MUScoop Wiki
Starting Points
NCAA Division I Sports
Discontinued Sports
Club Sports
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Official Links
MUScoop Wiki
Starting Points
NCAA Division I Sports
Discontinued Sports
Club Sports
Athletic Department
Nicknames
Traditions
Official Links
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Al McGuire, upon his arrival at Marquette, pushed the envelope by outfitting MU in some cutting-edge uniforms that helped separate it from every other team in that era. McGuire's relationship with Medalist Industries, then a small Wisconsin-based uniform and sporting goods purveyor, also was key. A company looking to make waves, it did just that by rolling out a navy-blue number with horizontal gold stripes running across both the jerseys and the shorts specifically for what would be MU's run to the 1970 National Invitation Tournament title. The “bumblebee” uniforms were an instant hit, and MU wore them the next two seasons as well for road games, complete with matching warm-ups. After the 1971-'72 season, the uniforms were outlawed by the NCAA, supposedly because they disoriented opposing players when Marquette players jumped up and down.
The last time Marquette wore the 1971-1974 road jersey was in the '74 NCAA championship game. The powder blue look and multicolored trim from these jerseys served as the primary inspiration for the 2007-2010 Marquette uniforms.
Upon the NCAA banning the 1969-1972 “bumblebee” jerseys, Al McGuire looked to his players for suggestions. In 1976, McGuire and Medalist Industries designed new untucked jerseys with MARQUETTE running across the bottom hem rather than the traditional spot on the chest. The idea for the jerseys came from star forward Bo Ellis, who was actually taking fashion-design courses at Mount Mary College at the time and had some previous expertise in the area.
“One day Lloyd Walton went up to Coach and said, 'Coach, why don't you let Bo design the next set of uniforms?' I'll never forget,” Ellis said. “We were in Coach's office right there on 19th and Wisconsin, down in the basement. And Coach says, 'All right, sure.' And he laughed. He didn't think that I'd really do it. So that night I went back to the dorms, drew up the uniform. Got some colored pencils and drew up a warmup, outlined everything. We came back the next morning and I set it on Coach's desk. And Coach looked up at me and said, 'Bo, this is pretty good. Let me get back to you.' ”
McGuire did just that a few days later, and eventually Ellis sat down with some of Medalist's designers and hammered out the uniform MU would wear in the 1977 NCAA title game. Ellis said the untucked look was intended for comfort as much as it was for style. MU wound up using it as late as the 1983-'84 season before the NCAA once again banned the look. (Taken From Todd Rosiak Article)
In 2003, Marquette qualified to become a Nike Elite team; an honor reserved only for teams who advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. As a Nike Elite team, Marquette recieved a whole new line of gear including jerseys which were used until 2007.