North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Unveils New Uniforms at Meet the Pack Day
8/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
New coach Chuck Amato's imprint on NC State's football program will be quite dramatic this season. Not only will game schemes and strategies look a little different, so will the uniforms.
When they take the field for the first time on September 2, the Wolfpack will be stylin' a look that will take out a page from the past. Just like baseball's new retro ballparks, which have managed to mix modern conveniences with old style architecture, NC State's new uniforms will be both trendy and traditional.
The logo on the helmets will be strikingly different. A Block S with an interlocking N C has replaced the Diamond logo, which had been used since 1986. Most significantly, the Block S will give NC State a unified athletics logo for the first time in recent memory. The red logo will be fitted into a white background, whereas last year's helmet was red with a white logo.
The team will use various combinations of red and white jerseys and pants this season. At home, the Pack will wear red jerseys and white pants. On the road, the standard look will be white on white, although red pants will be available.
Finally, the most significant contribution from Amato will be the shoes. When he was a standout linebacker for NC State in 1967, Amato came up with the idea of wearing white shoes. As it turned out, it was a brilliant idea; 33 years later, people are still talking about the famed "White Shoes defense" that led the Pack to a 9-2 record and a victory over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.
In the year 2000, the Pack will commemorate that great '67 team by wearing predominantly white shoes with red markings.
In developing the uniforms, the objective was to respect the school's football history, while signifying a new era of Wolfpack football for the 21st century. The uniform design was achieved with the input from the coaching staff, former players and athletic administration.
Suffice to say the current uniform is a collaboration of history, tradition and school pride.
