Nebraska To Celebrate 100th Anniversary Of Memorial Stadium With Throwback Uniforms – SportsLogos.Net News

Nebraska To Celebrate 100th Anniversary Of Memorial Stadium With Throwback Uniforms

Multiple sources confirmed to SportsLogos.net the Nebraska football program will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium by wearing throwback uniforms during a game this fall.

The jersey, which first appeared as a “sample” in an eBay listing from user annazamb53, features white numbers outlined in blue and a Memorial Stadium patch on the left shoulder that includes the phrase “100 Years Through These Gates.”

The logo, which is modeled after the entrances to Memorial Stadium, was used by the program in December to promote the sale of 2023 season tickets. The number font matches the gate numbers above the entrances, as well, with the concrete columns on both sides. 

The gate numbers notably include the phrase “Through These Gates Pass The Greatest Fans In College Football,” which was originally inscribed into the rotunda on the east side of the stadium, which is now enclosed within a concourse.

The blue stroke around the numbers, meanwhile, is a nod to the blue jerseys the Cornhuskers wore in the first game at Memorial Stadium – a 24-0 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 13, 1923 – as a courtesy to the Sooners, who also wear a shade of red.

A similar situation unfolded at Nebraska Field in 1920, when the Cornhuskers were forced to wear their blue freshman jerseys because South Dakota took the field in red, as white road jerseys didn’t become the norm until the 1940-50s.

Lastly, the stripes on each sleeve include parts of the following quote, which was written by former Nebraska philosophy professor Hartley Burr Alexander and was inscribed on the towers in the four corners of original structure of Memorial Stadium:

“In Commemoration of the Men of Nebraska Who Served and Fell in the Nation’s Wars. Their Lives they held their Country’s Trust: They kept its Faith. They died its Heroes. Not the Victory but the Action: Not the Goal, but the Game. Courage: Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In These are the True Awards of Manly Sport.”

The words are no longer visible from outside of the stadium, as renovations in 1999 and 2013 covered the towers, but the third sentence – which was originally on the southwest tower – was inscribed on the new west end of the stadium above the press box entrance. 

Our sources were only able to confirm the legitimacy of the leaked jersey, so it’s unclear what the helmet and pants will look like or when the uniform will be worn. Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Oct. 20, 1923, so it’s worth pointing out the Cornhuskers host Northwestern on Oct. 21 and Purdue on Oct. 28.

Other notable listings from the eBay seller include a purple Washington jersey with gold numbers to match the white “Royalty” uniforms the Huskies introduced last season and a new black design for Miami (Fla.), as well as Arizona State and N.C. State jerseys with sublimated designs on the sides rather than the shoulders.

Our sources also confirmed these jerseys as legitimate, with every major adidas programs moving to the new manufacturer’s mark ahead of the 2023 season, as it no longer features the wordmark below the three stripes. It’s unclear when they will each be officially unveiled, however.

Photos courtesy of annazamb53 on eBay.