In case any of you have been wondering why the Cardinal in the football uniforms…

does not match the color of Cardinal that the cheerleaders or basketball teams wear…

the Athletic Department sent out a letter explaining the reason.

Dear fellow Cyclones:

This past year the athletics department made the decision to return to Iowa State University’s traditional school colors of cardinal and gold (as adopted by the institution in 1899). Although we are very excited about returning to these colors, we also recognize this decision is not something that can be fully implemented overnight.

It is our goal to have all of our athletics teams in the same shade of cardinal and gold, that represents our proud history and tradition, as soon as possible.
The purpose of this letter is to share several updates on the transition. Nike, our equipment provider, has designated the football and men’s and women’s track programs in their “elite” uniform division which means those sport’s uniforms are custom made in the colors we want (for example, what is being worn by the football team this season).

Unfortunately, Nike has not designated our other teams in that same category at this point, mainly due to our institution’s overall lack of retail merchandise sales. We are continuing to work with Nike on this issue and are optimistic that we can resolve it in the future.

In the interim, our other athletics teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, must select their uniforms and warm-ups from Nike’s stock colors. Nike’s stock cardinal color is darker than our football uniforms, and in some cases appears burgundy or maroon. In addition, Nike does not provide uniforms for spirit squads, dance teams or bands. Each of those programs has to order their uniforms from separate companies, which makes obtaining the proper shade of cardinal even more difficult for our department.

In closing, we simply ask you to have patience and understanding as we complete the transition.

Go Cyclones!
Sincerely,

Jamie Pollard