Give the Notre Dame ‘88 Championship Throwback Uniforms Some Respect

I just have a thing for the black cleats…

My Shamrock Series take from last week got me thinking about another worthy alternate Notre Dame uniform. Yes, the 1988 Championship throwback from the 2019 season is fire, and we, as a society, just don’t talk about it often enough. The Irish took a “less is more” approach with these unis, and that’s why they earned my seal of approval.

For the 150th anniversary of college football in 2019, several teams introduced new alternates. While these unis didn’t mark that far of a rewind into Fighting Irish history, who doesn’t love reliving the not so distant glory days?

The mesh-effect numbers offered a subtle nod to the uniforms of the champions of the Irish heyday without straying too far from the classic Fighting Irish aesthetic.

Cleats often make or break my uniform verdicts, and these black Under Armours sealed it for me. If you ask me, just going with the team’s standard uniform with the black cleats would have been enough for the ideal understated tribute.

Rather than putting a sticker on a helmet or a patch on a jersey and just calling it a day, the Irish were able to pay homage to a storied season in a creative way while staying true to its classic look.

Follow me on Twitter.