When they hit the home field of Byrd Stadium to battle the West Virginia University Mountaineers on Saturday, the Terps from the University of Maryland will be wearing 200 years of American history on their uniforms and helmets.
The team's new uniforms sport the poem, "The Defence of Fort McHenry," in the cursive handwriting of its author,
Francis Scott Key, who scribbled the immortal words in the midst of the Battle of Baltimore — words which, when paired with the tune "Anachreon in Heaven," would become known as the "Star-Spangled Banner," our national anthem.
The helmets bear the outline of Fort McHenry, under siege by British ships and blasted by Congreve rockets, mortar shells, and cannon fire, surrounding the flag, with the 15 stars and 15 stripes the flag then had — a replica of the tattered banner that Key saw still flying proudly over Fort McHenry when dawn lit the horizon, the
Washington Times reports.
The patriotic theme will be carried throughout the uniforms, including shoes, gloves, and even the red belts worn by team captains, which replicate the red sashes worn by commanders at the famous battle, according to Adam Clement, creative director for sports teams at Under Armour,
The uniform is designed to "pay homage to those who lost their lives in battle," Clement told
Maryland Pride.
In place of players' names, the back of the uniform bears the word, "Triumph," and includes the words "conquer we must," both left out of the original Star-Spangled Banner but included by Keys in his poem.
Saturday will mark the 200-year anniversary of the battle. The new uniforms also mark a 10-year contract extension between the university and Under Armour in a nearly $33 million deal with the company, which has aggressively leapt into sports uniform marketing against its main competitors, Nike and Adidas.
While still in a distant second place to Nike, which had 46 percent of the athletic footwear market and a third of sports apparel sales this year at $8.9 billion, Under Armour recently trounced Adidas, posting $1.2 billion sales compared to Adidas' $1.1 billion, according to
The Baltimore Sun.
Under Armour has deals with the University of Notre Dame, the Navy, Auburn University, and the University of South Carolina, among others.
"We are excited to continue our outstanding partnership with Under Armour as we usher in a new era of Maryland athletics in the Big Ten Conference," University of Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson told the
Post.
© 2018 Newsmax. All rights reserved.