Can Syracuse University end the charade that is the 'Orange' nickname?

[Orangezoo]

I always have thought the Syracuse Orange Express or just the Express... doing something different in honor of such an important figure in the history of SU sports..

 

[Millhouse]

The Save Otto campaign occurred in 1995/96, year after I graduated. Jake always hated Orangemen and there was a recommendation to ditch that and adopt either Orange Pack, Orange Pride, Wolf Pack or Chargers. Of course those all suck and the students fought for Orangemen and Otto. Buzz relented and named Otto the official mascot (he never actually was).

All of this goes back to the now-incomprehensible decision to not decisively replace the Saltine Warrior back when that was scrapped. It's before my time but my understanding is that a Roman Gladiator mascot was introduced but dumped immediately. So then the cheerleaders created Otto a year or 2 later.

Why we didn't keep the gladiator is beyond me. I mean, Syracuse!

Of course this is a university that took decades to adopt an official athletics logo so I think our tradition when it comes to mascots, nicknames, colors, logos and uniforms is incompetence.

We're maintaing that tradition now.

those wolfpack posters were so stupid

they were scared to actually do it so they just trickled it out here or there as a trial balloon and everyone said What?

 

[KaiserUEO]

Even though you're changing the starting line -- your first response was about calling yourself "Orange," not "Syracuse" -- your concern is clearly that not enough orange in the uniform undermines the institution. As silly as that concern might be, you're certainly entitled to it -- and are obviously passionate about it. I hope Syracuse can withstand this blow and beyond around a few more years.

what??

Syracuse = ORANGE.
Syracuse is Orange.
Orange = Syracuse.
Orange is Syracuse.

and please...

 

[sufandu]

If we are going to go the snow route, how bout the "Syracuse Blizzard."

Then the mascot could be a snowman like guy, or better yet, a Yeti.

Yeah. Why not? We could also have SUV's flipped on there roof in the median on our promotional posters.

 

[Millhouse]

nobody cares about the multiple combos, stiching, the 44 logo, the little phrases sewn in.

again, and i cant believe nobody seems to get this and its written 50x in this thread and in other threads.

WE the alumni, the University, the school, the Athletic Dept, and the fans...CALL OURSELVES THE ORANGE, but we dont dress the most prominent athletic team in it.

have we always had a blue jersey?? yes. a white??? yes. and Orange??? sometimes. but the pants have always been Orange and the helmets have always been Orange (save for the maloney era). you know when you turn on tv its the Orange. even duke and stanford in their black, have the school color in there enough that one knows who they are.

it appears someon has decided to make a distinct move away from the color Orange for football, one that was so poorly recieved last year, that nike agreed to redo it again this year. and they then moved FURTHER away from Orange. its acutally quite comical.

im sure the kids like them. getting my jersey was always one of the highlights of the season. hell, i still have a bunch 25 years+ (yeah thats right, me and Al Bundy) after HS.

personally, i was looking forward to the grey, thought there was a lot of potential there. they kinda let me down.

from a $$ standpoint...do we really need 3 Fn helmets?? im guessing $400 a pop, 200 each...thats $240,000 just on helmets. is Nike picking that up?? is that why we just bend over and take it??

on the edit: YES, people should wear ORANGE to the games. its the school color, its not a fashion show. proudly wear it, display it. this is a common theme throughout all America from HS to the Pros. does everybody?? no. but many do. and those shots of the Dome all in Orange for a Hoop game are awe inspiring.

even when its not an Orange-out.

i think it's a response to the gerg uniforms where the all orange was the wrong shade and the numbers looked like they were taped on by crackheads and they assumed that the problem with the unis wasn't anything in their design, it's just that people don't like orange

 

[Todd Gack]

That you continue to frame the question back to me in this way suggests that no, you don't get it and are focused upon the wrong aspect of this "issue."

It has nothing to do with embarrassment. Or strategy. We're the !@#$ Orange[men]. I've grew up in Syracuse, with a father / alum who is a die hard SU fan. I like the program's colors.

The same way that Yankees fans are proud of pinstripes.

Or Giants fans are proud of red, white, and blue.

Or cowboys fans [ick] prefer white jerseys with silver / blue.

Or Celtics fans like green and white.

How would Yankees fans react if they suddenly changed their colors to gold and red?

It doesn't bother me what fans wear to the game--to each their own--so long as they represent. But what's the freaking problem with representing the team you're ostensibly rooting for?

Cripes...

