Blue Devil Country

UNC-Duke 1920 Throwback Jerseys Met With Horror From Both Fanbases

Jerseys will celebrate 100 years of the rivalry

Shawn Krest

UNC-Duke 1920 Throwback Jerseys Met With Horror From Both Fanbases
UNC-Duke 1920 Throwback Jerseys Met With Horror From Both Fanbases /

UNC and Duke will square off for the first matchup in college basketball’s best rivalry on Saturday. It will mark the 100-year anniversary of the rivalry, which was first played on January 24, 1920.

To celebrate the milestone, Nike has designed throwback jerseys for both teams to wear for the game, which are designed in the style of the 1920 teams.

The jerseys will not have player numbers or team names on the front, just the team logo. UNC will have the interlocking NC, while Duke will have the gothic D.

The jersey looks similar to ones UNC wore in that era. The 1924 Tar Heels team that was later voted the Helms Foundation national champions also wore the interlocking NC with no words or numbers.

unc 1924

Of course, in 1920, Duke was known as Trinity and wore jerseys with a T on the front.

trinity

UNC wore similar jerseys in the 2000 season. They had the NC logo and no team name, although those jerseys did include the uniform number on the front.

UNC has officially unveiled the jersey on Twitter in a video featuring Garrison Brooks.

Duke also unveiled the jersey with its own Twitter video.

The response from both teams’ fans has not been positive. Comments to the UNC post include:

“Whoever made that jersey, fire them”

“Jersey about as good as our season”

“guys... dont do this. you dont have to wear these”

Duke’s post was met with:

“Not my favorite”

“DELETE”

“Please tell me this jersey is a joke”

It's tough to get UNC and Duke fans to agree, especially during rivalry week, but Nike seems to have done it.

Published
Shawn Krest
SHAWN KREST

Shawn Krest has covered Duke for the last decade. His work has appeared in The Sporting News, USA Today, CBSSports.com, ESPN.com and dozens of other national and regional outlets. Shawn's work has won awards from the USBWA, PFWA, BWAA and NC Press Association.

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