We’ve had several TOP TEN lists over the years from the Best College Quarterbacks to the Most Awesome Vintage Soda t’s, but we’ve not covered what covers our heads.  So when Original Retro Brand uploaded a plethora of new hat styles last week, I decided it was TOP TEN TOP HAT TIME.

10. Love this for 2 reasons. 1) Reminds me of 1917 Chicago White Sox logo which is AWESOME 2) Also reminds me of Joltin' Joe Dimaggio's 61 game hitting streak for the Seals

9. Something endearing about that 44 game losing streak the Lions football team had from '83- '88

8. Globetrotter logo says it all - They've traveled the world and elsewhere!

7. Bullish on Bullwinkle. Do you know a more good natured Moose than BW?

6. Fell out of my chair when I saw this one. Was 7 yrs old when I got first "Venus Paradise" color by numbers set that featured the North Stars who just joined the NHL in 1967. Wore those green & gold pencils down!

5. 4 cups, Trottier, Gillies, Bossy, Potvin, Smitty, etc. Pure bias due to my Long Island upbringing. At least it's not the Isles Fisherman logo!

4. Connecticut across the Long Island Sound so it's still close to home, and as noted in prior TOP TEN coolest T-shirt list, Hartford Whalers logo is just one of coolest ever, period!

3. Purdue Pete doing the Heisman pose with goalpost in distance? WHAAT? P on his jersey stands for PLAIN SICK!

2. Underdog busts out! Chicks dig Underdog (especially Polly Purebread)!

1. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! NAVY ol' goat kicks (and rams) butt!

Have to give a few Honorable Mentions to the Scranton Yankees, Boston & UCLA Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New jersey Devils, Brooklyn Cyclones, and the Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull (even though it’s not new, it MUST be mentioned!).

Also, In case you didn’t know, we’re offering FREE GROUND SHIPPING on all orders this week!  Just enter code FRSHP @ checkout.  Deal is good through Tuesday, 5/3/11.

PAINT CREW POWER PLAYER

“I Love College Hoops” are probably the first words dribbled from the lips of numerous newborns from the American Heartland – specifically the state of Indiana.  That’s the first thought that came to mind after visiting with the most recent interviewee from the student section at Purdue University – the latest stop on Original Retro Brands’ college journey.

Fifth Stop:  # 11  Purdue Boilermakers

Student Section:  The Paint Crew

Student Section Case Study:  Jennifer Levin, Junior (above)

The Interview…..

ORB:  For those not familiar, why is your student section called The Paint Crew?

Jennifer: We’re named after Matt Painter, who has been at Purdue as our Head Coach since 2005.  Before coach Painter took over, the student section was called the “Gene Pool” when our coach was Gene Keady.

ORB:  As a member of The Paint Crew, do you hold any position like President, or treasurer?

Jennifer: No, I don’t hold any official title, but that does not stop me from being a very enthusiastic member! I was born and raised a Boilermaker, and rarely miss any basketball or football games.

ORB:  Duly noted – We’ve interviewed several students from other schools who’ve been enthusiastic about their team, but you clearly have a special “Passion for the Paint!”  Is their any particular rival that you possibly don’t share the same passion for?

Jennifer: Let’s just say that we’re known to chant “IU SUCKS!” when we’re not even playing them!  Indiana is our biggest rival and we’re considered by many as having the # 1 rivalry in the Big Ten.  We had a pretty tough loss against Ohio State, but can’t wait for them to come back to Mackey (Mackey Arena, this Sunday, Feb 20)!

ORB:  Duly noted again.  Can you tell us about any experiences that stand out while being a member of The Paint Crew?

Jennifer: There have been so many, but one of the best happened during my sophomore year.  We occasionally have “watch parties” at Mackey Arena, where we watch away games on the Jumbo Tron. We were playing Michigan State, and at the time they were ranked #1.  The place was packed, and when it became apparent we were going to come out on top, you could sense the place was going to erupt, and eventually it did when we won.  We had another huge win over Penn State on a last second buzzer beater and nearly blew the Tin Roof off the place (The Tin Roof is known to help make the acoustics at Mackey Arena unbearably loud for opponents).

PETE'S PERFECT THE WAY HE IS

ORB:  Original Retro Brand has several Purdue Pete Mascot shirts because we think he’s pretty cool.  Do you and The Paint Crew get down with Pete?

