Welcome back, sports fans, to Throwback Thursday, a time to look upon our past with equal parts nostalgia, pride and a healthy dose of shame. For as casual style goes through awkward changes and redesigns so do football uniforms and logos.
This week we take a look at the 1975 West Virginia Mountaineers:
The 1975 Mountaineers were led by soon-to-be legendary head coach Bobby Bowden. Bowden, who had been at WVU since 1970, had put together respectable teams during his time in Morgantown, but he had never won a bowl game, nor won more than eight games. 1975 would be the year he changed that.
After crushing Temple 50-7 in Week 1, West Virginia entered the AP Poll for the first time since October 1972, and the Mountaineers continued to climb until they were ranked 10th. The Mountaineers were embarrassed by No. 9 Penn State in Week 5 and wouldn't see a number in front of their name for the rest of the season. But, WVU went 4-2 the rest of the way --including an upset of arch-rival No. 20 Pittsburgh -- to finish 8-3 and earn an invitation to the Peach Bowl.
The Mountaineers won a tight 13-10 match against North Carolina State in Atlanta to give Bowden his first bowl win with West Virginia. However, his first WVU bowl win would also be his last. The next year Bowden went to Tallahassee to take over Florida State, where he would win twelve ACC titles and two national championships.
WVU brought back their classic 70s helmets in 2013 for their tilt with Texas, and, it may have brought them some luck, but the Mountaineers ended up losing 47-40 in overtime.
Check out these awesome vintage helmets the #Mountaineers are sporting tonight. #WVU pic.twitter.com/xfL4SKMWN9
— Mel Moraes (@melmoraes) November 10, 2013
