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The Troup football team is going old school for its new uniform combination. The Tigers will be rocking the three-stripe helmets and navy blue uniforms at Callaway Stadium this fall, reminiscent of the uniforms that the Tigers adopted in the early 1990s. 

“We presented it as an option to the kids on the team, and it was nearly unanimous, almost 100% of the kids said they wanted to bring these back,” Troup head coach Tanner Glisson said. 

“All the old heads love it too,” he added, laughing. 

With the three-stripe helmet and a blue and gold (that is more yellow than gold) color scheme, most people would think that the inspiration came from the Michigan Wolverines. That is not true. The origin of the uniform can be directly traced back to the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens of the early 90s.

“Back in 1991, we wanted to really establish our own band and look with the team,” Troup assistant coach Bubba Jeter said. “We call it the Michigan look, but Delaware wears the same type of helmets. At the time, we were installing the Wing T offense similar to the one Delaware ran, so coach (Claude) Giddens and I talked the head coach into this style of uniform.”

“I think people really like it, it’s a cool scheme,” he added. 

The uniforms were a staple for the Tigers before being phased out in the 2000s. New uniforms came and went, but to this day, alumni still talk about the old three-stripe helmets. 

With Jeter back on staff this season for the first time in nearly 15 years, it felt like the right time to bring back an old-school feel to the Tigers. 

“We needed a change, and with Bubba back on our sidelines and him being instrumental in those uniforms being used in the first place, so it just felt like the right timing,” Glisson said. 

During the spring game against Newnan in May, the Tigers fully unveiled their new (old?) signature look. Since then, the Tigers have had more chances to show off their retro look, and it has been a big hit wherever they’ve gone.

“A lot of the alum take great pride in our school staying attached to our roots,” Glisson said. “We brought the throwback Tiger logo back for baseball season and have been using it for some stuff.”