Jennifer: Of course!  He’s all over the court and gets us going on cheers and  keeps the whole crowd into the game.  I hope they don’t change him into a full foam bodied mascot like Sparty (there is a rumor).  It’s been such a great tradition they don’t need to change – keep the person!

We’re sure The Paint Crew is happy to keep you Jennifer!  We’d like to thank you for your time today and wish you, The Paint Crew, and the Boilermakers the best of  luck for the remainder of the season.

Our next stop on the Original Retro Brand “I Love College Hoops” journey, takes us to “The Den,” and the land of college basketball legend – the home of the UCLA Bruins.

FOR UPDATES ON CONTESTS, FASHION, AND FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND,  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.

RIGHT NOW OL’ SARGE & PURDUE PETE ARE NECK & NECK IN ROUND # 1 VOTING FOR THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND “MASCOT WARS BRACKET CHALLENGE”  SCROLL RIGHT TO THE 4th LINK TO GET YOUR VOTE IN TODAY!  ROUND #2 THIS COMING MONDAY, AUGUST 9th.

J-RICH ROCKIN' SPARTY

There is nothing like having to make a good choice.  Pizza or wings?  Blond or brunette?  Cold bottle or frosted mug?  You get the idea.  The same applies to choosing an Original Retro Brand shirt – You know you will love the end result, but sometimes it’s just too difficult to make a choice.  I’ve tried to help you out by putting together a convenient list of what I believe are the best of the best, for the TOP TEN best in college hoops (at least per the AP rankings this week).  Of course, it all comes down to the eye of the beholder and it’s just my humble opinion.  I suppose I can list my best credential for voicing a worthy opinion is a closet filled with HUNDREDS of Original Retro Brand shirts.  Have a look…

#10. Michigan State Spartans: They may not be in the AP Top 10 after losing to Purdue last night, but that has nothing to do with what their best Original Retro Brand shirt is!  If the newest Sparty logo is good enough for MSU alum, and NBA back to back Slam dunk champ (2002-2003) Phoenix Sun star Jason Richardson, then it’s good enough for you and me!!  If you follow J-Rich on Twitter, you’ll see he likes this STATE logo too!

KOOL KITTY

#9. Kansas State Wildcats: The fans have spoken!  In a prior Original Retro Brand Blog poll, we asked what was the coolest t-shirt to represent the state of Kansas.  The “Willie Wildcat with Pennant” Kansas State logo shirt came in second place.  No argument from me.

#8. Duke Blue Devils: Have to go with the 1991 light gray Final Four shirt.  Blue Devil logo on sleeve is subtle reminder that they were the winners!

MY KINDA TOWN

#7. Georgetown Hoyas: This was a tough one.  I really like the new retooled version of the G-Town Bulldog, but always seem to revert back to my “older is better” mantra.  Ah screw it, out with the old, and in with the new in this case.

#6. Purdue Boilermakers: You have to tip your hat, or hardhat that is, to the Boilermakers for knocking off Michigan State last night on hostile ground.  I love the old “Purdue Pete” on the sleeve of the 1980 Final Four shirt, but the most recent version with the mascot tipping his lid wins out here.

#5. West Virginia Mountaineers: “Keep it simple stupid,” applies here.  The classic interlocking WV is a lock.

#4. Villanova Wildcats: Another lock – the 1985 National Championship shirt captures the cat walking through the “V” logo, as well as paying homage to Rollie Massimino’s victorious squad.

#3. Kentucky Wildcats: The logo on the shirt I’m choosing for Kentucky has a striking resemblance  to that of  the Walt Whitman High School Wildcats of Huntington, NY (Named after the poet whose home still stands down the street from the campus). Since I managed to graduate from there somehow, Ill have to go with this bad-boy as the # 1 Kentucky shirt.

STATE OF THE UNION

#2. Syracuse Orangemen: New York State of mind.  Little Orange mascot dude pinpointing the location of the city of Syracuse on a New York State graphic (including Long Island!) a fantastic geography lesson for those that don’t know bout the ‘Cuse!

# 1. Kansas Jayhawks: The fans have REALLY spoken!  The shirt that beat out Kansas State in the aformentioned Original Retro Brand Blog poll is the 1929 Kansas logo shirt.  Again, no argument from me.

You like em? I’d love to hear your “choice” thoughts (as usual, I couldn’t help myself).