That's the answer I'm looking for -- it attacks your pride. I'm in my mid-30s and grew up in CNY and have several SU alums in my family. And while I'm not an alum, and now live in DC, I watch every SU basketball and football game, and have season tickets for football. I have pride in my family -- but I don't have any pride in the color orange. I get it now -- and will leave you guys to beat your breast.

 

[rrlbees]

I was going for hyperbole on that one. My point is that no player, when making their decision between Syracuse or another school, has "not enough orange in their uniforms" on his their "cons" list. Many seem to think multiple combos are pretty cool, though. Moreover, how many different colors of sneakers did Syracuse basketball players lace up this year? I remember a particularly neon yellow pair that Ennis wore -- do you think he paused to ask, "I wonder if these will offend the Orange faithful?" I guess I'm just at a loss for why people care so, so much. Is it because you're embarrassed that they're not wearing orange -- or you think the school is embarrassed by a color (which offends you)? Stanford wears black, as does Duke -- are their fans wailing as much as Syracuse's are?

Stanford and Duke use black as a one off, not their regular uni's. Just like SU could use the gray as the one off. I'm betting thought that are one off will be the color the school promotes the most. It's backwards.

 

[KaiserUEO]

i think it's a response to the gerg uniforms where the all orange was the wrong shade and the numbers looked like they were taped on by crackheads and they assumed that the problem with the unis wasn't anything in their design, it's just that people don't like orange

cant argue that.

 

[Todd Gack]

what??

Syracuse = ORANGE.
Syracuse is Orange.
Orange = Syracuse.
Orange is Syracuse.

and please...

Wait, didn't you just have a longer list of what "Syracuse" is? Is it no longer those things? It's all on a color now -- a color, which if removed, would bring the whole institution down? Pick a lane.

 

[Alsacs]

i think it's a response to the gerg uniforms where the all orange was the wrong shade and the numbers looked like they were taped on by crackheads and they assumed that the problem with the unis wasn't anything in their design, it's just that people don't like orange

You are absolutely right on this one. The 2007 football season Orange jersey was disgusting, the shade of orange just killed made it look putrid.

If they cleaned up on the numeral font on this jersey it would fine. If we wanted to wear white pants with these tops I wouldn't object either. I am okay with the Orange/Orange/Orange look though.

 

[Todd Gack]

Stanford and Duke use black as a one off, not their regular uni's. Just like SU could use the gray as the one off. I'm betting thought that are one off will be the color the school promotes the most. It's backwards.

Yeah, but as I've only learned just now, whether they wear them once or 100 times, they're betraying what it means to be "Cardinal" or a "Blue Devil."

 

[Millhouse]

You are absolutely right on this one. The 2007 football season Orange jersey was disgusting, the shade of orange just killed made it look putrid.

If they cleaned up on the numeral font on this jersey it would fine. If we wanted to wear white pants with these tops I wouldn't object either. I am okay with the Orange/Orange/Orange look though.

this player was stricken upon seeing his reflection in the empty seats

 

[RF2044]

That's the answer I'm looking for -- it attacks your pride. I'm in my mid-30s and grew up in CNY and have several SU alums in my family. And while I'm not an alum, and now live in DC, I watch every SU basketball and football game, and have season tickets for football. I have pride in my family -- but I don't have any pride in the color orange. I get it now -- and will leave you guys to beat your breast.

Again, you've completely missed the point with that false conclusion. Seriously--how did you conclude that I was talking about "pride?"

This is pointless.

 

[Scooch]

Because he looked really silly.

Imagine a cross between a Spartan and a Trojan.

Or just imagine a Lambda Chi toga party.

And then the University didn't replace that with anything. It boggles the freakin' mind that SU just punted on having a mascot. So the cheerleaders came up with a very cheerleader idea... "We're the Orangemen, so how about an orange?!"

Couldn't SU have tweaked the depiction of the gladiator to make it a bit more appealing? The lack of coherent thought on the Hill regarding mascots, logos, etc. is/was baffling.

 

[Todd Gack]

Again, you've completely missed the point with that false conclusion. Seriously--how did you conclude that I was talking about "pride?"

This is pointless.

Yeah, where did I get that from? Hmm, let me check ... oh, here it is -- from your earlier post:

"The same way that Yankees fans are proud of pinstripes.

"Or Giants fans are proud of red, white, and blue."

 

[OrangeXtreme]

And then the University didn't replace that with anything. It boggles the freakin' mind that SU just punted on having a mascot. So the cheerleaders came up with a very cheerleader idea... "We're the Orangemen, so how about an orange?!"

Couldn't SU have tweaked the depiction of the gladiator to make it a bit more appealing? The lack of coherent thought on the Hill regarding mascots, logos, etc. is/was baffling.

