A History of Cy Woods Uniforms

The Cypress Woods Wildcats have only had a varsity football program for nine years, but they have quickly adapted to this time in football history where new uniforms every two years or so have become the norm, thanks to the infinite number of combinations that the Oregon Ducks and other Nike-outfitted teams unveil seemingly every year and the subsequent re-designs by teams wearing Adidas and Under Armour in order to keep pace. Currently, the Wildcats are outfitted by Nike; they began wearing Nike uniforms in the 2014 season. Prior to 2014, Cy Woods' uniforms were supplied by Ripon Athletic, a smaller manufacturer based in Wisconsin.

In sports, uniforms are the ultimate fashion statement. Every athlete, regardless of the competition level, wants to perform well when they are on the field, but they also have a desire to look flashy while they perform well on the field. This mentality stems from Deion Sanders' mantra: "If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good." Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour have all capitalized on this trend, especially in Cy-Fair ISD.

I will also keep a separate page running to track the Wildcats' record when wearing a certain uniform combination. This post will be updated at the conclusion of each season, and when the Wildcats receive a new set of uniforms.

1st Generation: 2008-2010

Debut: September 6, 2008 vs. A&M Consolidated
Final game: October 26, 2012 vs. Cy Falls

Record when worn: 40-13
Current status: Freshman Cardinal (A-team) and JV Gold (B-team) uniforms

Description

- Manufacturer: Ripon Athletic
- Cardinal jersey and pants, white jersey and pants; gold belt
- No name on back.
- Solid cardinal pants; white pants had a red and gold stripe running down the leg
- "Cats" in gold on cardinal jerseys and pants, "Cats" in red on white jerseys
- White numbers with gold trim on cardinal jerseys, cardinal numbers with gold trim on white jerseys

Helmet: Gold, with one red stripe down the middle. At the back, the player's number was placed on each side of the stripe. Single-digit numbers to the right.

These were the originals: a nice, simplistic design. The only thing that could probably qualify for frills is the trimming around the neck and across the collar.

Notes

- In 2008, all white did not bring the Cats good results; they lost both games when they wore all white (43-41 against Ridge, 54-25 against Creek).
- This look was brought back in 2011 in order to snap a 2-game losing streak that gave the Cats an 0-2 start in district play. That move paid off as they won 8 straight games before falling to Katy in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
- This uniform set was brought back for the final time at the varsity level in 2012; the Wildcats had a 3-2 record that season.

2nd Generation: 2011-2013

Debut: September 2, 2011 vs. A&M Consolidated

Final game: November 22, 2013 vs. Katy

Record when worn: 10-10

Current status: JV Cardinal uniforms

Description

- Manufacturer: Ripon Athletic

- Cardinal and white jerseys, cardinal and white pants; gold belt

- No name on back.

- "Cats" in gold on cardinal jerseys, in red on white jerseys

- Cardinal pants now had a white/gold stripe pattern; stripe pattern on the white pants remained unchanged.

- Same color scheme for numbers as 1st generation; however, numbers were ironed on instead of sewn on.

- Gold collar on cardinal jerseys, white collar on white jerseys.

Helmet: Same as the first generation. The claw scratch decals were added in the 2012 season and debuted against Lakes. The stripe and number stickers were abandoned in the 2013 season.
Current status: JV cardinal uniforms.

This was the combination that I liked the least. The shoulder pattern on both home and away jerseys just had way too much going on. On the cardinal jerseys, they were gold sandwiched in between 2 random spots of white, and vice versa on the white jerseys, sandwiched in between 2 spots of gold. Even the pattern of the word "Cats" looked amateurish compared to the previous generation's.

This was definitely a look that would have been more appropriate for a junior varsity team.

Snafu: The #56 jersey, worn by Tyler Mock in 2011, had one of the shoulder numbers placed upside down, so it looked like 9-backwards 2, or 95. He ended up having to wear #57 against Cy-Fair, but he was able to switch back to #56 after the decision was made to return to the previous jerseys.

Notes

- The Cats were largely monochromatic with this look; the white/cardinal combination was tried once, and in that game, they lost 54-21 to Ridge in 2012.

3rd Generation: 2014-16

Debut: August 29, 2014 vs. Klein Collins

Final game: November 4, 2016 vs. Cy Ranch

Record when worn: 15-18

Description

- Manufacturer: Nike
- Cardinal and white jerseys; gold, cardinal, and white pants.
- Names on back of jersey.
- Solid gold pants; White pants have a gold stripe running down the thigh. In addition to the swoosh, which is found on the right leg, the pants also have 212° in red on the left leg. Cardinal pants only have a white swoosh.
- Cardinal pants returned in 2015 against Cy Creek (game 5). The Wildcats wore Cardinal pants for the remainder of the 2015 season.
- Cardinal jerseys have a white collar, a white swoosh, "Wildcats" in white, and white numbers. White jerseys have the same features in cardinal.

Helmet: Gold. Claw scratch decals on both sides. Gold paint for the helmets is a different shade from previous years.

This is a classic, clean design from Nike. Sometimes, simplistic is best, and these uniforms are a prime example of this simplicity. It sure beats having to see the Cats take the field in those eyesores from the previous generation.

Notes

- The Wildcats have worn cardinal jerseys with white pants three times and have lost every game when wearing this combination.
- The white top/gold pants combination was worn for the first time in Week 10 of the 2016 season.
- In 2014, the Wildcats wore nameplates on the back of their jerseys for the first time. In 2015, player names were replaced with "212°" on the back.

4th Generation: 2017-19

Photos by Kyle Ransleben

Debut: September 14, 2017 vs. Cy Springs

Final Game: November 22, 2019 vs. The Woodlands

Description

- Manufacturer: Nike

- Jerseys and pants are both solid cardinal and solid white.

- Gold pants added in 2019.

- Both jersey sets have the Wildcats logo in the middle.

- Cardinal jerseys have white features (swoosh, numbers, logo); white jerseys have the same features, only in cardinal

- Numbers on front and back are more elongated than the previous Nike jerseys

- Names on back of jerseys (no names on back after 2017)

- Numbers on shoulders of jerseys

- Solid cardinal and white pants; swoosh (white on cardinal/cardinal on white) on left front hip. 212° in white/cardinal on both rear hips (small, but can be seen up close)

I didn't think it was possible to get more simple than the previous jerseys, but here we are. This is the exact same template that Washington State is using, so yes... it looks like another Nike cookie-cutter design. I don't really mind it, however. 

Notes

- With a new uniform comes a new helmet decal: "WILDCATS" written in an arc superimposed over a cardinal W. The W has a gold outline.

5th Generation: 2020

Photo courtesy: Phlox Photography

Debut: September 26, 2020 vs. Kingwood

Description

- Manufacturer: Nike

- These uniforms are virtually identical to the previous generation's, only with tweaks to the numbering.

- All other design elements from the previous generation were carried over.