BACK IN IT

With the Florida State Seminoles nipping the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets yesterday in Tallahassee, thus concluded week # 1 of the “What’s Your College Knowledge Contest.” Obviously my College Knowledge was non-existent, and I will be headed to the Dean’s office with a 1-4 mark on my report card.  Turns out my fellow “classmates” didn’t fare much better, with most of the contest entries turning in identical 1-4 marks themselves.  Nobody picked N.C. State to knock off Duke, and not enough folks gave UCONN a chance against the Longhorns.

Who won the contest, and what was his/her record?  Looks like we may have to invoke a “curve” this week, as the winner stormed to victory with a less than stellar 2-3 record.  In fact, a dozen entries had 2-3 records, and the winner had to be pulled from an Original Retro Brand hat in a drawing.  Turns out that the winner of the contest was the ONLY person who picked FSU to knock off Georgia Tech.  We’ve already notified the winner, Robert “Frogg” Reich, and he’ll be letting us know which shirt he chooses as his prize which we’ll post on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page.

For those of you just checking in this contest for the first time, this is how it works:

WILL BEAT SPARTANS

1) Every Monday, I will post my 5 top college basketball games of the week and give you my predicted winners and why (FYI – Original Retro Brand will offer 25% off gear for those teams for a full week!  ENTER CODE GOTW2 @ CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE DISCOUNT THIS WEEK STARTING TOMORROW AFTER 5PM EASTERN TIME!!!)

2) You will e-mail your picks to me (andyphyman@gmail.com) for the same games (no point spreads; straight up wins & losses) no later than the following day by 3pm eastern standard time.

3) Each Monday I will announce which person e-mailed the most winners for the weeks picks, and that person will win a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt of their choice! In the event of a tie, all of the entries will be entered into a drawing (from an Original Retro Brand hat) to determine a winner.

IT’S THAT SIMPLE!!! We’ll run this contest right up until the opening round of games for March Madness (March 16, 2010) before we bust out a new & improved version of the contest for that whole shabang!!

Week # 2 Class now in session….

STAY UNBEATEN IN BIG EAST

Game 1: # 6 Michigan State vs. Michigan – The Wolverines seemed to be turning a corner with big wins over Indiana & UCONN, before back-to-back road losses to ranked Wisconsin & Purdue respectively.  Against all my instincts, I say they get back on track and am picking them to defeat the Spartans because they will be back home, and MSU looked a tad shaky in nudging out the Minnesota Gophers by one point on Saturday. Michigan – 68, Michigan State – 65

Game 2: # 4 Villanova vs. Notre Dame – The Big East currently boasts 6 teams in the AP Top 25, and is easily the most competitive in the country.  While Notre Dame has a good overall record, they won’t be able to keep pace with the Cats in Philly.  Nova remains the only unbeaten team in their conference: Villanova – 84, Notre Dame – 72

Game 3: # 15 Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara – The Broncos come off their first win in their last 10 games in beating USF.  They will have a very tough time making it 2 in a row as they host the first place Bulldogs and Matt Bouldin Thursday night.  A cool Original Retro Brand shirt won’t help either.  Gonzaga – 88, Santa Clara – 68

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Game 4: # 18 Wisconsin vs. # 13 Purdue – The Badgers have already handed the Boilermakers a defeat just a few weeks ago, and have a 2-game lead over them in the Big 10, yet they are ranked lower than their counterparts.  Am I missing something?  Badgers take care of business on the road and deservedly leap Purdue Pete in the rankings.  Wisconsin – 77, Purdue – 68

Game 5: # 3 Kansas vs. # 10 Kansas State -  Both of these teams have tough opponents before facing off on ESPN’s College Gameday this Saturday in Manhattan. It will be hard to not look past them (Kansas has Missouri, and  K-State has Baylor) in anticipation of this huge in-state rivalry.  The Wildcats had a bit of a let down losing to Oklahoma State after knocking off # 1 Texas.  The Jayhawks rebounded nicely off their only loss of the season to Tennessee with 4 straight wins.  It will be a tough place for a road victory, but I have to go with Kansas.  They were the only team that I actually WON with last week!  Kansas – 85, Kansas State – 81

Start sending me those picks and GOOD LUCK!

A few weeks ago, the folks at Original Retro Brand picked a Purdue shirt (Purdue Pete) to feature as the “Pick of the Week.”   That got me thinking of the BIG TEN, so I wrote a bit about the BIG TEN.   Well this week, an ACC shirt will be chosen (You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out which shirt, but know it is cool) so I am going to write another little  bit.

