has a new, youngish coach, so the Minutemen might get the last laugh yet ...

Much, much more from UMass: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2000-02, 1986-87, 1978-84, 1975-77, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1966-68, 1960-62, 1953-54, 1951-52, 1938-39, 1930. Tribute: Dick McPherson.

Holy Cross (2018), Maine (2018), Penn (2018), Princeton (2018)

Time to knock off a few more 2018 teams ...

Holy Cross (5-6 overall, 4-2, second place Patriot League) trotted out eight different combinations, including an all black-and-silver uniform (the helmet is a design last used in 2016). The Crusaders wore four different color pants (white, purple, black and gray), which is about two too many. Well, at least the gray jerseys from 2017 were ditched.

Want more from Holy Cross? Look here: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2004-08, 1999-2002, 1992, 1986-91,  1981-85, 1976-80, 1973-74, 1972, 1971, 1967-70, 1963-65, 1956-59, 1951-55. Rivalry Week: Boston College-Holy Cross.

What can you say about Maine (11-3 overall, 7-1, first place in CAA, NCAA final four)? Beat demolished UNH, beat an FBS team, won the CAA title outright, won a home playoff game for the first time, reached the NCAA semis for the first time ever ... and the uniforms were markedly improved, too. The jerseys are a nice mix of modern (number and wordmark font) and traditional (sleeve stripes, a revival of a look done on and off in the past). The only nit pick: the stripes on the pants don't match the ones on the jerseys and helmets. Otherwise, a uniform almost as flawless as the team that wore it.

Fill the steins to some more Black Bear uniforms: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011-13, 2001, 1997-99, 1987-92, 1985, 1976-84, 1975, 1974, 1965, more 1965, 1963-64, 1957-59, 1949-50, 1939-46, 1928-29. Rivalry week: Maine-New Hampshire. Inside the jersey: 2010-13.

Penn (6-4 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) made two noticeable additions this year: New road jerseys to match the home and new white helmets, which recalled those worn for two dreadful years in the 1950s. The current look's not bad, but I'm still a sucker for "PENNSYLVANIA" across the front, even though everyone calls it "PENN." The white helmets are OK, but they're not really Penn. That's like Boston College wearing maroon lids or something.

Toss some toast in the air for these Penn unis: 2017, 2015-16, 2014, 2013, 1995-99, 1992-94, 1983-84, 1981-82, 1979-80, 1971-78, 1970, 1965-66, 1956-64, 1954-55, 1948, 1935-38. Rivalry Week: Cornell-Penn.

Princeton (10-0 overall, 7-0, first place Ivy League, first undefeated season since 1964) came, saw, took names ... and didn't change a darn thing from last year. Which is fine with me, although I do wish the black helmets would return.

More unis from Old Nassau: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 1996, 1993-95, 1994, 1987-90, 1984-86, 1975-77, 1979-83, 1970-72, 1958-69, 1956-57, 1955, 1949-54, 1947-48, 1945-46. Rivalry week: Dartmouth-Princeton.