Georgia Tech breaks with tradition with navy pants

August 11, 2018 Atlanta - John Southard, son of Yellow Jackets legend Jimmy Southard (a three-year starter quarterback for coach Bobby Dodd in the late 40s), takes a picture of new Georgia Tech football uniforms during an annual Georgia Tech Football Fan Day at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, August 11, 2018. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

August 11, 2018 Atlanta - John Southard, son of Yellow Jackets legend Jimmy Southard (a three-year starter quarterback for coach Bobby Dodd in the late 40s), takes a picture of new Georgia Tech football uniforms during an annual Georgia Tech Football Fan Day at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, August 11, 2018. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Georgia Tech will go with a uniform twist for its game against Duke on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets will wear navy pants with their white jerseys.

Navy pants are, at the least, a rarity for Tech and possibly a first, as the Jackets have traditionally worn either white or gold pants. Assorted black-and-white team pictures in the school’s digital archive from the first half of the 20th century show players in pants of light colors. While the school’s colors are white and gold, navy is considered an official secondary color. Tech has previously had navy pants in stock but never chose to wore them.

The pants are navy with gold tapered stripes on the hips.

Tech will wear their white jerseys with navy numbers and their gold helmets. Observers ranging from Tech fans to Louisville coach Bobby Petrino have noted that the white jerseys with the gold numbers, which are the team's home uniforms, are difficult to read.

The Tech-Duke game, which will serve as Tech’s homecoming, will start at 12:20 p.m. It will be broadcast on WUPA/Channel 69 in Atlanta.