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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 57 f when I decided to come here." Howard's not the only one to consider uniforms a key component in recruiting. Over the years, when a uniform concept has been posted on the Internet, generally something designed by a Photoshop-literate Purdue fan, it has garnered plenty of chatter. Fans, current players and potential future ones retweet the design on Twitter, or post it on Facebook, discussing what they like, or maybe don't like. Some designs might be a little out of left field, but most stick to Purdue's traditions, only with an update: Maybe a train here, or tracks there. Gray is a bit more acceptable as a Boilermaker color these days, perhaps because of Nike's use of it as one of the basketball team's alternate jerseys. "It's a tug between what your young kids want and what your fan base can accept," athletic director Mor- gan Burke said. "Some of the younger fan base don't care and some of your older fan base thinks those colors (of gold and black) are sacrosanct." While fan designs get others excited, a true Purdue uniform redesign likely won't come until 2016. Then, says Shandrick, the Boilermakers will be six seasons re- moved from their last Nike update. And if recent trend holds, Purdue likely would get new black home jerseys and white road ones, with an alternate. "Now, what the alternate would be, I don't know," Shandrick said. "What's your choice? Gold or gray? "I would pick gray in a heartbeat." Most others would, too. When asked for a uniform concept, Richards first wanted all gray, without a mark of the current Vegas (or Old or any other shade) gold, with black trim. And of course, the Monopoly train logo. He later relented, allowing a bit of gold in his mock uniform. "I think it's pretty common to be interested in it," the safety said. "No. 1, a lot of the time, when you get new uniforms, it means that you're winning, having winning seasons. I'm not going to say that's the truth for every team, but most of the time that's what it means. Sports in general, the design is becoming more of the culture. It brings in its recruits, it definitely does." 'THE OREGON EFFECT' The uniform explosion started in the northwest, when Oregon, the home school of Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight, started rolling out new jerseys in 2000. Not just new ones, but exotic, as well. Over the last 15 years, Oregon has added silver, white and black to its traditional green and yellow. And it's unveiled neon colors, metallic ones and more, with designs that even a kindergartner couldn't imagine. And the Ducks have kept up the pace, getting near-complete overhauls about every three years, along with occasional upgrades for special games. A few years ago, they wore bright pink helmets for a cancer awareness game. It's thought that Oregon now has more than 500 helmet and uniform combinations. While great for the Ducks, and their now nationally recognized program, it's a bind for other schools. "I call it 'The Oregon Effect,'" Shandrick said. "When Nike let them do that, of course, everybody else was go- ing to do it. Coaches weren't going to sit by and let (oth- ers) have a recruting advantage." Inquiries for an interview with a Nike representative, asking for details on its process for jersey upgrades, went unreturned. Some have speculated that the com- pany's contract with the NFL, signed in 2012, created a production backlog for collegiate programs. Knight has doled out the money for Oregon, giving the program upwards of more than $300 million in the last couple decades, dating to when the program be- came a Nike school in 1996. And other uniform manufacturers, mainly Under Ar- mour and to a lesser extent adidas, have jumped into the race. Under Armour, led by Maryland graduate Kevin Plank, the company's founder and CEO, pushed the en- velope of uniforms at his alma mater in 2011. Nike programs Illinois, Florida State, Miami and Syr- acuse unveiled new uniforms this spring. For the Fight- ing Illini, who will have three jerseys — navy, orange and white — it's their first upgrade in seven years. But new uniforms in Champaign and elsewhere lead to questions by players in West Lafayette. "I tell them they get everything that every other school gets," Shandrick said, referring to Purdue's ap- parel contract with Nike, "and the uniforms (will come) sometime soon. That's all you can tell them, 'sometime soon.' "It's all about recruiting, it's all about keeping up with the Joneses. I personally just think Nike put us in