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ASU Football Frank Kush T-Shirt

Date1976

Mediumcotton

Dimensions28 1/2 × 28 in. (72.4 × 71.1 cm)

ClassificationsClothing -- Outerwear

Catalog number2023.12.1

DescriptionHere is a gold ASU t-shirt depicting then-football coach Frank Kush. Above his depiction is the statement "We're #1." The reason for this marketing of the ASU football team is that the feeling in and around ASU going into the 1976 season was that it was going to be a banner year for the program. ASU was coming off a dominant campaign in 1975, where they finished undefeated at 12-0, were WAC conference champions, beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, and ended the season as the #2 ranked team in all of college football in the major polls. Therefore, going into 1976, ASU was ranked #3 for their first game versus UCLA, and according to the donor, two ASU faculty members invested $20,000 to publish a book on the '76 team, with an intent on selling it at games and other Tempe locations. However, the season was a massive failure and these expectant marketing strategies backfired. ASU finished the 1976 season with a 4-7 record, and lost their first 4 games, dampening the mood quickly. The book that the professors invested in was mulched, and remaining merch took a severe hit, including this shirt. It can be seen as a symbol of the closely intertwined highs and lows of ASU's football history.

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