Not to be uniform guy, but UNC should just keep the throwbacks it wore on Saturday (in white and blue) permanently.
— Sherrell McMillan (@rellevent21) February 23, 2015
My first memories of watching Carolina basketball were of Eric Montross, George Lynch, Donald Williams, and the 1993 NCAA Championship team. Being from Canada, and having no familial attachment to UNC, three things initially drew 6 year old me to the Tar Heels:
1) They were good.
Hey, this will probably provide more fodder to the State fans who claim UNC fans are "bandwagon" fans and "Wal-Mart" fans, but if you're a kid whose family has no attachment to any NCAA school, why else are you going to choose a team to cheer for? In fairness to me, it's now 22 years later and I have never wavered with my loyalty to the Tar Heels.
2) I was a bad little brother.
You see, my brother, who is 8 years my elder, was a big time fan of Chris Webber and the Fab Five. I'm sure there was a small part of me who wanted to go against the grain and see my big brother's team lose.
3) (and probably most important) The uniforms
Carolina's uniforms were absolutely gorgeous. I loved the combination of Carolina Blue and White with argyle trim. They were so unique and vibrant. I was instantly drawn to them. A year or two later, I can still remember begging my mother to buy me a Jerry Stackhouse jersey (err.. sorry NCAA, that's generic #42 jersey) that we had found at a Nike Outlet store in a Men's Small. It looked like a dress on me, but I was so proud to have a Carolina jersey for myself, and it was definitely my favourite article of clothing.
As I became more interested in the Tar Heels, I was able to learn about and appreciate Carolina's rich basketball history. Of course I was already familiar with Michael Jordan the Chicago Bull (sidenote: when I was born way back in 1986, my brother unsuccessfully lobbied my parents for my middle name to be Jordan, which would have made me Michael Jordan), but I learned about MJ the Tar Heel, I learned about Coach Smith, and I learned about the rivalry with Duke.
While I can understand the long time fans and their attachment to what they grew up with, Alexander Julian's argyle has been a symbol of Carolina to an entire generation. Three National Championships have been won in argyle. I love the throwbacks and what they represent to the older generations, but I hope argyle remains a part of the Carolina fabric with the throwbacks being incorporated as a regular alternate uniform. After all, it was Coach Smith and MJ who gave Alexander Julian the green light for the argyle trim.
There has been some discussion as to whether the upcoming redesigned football uniforms should incorporate argyle. My answer is an easy yes. One of the complaints about the current football uniform set is that they are too generic, black isn't a Carolina colour, and that at times you can't even tell that it's Carolina that is playing football. I love this mock-up that was posted by NavyBlueSwag on Inside Carolina:
I love the block number font without the 3D drop shadow that was used in the Peppers era. I love the argyle trim down the pants. The only thing that I might change would be the argyle on the sleeve. I'd prefer to change the collar and ribbing around the sleeves to argyle. One thing is certain: there would be no mistaking this team as the Tar Heels.
