NFL-NCAA lookalikes

[DrBear]

I'd add that while Iowa DOES look like the Steelers, the Steelers got their look from Green Bay (Noll changed from the yellow yoke in what he admitted was a blatant copy of the Packers striping, even though today's Packers don't wear the full striping). So Iowa is copying Green Bay, once removed.

[aykay]

Florida State and the 49ers

don't you mean FSU and the old school Redskins

FSU ripped off the spear helmet from the Skins. Washington starting using it 10 years before FSU.

[SoxSteeler]

I'd add that while Iowa DOES look like the Steelers, the Steelers got their look from Green Bay (Noll changed from the yellow yoke in what he admitted was a blatant copy of the Packers striping, even though today's Packers don't wear the full striping). So Iowa is copying Green Bay, once removed.

link?

You really don't expect people to believe that do you? The Steelers started using the North-Western style striping in 1936, 33 years before Noll was head coach of the steelers. It was of course a decision made by Art Rooney.

[B-Rich]

I was at today's Mizzou-Iowa State game in Columbia and I noticed how much ISU looks like the KC Chiefs. I was just wondering if anybody could think of any other schools that look like NFL teams.

There's a couple of ways to look at similarities-- mainly color schemes and logos.

1. Logos (usually, helmet logos) For a while there, there was Georgia and Grambling with the same "G" as Green Bay, albeit in a different color scheme (Grambling has changed). As mentioned earlier, Colorado State has the same ram horn design as the NFL Rams, but with a different color scheme (As a sidenote, according to Mike Lesssiter's book The Name of the Games, the NFL Rams themselves were named after the Fordham University Rams by owner Homer Marshman and general manager Buzz Wetzel.... And not too long ago, the Akron Zips had helmets that were just like the Chargers helmets.

2. Color schemes-- As mentioned in the posts, the Bears were based on the colors of U of Illinois. The old Falcons uniforms were based on the Geogia Bulldogs unis of the time, down to the silver britches. Former owner Rankin Smith was a Georgia alum... I've read somewhere that the old Charger powder blues were inspired by the UCLA Bruins-- they were originally located in L.A., remember...

Other than that, I think a lot of the similarities are not intentional, but just a matter of odds. With the amount of college teams and color schemes available, it's just gonna happen that an Iowa uniform resembles Pittsburgh, or that ISU resembles the Chiefs, or that LSU and Minnesota's white jerseys are essentially the same.

Even more interesting is how many high schools' look is based on a college team, or who borrow an NFL logo...

In regards to the former, two weird examples spring to mind. The Hattiesburg, MS high school team is the Tigers, and from their purple and gold color scheme to their 'HHS' helmets, they are the spittin' image of LSU. That's because way back in the day when they were first starting high school ball, their coach was an LSU alum, and the tradition of following LSU in look has stuck. Fountainebleu HS on New Orleans' north shore, only about 15 years old, has the colors red and black and the nickname "Bulldogs" Guess where their first athletic director came from? That's right, UGA.

In regards to the latter (logos) I've seen, just locally, O. Perry Walker HS wear Bronco lookalike logos and unis (they share the same color scheme), although they are named the Chargers. The West Jefferson Buccaneers wear the same logo as their Tampa Bay counterparts, albeit in a different color scheme. And St. Charles Catholic, named the Comets, ripped off the flaming thumbtack logo from the Titans with an 'SC' in the circle, rather than the T and stars.

One more thing, speaking of ripping off-- has anyone else seen high school teams using the Superman "S" logo on their helmet? Locally, I've seen Salmen and one other team that I can't remember (started with an "S") do it. Warner Bros. can't be happy about THAT.

[tajmccall]

Well you will see even more highschools derive from their professional brethren.

But you missed the most famous example, Georgia and Green Bay.

All there is the G..that's the only similarity.

Yah, the same logo qualifies as a look-a-like, don't ya think?

[Lumbergh]

Well you will see even more highschools derive from their professional brethren.

But you missed the most famous example, Georgia and Green Bay.

All there is the G..that's the only similarity.

Yah, the same logo qualifies as a look-a-like, don't ya think?

sure

[infrared41]

To be honest, I think the schools that rip off NFL teams should get their own look. Anybody disagree?

Yeah but for no other reason than there are 117 division one schools and only so many reasonable color combos. The reality is that most all of the good color combos are already in use. There are bound to be schools that resemble NFL teams. There's no way around it. Besides most of the schools have had their colors for a lot longer than the NFL teams they resemble. To me it's just not that big a deal. .

