It could have been a UCLA Store marketing strategy, but it
turned out to be purely a special tribute to Bruins coaching great
John Wooden.
Following the unveiling of the Nell and John Wooden Court in
Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 20, 2003, the UCLA men’s basketball
team pulled off its warmups to reveal replicas of the uniforms worn
by Wooden’s first NCAA championship team of 1964.
Similar “throwback” jerseys have become wildly
popular in recent years, as shown by pop culture icons publically
donning the retro gear and jersey sales’ skyrocketing.
But Chris Carlson, the director of basketball operations at
UCLA, said the fashionable nature of the uniforms was not at the
forefront of his mind when he and Sports Information Director Bill
Bennett thought up the idea of having the men’s team wear
them at the UCLA-Michigan State game.
“Having the team wear the commemorative jerseys was a way
to acknowledge the special nature of the day,” Carlson
said.
“It was unplanned for the jerseys to be worn more than
once, but they were received so well that the team has continued to
wear them,” he said.
He added that not only were they a hit with the players ““
some alumni also were “tickled by the look.”
Equipment Manager Mike McBride worked with adidas to tailor the
look to suit UCLA’s men.
“Of course, the shorts are a bit longer than they were
back then,” Carlson said.
Coach Ben Howland hinted at the jerseys almost being good luck
charms.
“Since we won the (Michigan State) game, we figured we had
better keep wearing the jerseys,” he said.
Indeed, the men’s basketball team won four consecutive
home games wearing the retro jerseys. This winning streak ended
last Saturday, when the Bruins lost to Arizona.
“I think we will continue to wear the jerseys
anyway,” Howland said. “It is kind of a fun thing to
do.”
UCLA athletes are not the only ones who are sporting throwback
jerseys. Both the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks
donned them for their Jan. 19 NBA games.
Also, rappers Jay-Z, Ja Rule and P. Diddy have been known to
wear throwback jerseys while performing.
Given the current fashion, it seems reasonable to expect the
jerseys would be a hit with UCLA students and alumni, but they are
not currently for sale at the UCLA Store.
“We are looking into getting the basketball jerseys that
the men’s team is currently wearing, and we are hoping to
have them for next season,” said UCLA Store buyer Richelle
Campbell.
The jerseys that the store would sell are made overseas. Thus,
they could not be mass-produced and shipped in time to sell them in
the current season, she said.
If the UCLA Store does decide to sell the jerseys in the
2004-2005 season, and if their sales at all mimic the success of
the NBA’s retro merchandise line, they could experience some
significant gains.
In 1997, the NBA began to sell throwback jerseys. More recently,
they started a line of retro-inspired jerseys, hats, sweatshirts
and more, called Hardwood Classics.
“Over the past three years we have seen huge incremental
growth in the sales of retro merchandise,” said NBA spokesman
Matt Bourne.
“Our sales of NBA retro merchandise have tripled in the
past year,” he added, also noting that the NBA has
experienced a 60 percent increase in merchandise sales overall.
Throwback jerseys are also sold online at sites such as
www.sabasports.com, at prices in the $200-$400 range.
“If the UCLA Store sold throwback jerseys made of the same
quality and material as the jerseys they sell currently, I imagine
they would sell them for considerably less than the average online
rates,” said Dan Moyes, adidas’s on-campus
representative.
In the meantime, Bruin fans seem happy with the basketball
team’s new “old” look.
“If (the Bruins) keep winning in (the jerseys), then I
would buy one,” said third-year economics student Peter
Sinajon. “I think they are cool ““ anything retro is
in.”
And although another third-year economics student, Erin Kane,
was not thrilled with the look of vintage jerseys, she said she
liked the sentiment behind them.