NCAA - University of Hawai'i at Manoa

U. of Hawai'i to Go With Silver Football Helmets

UH football mines for silver

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

For this coming season, color the University of Hawai'i football team silver.

In a not-so-extreme makeover, the Warriors will add silver to their previous color scheme of black and green.

UH coach June Jones said the Warriors' helmets will switch from dark green to silver while maintaining the green "H" logo outlined with the kapa trim.

"That's awesome," said defensive back Kenny Patton. "I'm a fan of looking good, and we're going to look good in silver helmets. Coach Jones has good fashion sense."

The latest move was prompted by the football team's new three-year agreement with Nike.

Nike will supply helmets, jerseys, pants, socks, shoes, pads, warm-up jackets and footballs. Jones estimated Nike's donation at between $150,000 and $200,000 annually.

"That's a guess-timate," Jones said. "Nike is making a total commitment. It's saving our (athletic) department a lot of money."

The football program does not need the Board of Regents' approval to add a team color.

The Warriors also will wear silver jerseys, instead of white, for road games.

"This gives us a lot of versatility," Jones said. "We can have black pants, silver pants, black jerseys, silver jerseys, all types of combinations."

The bottom line, Jones said, is the bottom line.

"The real reason (for the change) is to open another avenue of revenue," he said. "We can sell new merchandise and make money."

Proceeds from the sale of UH athletic merchandise go to the school's department of auxiliary services. That money then is deposited into the school's general fund. The athletic department does not share directly in the sales of sports merchandise.

Jones will not receive a sponsorship fee, although he will be required to speak at two Nike conventions each year for the next three years.

Jones' association with the Oregon-based Nike dates to 1967, when his high school team was selected to wear test shoes crafted for artificial surfaces. UH's deal with Reebok recently expired, opening the way for negotiations with Nike.

This is the third helmet change and second color change since Jones was hired as UH's head football coach in December 1998.

In 1999, the helmet went from a "Rainbow" design to a "Rainbow Warrior."

In 2000, the football team dropped "Rainbow" from its nickname, added black to its color scheme and created the "H" logo.

Protests of those moves continued through last season, when KHON-2 anchor Joe Moore criticized Jones for his role in dropping the "Rainbow" nickname and logo.

The Warriors will unveil the new helmets during training camp in August.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.

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