Michael Jordan once said he was infatuated by argyle patterns. The North Carolina Tar Heels would unavoidably don that argyle design while playing hoops. Though it was by no means a Jordan-only choice, over thirty years ago the ideas behind the uniform design of a university legend who went on to become one of the greatest players in basketball history—many would even argue the greatest—had some influence.
Tar Heel than Jordan, according to Dean Smith, a future Hall of Fame coach. The voice of the famous coach was most influential when a conversation amongst Hall of Famers in their respective fields led to the planning of a new look for one of the best collegiate basketball teams.
The iconic Carolina blue outfits were unmistakable to fans in the past, and many of the university’s current athletic jerseys use the argyle pattern. Both the women’s and men’s NCAA tournaments have featured them. With a victory over Michigan State over the weekend, the men’s team progressed to the Sweet 16. In a second-round match on Sunday, the women’s team lost to South Carolina, the unbeaten overall top seed.
Smith’sJordan also contributed to the program’s distinctive appearance by having fashion designer and Tar Heel alumni Alexander Julian promote new North Carolina basketball outfits in the early 1990s. After speaking with Smith, Jordan, and Julian, the Tar Heels introduced the argyle print along the sides of their basketball clothes for the 1991–1992 season. Smith was the one who originally suggested the modification, wanting to move away from the shorts’ black heeled foot and toward a more fashionable style.
