Michigan State unveils new-look green in uniforms

DETROIT -- Michigan State is going green.

Athletic director Mark Hollis told The Associated Press that all 25 teams on campus will have the same rich, deep shade of green from here on out.

"You could look at all of our uniforms this year and see about seven different shades of green," Hollis said in a telephone interview before the new look was unveiled Friday. "We looked at the wool fabric on our varsity jacket and the marching band uniform to pattern the green we're using going forward."

Michigan State is sticking with its Spartan head logo in part because of a backlash from those who didn't like a proposed change as part of a branding campaign.

"Did I made the decision solely because people complained? No," Hollis said. "But I said, 'Let's not stick our head in the sand.'

"I listened to coaches, fans, people on campus, the board, the president and I looked at our history with the goal of bringing Michigan State together to project a unified image."

Hollis said it was important to respect tradition while trying to make a bold statement during a process that analyzed colors, logos and fonts as part of Michigan State's identity.

He said Nike will provide state-of-the-art products for each of the school's teams instead of using various suppliers as they have previously.

"There's no Nike-forced conspiracy on these changes," Hollis said. "It was about ending the different shades of green, different fonts and different messages we were sending while respecting the past and launching into a new Michigan State."