If you’ve ever seen the BYU football team walk through an airport, you know that it’s an impressive sight. On the way to games, they all dress in their Sunday best. On the way home, they dress in their blue and white Nike warm-ups. Both ways, they look like a team, a true band of brothers, a group of professionals with business in their eye.

But if you’re a businessman yourself, you may also wonder where these clothes came from, who paid for them, and most of all, how much they cost.

The man handling all this for BYU is Mick Hill, the Cougars’ longtime equipment manager. Several years ago BYU signed an agreement with Nike, allowing the school to buy its equipment and some clothes for the athletic teams at a discount. How deep is this discount? I don’t know, but possibly not deep enough. Mick Hill is affectionately known by his Nike contacts as the cheapest man in college sports.

That old saying about BYU fans bringing the Ten Commandments and a ten-dollar bill and breaking neither? It may have originated with Brother Hill.
Mick makes sure the players get everything they need, but he’ll be darned if he’s going to let those money-grubbers from Oregon get a nickel more than they have to. One item each player gets is a pair of running shoes to wear with his warm-ups. When I first saw a pair, I thought they looked nice—and familiar. After seeing them on more players’ feet, I asked one how long he’d had them.

“Oh, we just got ’em,” he said. “They’re brand new.”

I raised my eyebrows skeptically.

“Well, maybe not brand new,” he muttered. “I think the model’s from a couple years ago, but we just got ’em. Mick saves money that way.”

Ah, now I knew why they looked so familiar.

So I began doing a little sleuthing, learning more about the football equipment. Here’s a partial list, with sundry comments, of what each player on the team gets (Note: walk-ons who have not officially made the team must purchase any items they wish to keep):

Shoes: These have been a source of discussion, and controversy, lately. It’s possible that they may have actually been the hidden cause of the three Lisfranc injuries to players last year. It turns out that some players were using their lightweight game shoes during practices. Those shoes are only meant to be used for one or two games before being replaced, as they tend to break down, giving less support to the foot. All players now practice in their sturdier (and heavier) practice shoes, which actually bothers some players who are looking for any speed advantage they can get. Players also get two pairs of turf shoes each year, for playing on artificial turf. Many players choose not to use them, however. “They’re too heavy,” they say. A couple of receivers called them “moon boots” and said they were buried so deep in their lockers they probably couldn’t find them. Instead, they use their normal cleated shoes.

Also about shoes: By contract, the Nike logo must be showing, and they cannot be spatted (taped over) unless it is absolutely necessary for the player’s health. Spatting is around the logo and through or around the cleats has almost become an art form.

Socks: Lots and lots of socks.

Under shirts: Official BYU t-shirts. Also, Nike underarmor is available, blue or white, long or short sleeved. Thick or thin tights are also available, depending on weather.

Shorts: tight, stretchy, like biker shorts. Also, regular gym shorts.

Jerseys: Practice and game jerseys are issued, but if the player wants to keep them, he must buy them. If they are not purchased, they may be sold to high school programs. (I actually bought Andre Saulsberry’s practice jersey, #19, at the BYU bookstore last August.)

Pads: Surprisingly, these are not always the best or latest models. One player jokingly said he had seen his shoulder pads on a BYU player in the nineties. Then he thought about it and said, “Actually, that may be true.” Douglas pads are the favorites, but newer, more compact models, would be welcome. There is no hope, though, of getting the newer air-cooled pads that Florida players wear. 60-degree air is pumped through their pads on the sidelines. In tests, full recovery after exertion has been shortened by 75%. Here’s an interesting article: http://www.rgp.ufl.edu/publications/explore/v10n3/story4.html

Helmets: Various models, including Air (Schutt) and Riddell. All incorporate the latest designs to help prevent concussions.

Gloves: Different types of gloves are given out by position. During the season, players can trade them in every week if they want. As most programs give their old ones to their baseball teams, I assume BYU does likewise.

Mouthpieces: These are pre-molded from plaster molds of each player’s teeth. Three, or more if necessary, are issued each year.

Quarterback towels: QBs and centers get them, but others have to beg, borrow, or steal. (Good luck with Mick Hill.)

Arm bands: No, these are not just for looks. During repeated stress, the tendons connecting the flexor and extensor muscles to the bones at the elbow or knee begin to pull away. By placing continual external pressure on these tendons, they remain more firmly attached, reducing the likelihood of, or pain from, tendinitis. (However, I assume that most players do wear them because they look cool.)

Skull caps (do-rags): The team hands them out, so I guess they accomplish something. Maybe they soak up sweat. Maybe they keep one’s hair stylish. More likely, they also look tough to some players, and so they wear them. Personally, I think they make the player look like he just came out of brain surgery. But that’s just me.

Athletic supporters and cups: This is interesting—the athletic supporters (jock straps) are used of course, but few players use cups. As most guys know, cups are uncomfortable and can impede one’s motion. They can also make one look like a baseball player, always rearranging oneself, which is hard on one’s self-esteem when 65,000 people are pointing and snickering. So, there’s something of an unwritten rule in football at this level: Players don’t hit there. If they do, they will be repaid in kind—often. So, the cups that are issued generally find themselves buried with the moon boots.

Travel Gear: Warm-ups, shirts, shoes, socks, caps. For the Las Vegas Bowl, UCLA players received warm-ups that reportedly cost $300.00. Mick Hill, of course, would not hear of such extravagance. It’s tough to put a price tag on the BYU players’ warm-ups, but some estimates nearly exceed double digits. Trying to place a year of manufacture on them is more difficult. The Nike reps are still grousing.

If you happen upon the BYU football team in an airport on their way home from a game, they may look like a cohesive band of brothers, they may look impressive and businesslike, but if you know what’s good for you, you won’t ask them why their shoes or shirts look so familiar. Just go find the gray-hair equipment manager and ask him.