You may be familiar with some of the fashion trends New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick uses. So much so that Pats fans have dissected his coaching record when his hoodie is blue or red or if it has the sleeves cut off. While Dino Babers doesn’t necessarily make a fashion statement on the sidelines, he likes to vary up his wardrobe. Maybe not to the extent of SU women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman, but then again, who really can keep up with Q?
Babers has coached 24 games at SU and holds an 8-16 record. So I took a deep dive into what outfits are leading to wins for him on the sidelines and what he should be donning in 2018.
Tops
This is the clothing article that Babers has varied up the most during his time at SU, and with it brings polarizing results.
Polo
Blue: 1-7
White: 1-0
Orange: 2-0
Blue may be the most natural sideline look for any Syracuse coach, but maybe cool it with the polos, Dino. In fact, represent the school’s true colors. Babers’ perfect 2-0 record while rocking orange includes one of the biggest wins in program history against No. 2 Clemson.
Windbreaker
Orange: 1-5
Blue: 3-2
Now if we’re talking windbreakers, blue is the way to go. Babers’ above .500 record with the navy pullover features his second biggest win since coming to SU, an upset over then No. 17 Virginia Tech. A windbreaker in a dome? Whatever gets the job done.
Jacket
Orange: 0-1
Vest
Blue/Gray: 0-1
I’ll combine my analysis on these two outerwear tops. Since moving to the ACC, cold weather is less and less of an issue. Babers may need to tough it out with just a blue windbreaker when the temperatures drop. In fact, it may have an impact on his team’s defensive performances. Babers broke out the vest when SU allowed 76 points to Pitt in 2016 and donned the orange jacket when it let up 56 to Louisville last season.
Pants
Khakis: 3-8
Blue: 1-0
Gray: 2-3
Black: 2-4
Camo: 0-1
Babers went full Jim Harbaugh for almost the entire 2016 campaign. The lone game he didn’t? A win against UConn while rocking the blue pants. In fact, blue is the only pants color with a winning record. In 2017, he came out with the gray pants look for the first couple games before varying it up. Albeit a small sample size, Babers may want to revert back to blue for 2018. And with all due respect to the troops, stay away from the camo. He wore those during SU’s meltdown loss against Wake Forest last season on Military Appreciation Day.
Accessories
Sunglasses: 0-1
You would figure that playing a lot of early afternoon games in the ACC would mean a lot of sunshine, but Babers has donned the shades just once in his SU career. It came last year down in Tallahassee in a loss to Florida State. Maybe use the playcards to block the sun?
Headwear
None: 6-6
Camo Hat: 2-10
The camo hat is one of the head coach’s distinct looks. However, he may want to rethink that after running the numbers. I could’ve sworn Babers has worn a standard blue or orange hat at some point, but he never has. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the visor and I think it would be a good look for him to try out. Or maybe even go full-time with the training camp bucket hat. Overall, the disparity here is unreal. If these numbers hold any merit, Dino should really ditch the lid for 2018. And hey, 6-6 means a bowl game.
So for those keeping track, Babers should really be rocking the orange polo with blue pants and anything but the camo hat on his head. If it’s a little chilly, a blue windbreaker isn’t the end of the world. Just be sure to wear a white polo underneath it. An interesting look? Sure. Whatever it takes to bring home the win.
