Adidas will recreate the 2001 uniforms of the Miami Hurricanes, widely regarded as one of the best college football teams ever. Miami unveiled the look on social media on Monday morning, stating they will pay tribute “to the Hurricanes who paved the way.”
“A legacy recreated,” the caption to the post reads.
The unveiling video shows two sets of uniforms. One has an orange jersey and white pants, while the other has a white top and green pants. Both jerseys display the champion gold tag with the year 2001 on the back collar.
It had been rumored for some time that the Miami Hurricanes would be bringing back the 2001 uniforms to mark the 25th anniversary of that legendary team’s season.
Instagram account @canes.hq reported seeing several practice jerseys with a 2001 look on the field in Coral Gables last fall. They also noted that Adidas typically tests new designs the year prior to their on-field debut.
The 2001 Miami Hurricanes were absolutely stacked with talent
Miami defeated Nebraska in the Rose Bowl in the 2002 BCS National Championship to end the 2001 season 13-0. The team ended up with a record 38 players being selected in the NFL Draft, including Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Najeh Davenport, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow Jr., Bryant McKinnie, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Vince Wilfork, and Antrel Rolle.
The current Miami Hurricanes squad is 3-0 after defeating Wake Forest 33-20 on Friday. Miami will be honoring the 2001 team on October 24 against the Pittsburgh Panthers, so it would seem logical that they will wear the throwback jerseys for that game. The school is also giving away replica 2001 championship rings to season ticket holders throughout the season.
Miami is switching to Nike uniforms after this season
This will be the last season Miami will be wearing Adidas uniforms for awhile. The Hurricanes reportedly agreed to a 10-year contract with Nike that is worth more than $200 million, or slightly more than $20 million annually. The deal will be Nike’s largest in college football, and the second-largest overall behind Penn State’s $300 million deal with adidas.
The Nike deal is reportedly worth more than $13 million a year more than what Adidas was paying Miami in its 12-year contract, which expires in June of next year. Adidas reportedly made a counteroffer, but the school chose to go with Nike. The 12-year agreement that Adidas had with Miami was the longest the company had ever made with a college program at the time.