If memory serves, the University had nothing do to with mascots back then. It was all the brothers of Lambda Chi who made their own costumes every season.

Only when the cheerleaders came up with the orange concept, and all students were allowed to try out (instead of just frat boys), did the University embrace it.

 

[RF2044]

Yeah, where did I get that from? Hmm, let me check ... oh, here it is -- from your earlier post:

"The same way that Yankees fans are proud of pinstripes.

"Or Giants fans are proud of red, white, and blue."

Let me clarify: how on earth did you conclude that this was about "attacking my pride?"

Because the correct answer is: it merely seems stupid to me to have uniforms that don't feature our school color. Period. It has nothing to do with being against different combinations, or any of the other straw man arguments you've brought up throughout this thread.

You don't have the same affinity for the color orange that I do as an SU fan. Hip hip hooray for you. That's your right. The same way it's my right to express the opinion that the main team I root for ought to wear the program color, instead of having a vendor put together every conceivable combination of colors together EXCEPT our official program color.

 

[Ozcuse]

If we are going to go the snow route, how bout the "Syracuse Blizzard."

Then the mascot could be a snowman like guy, or better yet, a Yeti.

To formalize the transition to the Yeti mascot, he should race out on the field, rip Otto's arms off and proceed to beat him to death with them.

Lock the Gates indeed.

 

[Scooch]

If memory serves, the University had nothing do to with mascots back then. It was all the brothers of Lambda Chi who made their own costumes every season.

Only when the cheerleaders came up with the orange concept, and all students were allowed to try out (instead of just frat boys), did the University embrace it.

Right, why a major University would just let a frat come up with the mascot, which would be the major image marketed to the world as representing said University, is beyond idiotic.

 

[NineOneSeven]

This thread

 

[OrangeXtreme]

this player was stricken upon seeing his reflection in the empty seats

Could be worse...

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Right, why a major University would just let a frat come up with the mascot, which would be the major image marketed to the world as representing said University, is beyond idiotic.

SU didn't even acknowledge that Otto was the official mascot until a few years ago. :crazy:

 

[KaiserUEO]

SU didn't even acknowledge that Otto was the official mascot until a few years ago. :crazy:

if i recall, it was Lambda Chi.

they came up with the suit and fraternity member would wear it to the games.

it wasnt with the cheerleaders till that whole wolfpack thing fizzed out.

the gladiator was the way to go. they shouldve made that work.

scooch is right, when it comes to this stuff the school is incompetent.

and it makes us crazy...

 

[Todd Gack]

Let me clarify: how on earth did you conclude that this was about "attacking my pride?"

Because the correct answer is: it merely seems stupid to me to have uniforms that don't feature our school color. Period. It has nothing to do with being against different combinations, or any of the other straw man arguments you've brought up throughout this thread.

You don't have the same affinity for the color orange that I do as an SU fan. Hip hip hooray for you. That's your right. The same way it's my right to express the opinion that the main team I root for ought to wear the program color, instead of having a vendor put together every conceivable combination of colors together EXCEPT our official program color.

I started to reply in this thread because I was generally curious why people cared so much -- because I just don't get it. Then the back-and-forth became better than doing real work. I simply asked you a question whether you cared because you were offended or because you thought it wasn't a smart strategy. You said, paraphrasing, "I grew up in Syracuse. Me and my dad are big fans. I like the color orange. It's like the pride Yankee fans have in pinstripes." I thought that was the answer I was looking for. I'm not making straw-man arguments -- because I don't care either way. Now you're saying it's not a pride issue with you, but a stupid decision not to have a uniform that doesn't feature orange. I guess I'm missing what the fallout could be -- will coaches use this to negatively recruit against us? -- but I'm tired of talking about it for the both of us.

Go Orange!

 

[RF2044]

I started to reply in this thread because I was generally curious why people cared so much -- because I just don't get it. Then the back-and-forth became better than doing real work. I simply asked you a question whether you cared because you were offended or because you thought it wasn't a smart strategy. You said, paraphrasing, "I grew up in Syracuse. Me and my dad are big fans. I like the color orange. It's like the pride Yankee fans have in pinstripes." I thought that was the answer I was looking for. I'm not making straw man arguments one way or another -- because I don't care either way. Now you're saying it's not a pride issue with you, but a stupid decision not to have a uniform that doesn't feature orange. I guess I'm missing what the fallout could be -- will coaches use this to negatively recruit against us -- but I'm tired of talking about it for the both of us.

Go Orange!

Agreed--not worth "arguing" about.


Let's Go Orange!!!