Oklahoma to Debut New Alternate Uniform This Weekend Against Kansas

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Oklahoma will debut a new alternate uniform on Saturday against Kansas.

Created and designed by student-athletes and based on the message of OU football pioneer Prentice Gautt, the Sooners will wear a new “unity” uniform when the Jayhawks come to Norman for an 11 a.m. Big 12 Conference game.

Gautt was OU’s first black scholarship football player and was a standout during the 1950s under Bud Wilkinson.

Honoring the past while looking towards a brighter future. #TogetherAsOne https://t.co/wO5IkSeH2p | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/9RDVqTG4jX

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 12, 2022

Saturday's uniform features anthracite-colored jerseys, pants and helmets, crimson trim and the word “TOGETHER” sewn on the collar, the word “UNITY” on the back nameplate and an outline of the state of Oklahoma amid a triple-stripe on both sleeves.

According to a press release, the uniform design has been in the works since 2020. During this past summer, the KU game was designated as the debut game for the alternate uniforms.

One of the suggestions of a student-athlete group that included football players Pat Fields, Jeremiah Hall, Creed Humphrey, Caleb Kelly and Chanse Sylvie was to create a “Unity” uniform for each of OU's varsity sports.

Good look at the Sooners new anthracite helmets

🎥 Jaden Knowles IG pic.twitter.com/5x3aZ1u7du

— Sooner Tracker (@SoonerTracker) October 12, 2022

“We wanted to make a statement that was way broader, something that stood out more than just a practice jersey,” said Kelly, a former OU linebacker who is now a director for the football team's SOUL Mission program. “When we're all together wearing that ‘Sooners,’ we’re all one. We wanted to make sure we exemplified unity in our uniform.”

The student-athlete group also expressed a desire to use the new football uniform to honor Gautt.

From Oklahoma City, he arrived at OU in 1956 and starred on Wilkinson's varsity teams from 1957-59. Gautt was a two-time All-Big Eight Conference running back and was an Academic All-American in 1958. He earned his undergraduate degree from OU in 1960 and later earned a doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Missouri. The Orange Bowl Hall of Fame inductee played professionally for the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961 to 1967.

Gautt joined the Big Eight as assistant commissioner in 1979, rising through the ranks to the position of associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. His commitment to student-athlete wellbeing and welfare is reflected by his origination and development of the Big 12's life skills program, which was initiated to assess and encourage services to assist current and former student-athletes in transitioning to life after sports.

Gautt's widow, Sandra Gautt, who lives in Lawrence, KS, and Gautt's son, Roger, will be recognized on the field Saturday during a first-half timeout.

“We wanted to honor Prentice for being the first African American scholarship football player here,” said Kelly. “He stood for unity, he stood for doing things the right way. He stood for making sure that you handled academics and football. He was one of the founding fathers who made Oklahoma football what it is and gave all the African American players who have come through OU that opportunity.”

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione praised the work of the student-athlete group.

“I have so much respect for our current and former student-athletes for their leadership during this process and for how they really wanted to — and continue to want to — make a difference by bringing people together within our university and beyond,” Castiglione said. “As an athletics department, we value student-athlete engagement and include their voice in strengthening their experience as well as ways they can positively impact others. In this case especially, we were proud of their efforts and eager to support the endeavor.

“Additionally, I was able to witness firsthand Dr. Prentice Gautt become the leading voice in championing student-athlete welfare across the country with his magnificent leadership in that space. His impact as a young pioneer at OU and as a visionary for student-athlete development and success later in his life blazed a trail that will positively impact lives forever. He left an amazing legacy for all of us to follow.”

OU's other varsity sports will wear “Unity” uniforms during their seasons this academic year.

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