September 13, 2012

Tech, Russell Athletic® unveil new football uniforms for Oregon match up

In an effort to refresh the team’s look, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle football team will reveal new, cutting-edge jerseys for the team’s match up Saturday against the University of Oregon in Eugene.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- In an effort to refresh the team’s look, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles will reveal new, cutting-edge football jerseys for the team’s match up Saturday against the University of Oregon in Eugene. The game will be televised on the PAC-12 Network.

In conjunction with the Tennessee Tech football team’s official apparel sponsor, Russell Athletic®, the Golden Eagles will take the field against the Ducks in a brand new white, purple and gold uniform, and are also unveiling a new helmet design. Saturday’s jersey is one of a number of different uniform combinations available to the Golden Eagles from Russell Athletic® in 2012.

A sublimated Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle is the dominant design element of the jersey, which was created as a collaboration between Russell Athletic’s design team, the Tennessee Tech football staff and the athletic department’s senior staff. The Golden Eagle pattern is on the sleeves of the jersey, and also repeated on side panels on the body and leg, creating a unique look that pays homage to the school’s mascot.

“The new uniform our players will be wearing when they take the field only adds to the existing excitement of this game,” said Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. “The look of the jerseys and helmets marries the traditional look of Tennessee Tech’s purple and gold colors and iconic Golden Eagle with cutting-edge uniform design and technology.”

The helmet design is a tribute to the 1972 Tennessee Tech football team that won the Ohio Valley Conference championship 40 years ago. It is gold in color and features purple and gold wings on the sides, reminiscent of the wings worn on the helmets by the Golden Eagle teams in the 1970s that won two OVC titles.

“Our design team wanted to provide Tennessee Tech with uniforms that stood out against the competition,” said Gary Barfield, executive vice president of Russell Brands, LLC. “The sublimated design and bold colors offer a very unique look. We’ll be rooting for the Golden Eagles and head coach Watson Brown when they take the field in Eugene.”

JERSEY HIGHLIGHTS
• NEW custom Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle sublimation pattern on the sleeves, side and back inserts
• Extreme Compression tight fit fabric minimizes grab capabilities by opponents
• Lower mesh insert on front and back for ultimate breathability

PANT HIGHLIGHTS
• NEW custom sublimation pattern on side inserts
• Extreme Power fabric used throughout for lean fit; helps maintain proper pad position and gives pants a smooth look and feel

About TENNESSEE TECH FOOTBALL
• Veteran head coach Watson Brown is in his 40^th season as a collegiate head coach and 28^th as a head coach. Last year he was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, the Tennessee Coach of the Year, and was a Top 15 finalist for the Liberty Mutual National FCS Coach of the Year.
• Tennessee Tech won a share of the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference championship, the team’s 10^th OVC football title overall, and advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
• The Golden Eagles take a 2-0 record into the game at Oregon
• The 2012 Golden Eagles currently rank among national FCS leaders in several team and individual statistical categories.
• Last year’s OVC championship team also posted the highest cumulative team grade point average (GPA) in the program’s history.

About RUSSELL BRANDS, LLC

For more than 100 years, Russell Brands, LLC, has supplied America’s athletes and teams with the latest innovations to help them perform at their best and is a leading supplier of apparel and team uniforms at the high school, college and professional levels. Russell’s collegiate licensed products and athletic wear are broadly distributed and marketed through department stores, sports specialty stores, retail chains and college bookstores. For more information, please visit www.RussellAthletic.com.