New Nike uniforms unveiled

For one game this season, West Virginia will honor the 29 fallen miners in more ways than a simple helmet sticker.

The Mountaineers will wear an entire uniform to remember the miners lost in the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster earlier this year.

Nike unveiled its 2010 line of Pro Combat uniforms Wednesday afternoon in New York City with all the usual flair and excitement that Nike usually brings to the table.

West Virginia was selected to wear the uniforms along with Alabama, Boise State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Oregon State, Texas Christian University, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Each school had a presenter on hand to help describe the uniforms' look as well as its heritage and the traditions that helped mold the look of each school's unique design.

WVU men's head basketball coach Bob Huggins spoke to the audience along with those streaming live online about the coal-mining theme that was tied into the Mountaineers uniforms.

"The uniforms are great," Huggins said. "Wearing those uniforms brightens up the day of the families of those 29 miners that died in the Upper Branch mine tragedy, and I think it is a wonderful gesture."

The jerseys were designed for WVU are all white in color with black shoulders that are made to simulate the dust a miner would accumulate during a usual workday.

The Mountaineers' helmets also features a coal dust effect that has shades of color ranging from light gray to black.

Along with the coal dust effects on WVU's helmet, it features a canary yellow stripe down the middle of the helmet that is used to signify the canaries miners used to take with them to warn them of toxic gases that could be in the air.

The last unique design element the Mountaineers' Pro Combat jersey has involves the set of gloves.

When a player makes a triangle with his thumbs and pointer fingers, the palm of the gloves displays WVU's trademark flying WV logo.

The Mountaineers will first put the uniforms on display Nov. 26 when they take on Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers will also be wearing their Pro Combat uniforms that play upon the cities image of as a steel town.

The coal vs. steel aspect of each team's jerseys along with the blue-collar attitudes of each town is sure to add a little more to the rivalry, according to Huggins.

"It will help to build up the game a little bit," Huggins said. "It is West Virginia vs. Pitt, so it should just like it always is – as hard a played game as there is all year."

Some of the other presenters on hand for the unveiling ceremony were former NFL players Reuben Brown, Errict Rhett and Michael Irvin.

Irvin was the most emotional speaker of the bunch as talked about Miami's uniforms, and how the new age look can be used as a recruiting tool, which Huggins expounded upon.

"I got a call from an NBA team years ago about one of my guys, and they asked him why he went to Cincinnati," Huggins said. "The kid said the uniforms and Huggs, so yeah I think everybody wants to be on the cutting edge so to speak."

All in all, many of Nike's top employers deemed the event a success, and they believe the Pro Combat jerseys will continue to be unveiled in the coming years.

"Our game day products will continue to evolve each year with college football," said Nike Brand Manager Leroy Ebanks. "College football is all about speed, and that is why we designed Pro Combat.

"We chose 10 great universities that are explosive," he added.