COOLEST ACC SHIRT!

With one glorious weekend of College Football in the books, topped off by an amazing FSU-Miami match up last night, the ACC is fresh on the mind.  As long as I can remember, it’s always been these two teams at the top of the heap.  Of Course the Canes were a part of the Big East when they won their 5 National Championships.  Names like Kosar, Testeverde, Irvin and Sapp come to mind, not to mention the Canes 58 home game winning streak – still an NCAA record.   But that was then and this is now, and despite the huge win last night, I see Miami finishing  a notch behind FSU.   And even though the Hokies dropped their opener to Alabama,  I see Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech coming in the top two spots (Georgia Tech will beat FSU in the ACC Championship game).

As I did with the BIG TEN a few weeks ago, I am simply going to list the teams in the order I think they will finish with my favorite player from the good ol’ days next to the difference maker for the team this season, all linked to my favorite Original Retro Brand tee for good measure.

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  New, RB Jonathan Dwyer  Old School, (Not that old)  WR Calvin Johnson

DWYER & JACKETS # 1

2. Virginia Tech Hoakies: New,  RB Darren Evans   Old School, DE Bruce Smith

3. Florida State Seminoles: New, QB Christian Ponder  Old School,  WR Fred Biletnikoff.

4. Miami Hurricanes:  New, QB Jacory Harris Old School,  QB Jim Kelly

5. North Carolina Tarheels:  New,  KR Da’Norris Searcy   Old School, LB Lawrence Taylor

6. Clemson Tigers:  New, RB/KR  C.J. Spiller   Old School, WR: Perry Tuttle

7. Wake Forest Deamon Deacons: : New, QB Riley Skinner  Old School, RB  Brian Piccolo

8. Boston College Eagles: New, RB Josh Haden    Old School, QB Doug Flutie

9. Maryland Terrapins:  New, QB Chris Turner   Old School,  QB Boomer Esiason

BETTER GEAR THAN TEAM

10. North Carolina State Wolfpak:  New, QB Russell Wilson    Old School, QB Roman Gabriel

11. Virginia Cavaliers: New, QB Vic Hall   Old School, RB Tiki Barber

12. Duke Blue Devils:  New, QB Thaddeus Lewis    Old School, QB Sonny Jurgensen

Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow,  to see which Original Retro Brand shirt will be on sale for 25% off the normal price!   Here’s a little hint on which ACC team will be featured:   The team won their first game this season.   Check us tomorrow and see if it’s your team!

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I'M only $24!

CLICK THE SHIRT ABOVE & ENTER CODE PDPETE TO RECEIVE for $24

AVAILABLE IN MENS AND WOMENS!!!

Purdue Pete was originally designed by an artist hired by the campus bookstore owners back in 1940.    The purpose was to depict Pete as the school icon, and he was used on college bookstore bookbags and other forms of advertising.  In 1944 the School yearbook took it a step further,  and showed Pete in different sections adapting to the course at hand; In the home economics section, he was depicted with a bucket and a mop, and in the civil engineering section, he is seen peering through a transit.

Pete didn’t hit the field in human form until a 1956 game against Missouri.  In those early years, poor Pete’s paper-mache head would take a beating every game, as he was busy tumbling with the cheerleader squad.   As the years progressed, the students in the lab of  the department of Aviation and Technology, came up with a much lighter and stronger fiberglass head that is what he wears on the field today.   The same students helped design the “Boilermaker Special,” which is the official mascot of Purdue University (A train for a mascot?  We’ll talk about the Boilermaker special, and the “X-tra” in a later post!)

Pete is a no slouch as a Boilermaker himself.   The hard hat he wears (added more recently) and the hammer he carries, pay tribute to the down and dirty blue collar workers, and their children who attended the Indiana institution in the late 1800′s .  The hammer is also a symbol of strength, power, and the determination it took to be boilermaker.

Engineering education in the 1890s at Purdue meant hands-on work in the forge room, where students heated and molded metal, just like the “blacksmiths” and “boilermakers” of the day.   

Purdue Pete has competed in the BIG TEN Mascot Challenge, as well as the Capitol One Mascot challenge in the past, but has not locked in for the 2009  Capital One Challenge yet.    You can click this link (http://www.capitalonebowl.com/)and start voting for Pete or your favorite mascot starting Monday, August 31st.