Hey, Rutgers Fans! Welcome to #3StripeLife...and Knight Caps

It’s July 1 -- you know what that means!

#ThreeStripeKnights

Bye-bye, Swoosh. Welcome #ThreeStripeLife.

Rutgers is now officially an adidas school. The sale of equipment from that other manufacturer expunged the equipment rooms and we are now filled with three stripes. Over the last few weeks, there have been subtle leaks about the new look, as noted by our Aaron Breitman in early June. But as of today, we are a go!

Chris Ash also got in on the action with a tweet.

And Deputy Athletic Director Sarah Baumgartner tweeted a not-so-subtle statement that Rutgers is joining forces with a very hot - and growing - product line. At the expense of....other lines.

And let me repeat myself from another post: Rutgers has some great video production people.

I want Logan Ryan to adopt my daughter

Our Jim Hoffman posted on this earlier but it’s worth repeating. Good people do good things. Very cool and generous act.

Know who you’re dealing with here!

Our managing editor Aaron Breitman has been working diligently to upgrade On The Banks. And he’s been great bringing on new writers and improving our relationship with Rutgers athletic communications. And we are getting the attention we deserve, like this outreach by a Nebraska fan podcast, cleverly title Husker Fan Podcast. They asked Aaron to join them in a discussion of Rutgers football. Great job by Aaron. (Can I get a raise now?)

We want more of this!!

It’s long past the season’s end, but two of Rutgers’ best were recognized by the state Senate for their outstanding achievements on the mat. Senior Anthony Ashnault and recent grad Ken Theobold received the recognition for their All American status at the NCAA Championships.

On another wrestling note....

Just over a year ago, wrestler Sam Cali was tragically killed in a car accident. The redshirt freshman had a bright future ahead of him until that fatal night. But in his memory, an anonymous donor has put out a challenge.

For every season ticket sold over 1,200, the donor will donate $125 towards the naming of a Rutgers wrestling assistant coach's office at the new RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center in memory of the late Sam Cali. Sam loved wrestling and Rutgers and this is a great way to both honor him and help Rutgers and the R Big Build.

It’s Hockey Day in the Big Ten

July 1 is the start of the new “academic” cycle and that means the Big Ten got a little bigger....sort of. The Fighting Independents officially are part of the Big Ten for Hockey. Notre Dame joins Johns Hopkins as an associate sport-specific member of the conference.

For many Big Ten fans, Notre Dame was always the team that the conference wanted. Notre Dame, though, had its own ideas of how to run its house. Until it felt the need to join, first, the Big East and then the ACC for its Olympic sports. Football, of course (and for now) is independent. Welcome, Domers.

Technology changes....aaargh!

Besides it being #ThreeStripeKnight and #ThreeStripeLife Day, it’s also the day that Rutgers unveils its new website and mobile platforms.

I’ve been looking at them and it looks cleaner. Trying to get used to the new style. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Is there another Jawuan Harris in the house?

Recent commit Isaih Pacheco decided to play baseball this past spring for Vineland High School. He’d been away from the sport for several year. And this spring he batted .475. Hey, Coach Litterio, might be worth it to take a look.

Food. That’s all, just food

Athletics has periodically highlighted various good and significant things about Rutgers, from research to world-renowned scholars to, well, world renowned chefs. The star of The Chew and Iron Chef America, among other shows, is a Rutgers grad. I bet Batali made a mean stromboli.

The Birthplace at 150

The College Football Playoffs are going to celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football. Pat Hobbs, along with the Princeton AD, is on the committee to develop a nation-wide celebration of the event, which will lead up to the 2020 CFP championship. I can’t wait to see how they celebrate this.

They did it without me again

The Fan Advisory Board - which I keep applying to and for which I am not selected - finished its work for the 2016-17 school year.

And while they didn’t announce any specific points, it has been reported by those who have served that it is a very worthwhile committee. The Rutgers staff listen and follow up. Maybe someday I’ll get to share my wisdom there.

A final note....

This is about two weeks old but....

I....I....I....I got nothin’.

But be careful. Don’t trip over the cut cord on your way out the door. What if this happened?