Photo by Notre Dame
Notre Dame Football
Inside the "Rockne Heritage" Uniform
Notre Dame coaching legend Knute Rockne will be honored on November 18th as the Irish will rock throwback “Rockne Heritage” uniforms against Navy.
Rockne wasn’t only a great football coach, but lead the way for the building of Notre Dame Stadium.
Under Armour Design Director Nick Billiris told UND.com about his thoughts about the uniforms as the Notre Dame enters its first year in the renovated Notre Dame Stadium.
"I think it is a unique opportunity with this uniform to celebrate the past while creating the future," Billiris says. "That's why we incorporated some of these elements that harken back to the 1920s and 1930s when Knute Rockne was there, but we did it with cutting edge fabrics and technology. The whole idea is that this uniform is a time-capsule of Notre Dame football from when Rockne first grew the football program into the national power it has become today."
The details are unmatched in the uniform as the history of Notre Dame, Rockne, and modern day influences went into the concept.
"The older style ND logo was taken from one of Rockne's varsity sweaters that he wore in 1912," explained Billiris to UND.com "The detail with the football patch above the ND logo on the jersey mimics the time period in which he not only played but also coached.
“The cleats and helmets almost mark or symbolize the beginning of Notre Dame football and allow the school, alumni, and fans of Notre Dame to go back and find a comfort level with that era, even if they weren't alive during that time. They all know what Notre Dame is because of the things that Knute Rockne had done with his team and on the field as a player himself. The equipment is trying to mimic the sort of blue-collar, hard-nosed style of football back in Rockne's day.”
The uniform will also have 18 slashes inside the numbers, and that goes back to end zone design on the field. The sleeves will have Rockne’s famous speech printed on them, but the final touch is the fact the name on the back of each jersey will say ‘Rockne.’
Rockne wasn’t only a great football coach, but lead the way for the building of Notre Dame Stadium.
Under Armour Design Director Nick Billiris told UND.com about his thoughts about the uniforms as the Notre Dame enters its first year in the renovated Notre Dame Stadium.
"I think it is a unique opportunity with this uniform to celebrate the past while creating the future," Billiris says. "That's why we incorporated some of these elements that harken back to the 1920s and 1930s when Knute Rockne was there, but we did it with cutting edge fabrics and technology. The whole idea is that this uniform is a time-capsule of Notre Dame football from when Rockne first grew the football program into the national power it has become today."
The details are unmatched in the uniform as the history of Notre Dame, Rockne, and modern day influences went into the concept.
"The older style ND logo was taken from one of Rockne's varsity sweaters that he wore in 1912," explained Billiris to UND.com "The detail with the football patch above the ND logo on the jersey mimics the time period in which he not only played but also coached.
“The cleats and helmets almost mark or symbolize the beginning of Notre Dame football and allow the school, alumni, and fans of Notre Dame to go back and find a comfort level with that era, even if they weren't alive during that time. They all know what Notre Dame is because of the things that Knute Rockne had done with his team and on the field as a player himself. The equipment is trying to mimic the sort of blue-collar, hard-nosed style of football back in Rockne's day.”
The uniform will also have 18 slashes inside the numbers, and that goes back to end zone design on the field. The sleeves will have Rockne’s famous speech printed on them, but the final touch is the fact the name on the back of each jersey will say ‘Rockne.’
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