KU Introduces "Blackhawk" Uniforms

KU adds an all-black uniform set to be worn next Friday against Illinois.

Just when you thought Kansas football was done introducing new uniforms with their glorious new blue and white kits, we get the newest addition to the 2023 set.

KU is dubbing these the “Blackhawk” uniforms, and there are some notable details that we’ll go over right now.

Image courtesy of @KU_Football / Kansas Athletics

First, this will be the first completely black uniform in Kansas football history. They wore a white helmet with black shirts and pants against Iowa State in 2012, and to my knowledge, this was the only time KU tried it. But these are different. They stand alone, and likely won’t be seen with any of the other uniform combos (although anything is a possibility in modern college football).

These "Blackhawk" uniforms feature the 1941 angry Jayhawk prominently on the helmet and sleeves. We’ve seen the Warhawk before, and I’m not usually a fan of the head of the bird as a stand-alone, but these look sharper than usual. You had a feeling that they’d incorporate this popular logo at some point, and a nationally televised game against Illinois seems like the perfect time. The blue face mask makes the helmet look complete and I’m glad they chose that over black or white. I still would've liked to see the whole Jayhawk on the helmet.  The head on the sleeves is fine. 

Image courtesy of @KU_Football / Kansas Athletics

The game day K flag is also featured on this set, although in a place that will rarely be seen, on the back collar. I love this flag (I proudly hung it on my house and in my former classroom) so this is another win for me.

The blue, red, and white stripes on the pants are glorious and would be a welcome addition to the white pants in the current set as they really pop on the black pants. They’d look great on the blue ones too.

But, the best feature is undoubtedly the circus font. That glorious typeface is set to make a complete comeback on the hardwood for the 2024-25 season, and it looks incredibly sharp on a football uni. This is the first time I can remember that Kansas has used it on the gridiron, but man, it’s so classy.

Image courtesy of @KU_Football / Kansas Athletics

The all white Kansas script looks crisp, but the number, blue outlined in white and red, is simply amazing. How good would that look on the white uniforms? The answer is impossibly good. It remains to be seen how a double digit number, especially a large one, will look, and more importantly be read and distinguished from distance, but on the promo, it is clean and crisp.

Another question mark is whether the player name on the back will be in circus font, but if it is, that would complete the look.

Overall, I’m not usually a fan of teams wearing black for the sake of something different, but in this case, the details are too good to deny. If Kansas only wears this once, I think it’s a solid addition to an already solid uniform set. 

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