Can’t figure why there’s been so much hype about the “new” Kansas football outfits. They’re OK, but what’s the big difference from what they have been? Sure hope there’s a much bigger change in the record to offset the similar attire.

Some happy fans think KU’s suits resemble the New York Giants’ home attire dark blue helmet with a red stripe and white KU (rather than NY) on the sides, dark blue jerseys and white pants. Heck, the Giants have silver-grey pants with a red-blue stripe, and I’d like to know what they do to make their blue hats gleam and sparkle so brightly.

KU has those super-plain white pants for home and blue trousers for the road. Wish somebody had noted what SMU did with bold red-blue striping on the pants and helmets and a red mustang on the sides.

Wish KU had something along the lines of the New England Patriots but with stronger striping and bolder red accents. The Pats have silver pants and hats with an Elvis-like Patriot that could just as well be a bright, lively, fat-ass Kansas Jayhawk.

Yeah, the KU suits have Jayhawks on the hip. But why have one of the most distinctive mascots in the world and not feature it better? The Jayhawk, I still like that fierce 1929 critter. Current one’s just too cutesy.

I’ll be pilloried for heresy, but Kansas State has my idea of the best-looking suits in the Big 12, with the bold striping and silver accents.

When Pepper Rodgers was KU coach, he had decided on silver helmets and pants for the Jayhawks. Then he found out that arch-rival Vince Gibson at Kansas State had the same thing in mind and went conservative.

There are countless crazy tales about KU football attire over the years. After World War II, coach George Sauer put the Jayhawks in the new plastic bucket helmets with a red stripe and red jerseys. Eventually KU had silver in the hats and pants. The Big Blue concept didn’t come along until later bear in mind KU is the only league team with a blue theme.

It’s something to trade on.

Probably the nuttiest concept in helmets here came early in the Chuck Mather coaching era, in 1954 when KU went 0-10 for the first time in its gridiron life.

Chuck came straight from Massillon (Ohio) High and had an affinity for old-fashioned leather helmets. On top of that, he decided they should be yellow, to symbolize (and I’m not making this up) Jayhawk beaks. Further, KU on the road had all-white uniforms that looked like long underwear tucked into pants and shoes, which led to some of us media guys making up a tune: “Fight, fight, fight/for the good old yellow and white./Don’t get in a lather/’cause we’re led by Chuckie Mather.”

The leather helmets were a disaster. KU trainer Dean Nesmith tried to convince Chuck that the softer leather helmets couldn’t take the kind of punishment being dealt out at the major college level. When several guys like guard Dudley Budrich staggered off the field with a caved-in hat and a concussion, the plastic helmets were ordered.

One year, Chuck and his staff decided on red helmets, blue jerseys and white pants for home attire. More colorful, sure, but people began to snicker when Maury White of the Des Moines Tribune blurted: “Hell, they look like a bunch of kitchen matches running around out there!” And they did. Trouble is, the Jayhawks didn’t strike victory often.

Then back to those ill-fitting, loose-hanging white pants of the Jayhawks in winless ’54. KU went to meet SMU in the Cotton Bowl. The Pony coach was former Lawrence High coach Chalmer Woodard, whom many wanted KU to hire when chancellor Franklin Murphy decided to “experiment” with the fabled Mather of high school iconoclasm.

It was raining like the Johnstown Flood in Dallas that day. SMU came out wearing waterproof rain pants while KU’s droopy drawers got super-soaked and made the Jayhawks even slower and more heavy-legged than usual.

But there was good news. SMU won only 36-18, and 18 points was as close as KU came to any opponent that turbulent season. Man, you think it’s been bad lately! You had to be there.

Jack Mitchell about 1960 had what was chronicled as the Ballet in Blue Carolina blue helmets, shirts and pants (white jerseys on the road). Fruity suits but the players were great enough to compensate.

The other day, Ryan Ritter, Journal-World online sports editor, asked me about a cover picture for a 1965 Kansas-Arizona game here. Quarterback Bobby Gene Skahan was sitting among a batch of coeds holding a pinkish-red helmet with silvery “KU” lettering on the side.

Strictly photo op. Skahan, currently recovering after extensive heart surgery, said KU bought the red hats the spring before, people blew up and they never were used except for that photo. Back to blue.

There have been lots of on-again, off-again bits, like those mineshaft blue shirts Mike Gottfried unfurled (not too much darker than the current NY Giant tones). There’s no pleasing everybody, especially me. But I do wish the current suits were much bolder and that the Jayhawk was proudly displayed to far better advantage.

But back to the bottom line: KU wins six or seven games and I won’t care if they wear halter tops and thongs, although I wouldn’t want coach Mark Mangino modeling such.

Coaches dressing like players? George Munger posted a 52-7-4 record in 16 years at Penn and at one point paced the sidelines wearing the same uniform as his players, shoulder pads and all. Honest, there was a popular song, by Les Brown, I think, that chided: “Don’t Call Me Coach, Call Me George.”

You could look it up.