In celebration of the storied matchup between Texas and Oklahoma, Nike Football unveiled new uniform designs that honor the shared heritage of these tradition-rich rivals who battle annually in the Red River Rivalry.
The Sooners and Longhorns will wear these special uniforms in Saturday’s contest, with the winner taking home the coveted Golden Hat Trophy, a golden replica of a 10-gallon cowboy hat that has been kept in possession the winning school's athletic department since 1929. As tradition goes, the team wearing the hat owns bragging rights for the next year.
The 2013 Nike Pro Combat Red River Rivalry uniforms feature gold and chrome accents to acknowledge both teams’ efforts to claim the Golden Hat Trophy. Both team jerseys will feature a classic gold Red River Rivalry patch above the numerals on the front of the jerseys, with numbers outlined by "kiss-cut" gold twill.
Custom embroidery of “Boomer Sooner” for Oklahoma and “Longhorns” for Texas can be found on the inside of the jersey necklines, reminding student-athletes and fans of their allegiances. Oklahoma's jersey also features an additional gold logo neck patch in reference to last year's victory. Custom tags reading “Texas Longhorns Red River Rivalry” and “Oklahoma Sooners Red River Rivalry” give each school a commemorative take on the traditional sizing label.
The heritage of the Red River Rivalry extends to the Nike Pro Hypercool Baselayer Top where a directional chevron pattern signals the travel direction each team takes to Dallas. In an additional twist, the chevron mirrors the hand gestures of the fans – Texas' upward “hook 'em horns” is one of the true icons of college athletics.
The chevron is also featured on the insole of the Nike Alpha Pro Cleats each team will wear. School mascot imagery appears on the cleat tongues, and both school cleats showcase metallic gold plates to tie in the overall aesthetic of the uniform. Both teams will wear a special gold edition of the Nike Vapor Jet II Gloves. Oklahoma's gloves read “Boomer Sooner" and feature a crimson team logo atop the gold palm.
Texas' glove features a white team logo over the gold palm and embroidered "Longhorns" on the inside. The Red River Rivalry has been waged for over 100 years, but passions truly escalated in 1931, when the two states became embroiled in conflict over the erection of a new bridge spanning Red River. Since then, bragging rights between the Longhorns and the Sooners have been won on the gridiron.
