Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, December 19, 2011
The Minnesota football team will have a different look for the 2012 season. The Gophers unveiled new helmets Monday and also will release new uniforms, designed by Nike, in mid-January, according to GopherSports.com's story. Minnesota will debut the new digs in its 2012 season opener, Sept. 1 at UNLV. See a picture of the front of the new helmet here, a picture of the back of the new helmet here and a picture of the side of the new helmet here. Or view the complete gallery, courtesy of GopherSports.com.
Looking good. The matted helmet is becoming more and more popular, and it's a solid look here. My favorite part of the new lids is the addition of the players' number. I'm always a fan of it, whether it's on the back, a la Iowa, or on the sides, a la Alabama. Here, it's on the back right of the helmet, and it's pretty subtle. As for the addition of black facemasks and chinstraps, while it's not a school color, it looks sharp.
Basically, Minnesota did a good job of modernizing its current look and style, and that's important to retain tradition and build a brand. As director of equipment operations Kyle Gergely said in the release: ?With the black accents and the textured finish, it?s a modern twist on an old-school look.?
Check out what the Gophers think about the new lids in this Gopher Sports YouTube video:
Here's more detail about the helmets from GopherSports.com:
"Minnesota?s new helmets feature a textured maroon finish, the Gophers? traditional Block M helmet decal, black facemasks, black chinstraps, a Block M above the facemask, each player?s uniform number on the back of the helmet and the traditional Minnesota cheer ?Ski-U-Mah? on the back of the helmet."