[winghaz]

I it more common where high school or college hockey teams rip off NHL logos.

[JH42XCC]

.... And not too long ago, the Akron Zips had helmets that were just like the Chargers helmets.

Actually, it was the Kent State Golden Flashes, not the Akron Zips, that had helmets that were just like the Chargers helmets.

[BJ Sands]

To be honest, I think the schools that rip off NFL teams should get their own look. Anybody disagree?

Yeah but for no other reason than there are 117 division one schools and only so many reasonable color combos. The reality is that most all of the good color combos are already in use. There are bound to be schools that resemble NFL teams. There's no way around it. Besides most of the schools have had their colors for a lot longer than the NFL teams they resemble. To me it's just not that big a deal. .

I don't think it's that big a deal, either. I just think that if a school does that, it hurts their identity. My high school used to use the EXACT same uniform as Wisconsin, save one or two stripe differences. And you know what, it did affect how I thought of our squad. Cheering for my high school was harder when they looked like Jr. Badgers.

[SEMOSTLfan]

Colorado State and StL Rams (same helmets, different colors)

For a while CSU even used the same number font as the rams although im not sure if they still do or not.

My high school's name is Wentzville Holt and our mascot is the indians, our old logo was a wisconsin W with the florida state spear through it. It was a cool logo but it bugged me. however 2 years ago, my senior year we got a new coach and he overhauled the look of the team complete with letting the players design a new helmet logo. We changed from royal blue and yellow to Navy and vegas gold too.

Heres the current logo:

Home Jerseys:

Away Jerseys:

they have gold pants too but the team prefers to wear the blue pants.

[DrBear]

The photo of these steelers shows striping that exactly matches what Green Bay wears. It isn't the single-color Northwestern striping, which the Steelers stopped using in the 1960 for the complete yellow yoke on the shoulders.

The old striping

And I'm sure somebody has a 1960s Steeler foto out there somewhere.

[slapshot]

Home Jerseys:

Away Jerseys:

Wow. Never thought I'd see a team willingly use a direct copy of West Virginia's current numbers, bad spacing and all.

[B-Rich]

.... And not too long ago, the Akron Zips had helmets that were just like the Chargers helmets.

Actually, it was the Kent State Golden Flashes, not the Akron Zips, that had helmets that were just like the Chargers helmets.

Correct-- my bad. Always get those mid-majors confused, I guess. Thanks for the correction, JH42XCC.....

[iowahoo]

As a fan of the Mid American Conference let me tell you about some verty blatant NFL copies from the last 20 years:

BALL STATE- were exactl helmet copies of the St. Louis Cardinals and probably similar uniform scheme

EASTERN MICHIGAN- Had exact copies of BOTH the Jets and when also Philly and also had Eagles helmets that were silver, Charlie Batch era.

KENT STATE- looked exactly like the Chargers for most of hte 80s and in to the 90s. Also switched to an Illinois/Giants look a like helmet for a while as well.

AKRON- as mentioned look like the ST. Louis Rams currently

BOWLING GREEN- in the 80s resembled the Browns but actually it was the Browns who copied Bowling Greens orange and brown color scheme as Paul Brown held his frist trainning camps in Bowling Green and liked the color scheme and decided thats what his Browns would use.

[CFSize24]

Illinois football helmets has always seemed as knockoffs to me ever since I have been watching.

Though I'm not sure which helmets came first.

[ohryan]

Actually Iowa's uniforms were an exact copy of the Steelers. When Hayden Fry first got to Iowa, he changed the uniforms to match the dominating Steelers teams of that era. They changed uniforms a couple times near the end of his career, but switched back to the "Steelers look" five or six years ago.

[cableguy]

Speaking of the Iowa/Steelers simularities...does anyone know why and when Iowa did this? I remember as a kid following Ohio State Iowa's uniforms were more like the Green Bay Packers with a green and gold combination...why the deliberate imitation of the steelers? I believe it was Frye's tennure but not sure.

Just currious.

[JetsLuvver]

Howard University has copied the Bills helmet logo.

[SoxSteeler]

The photo of these steelers shows striping that exactly matches what Green Bay wears. It isn't the single-color Northwestern striping, which the Steelers stopped using in the 1960 for the complete yellow yoke on the shoulders.

The sleeves are tucked up. Notice how you can't see any elastic. Also look at Levon Kirkland's left sleeve. It is rolled down and you can see the rest of the stripe where as you can't on the other's.

This is the same jersey