Casual look suits Pitt's Jeff Capel while he's prowling the sideline
College basketball coaches are transitioning from wearing the traditional suit-and-tie and dress shoes on the sideline to more a casual look. Pitt’s Jeff Capel has been wearing pullovers in recent games.
“I don’t mind the suits,” Capel said.
Truth be told, however, he said he doesn’t miss the more formal look. Who doesn’t prefer comfortable shoes, especially when you’re on your feet most of the game, walking up and down the sideline, seldom slowing down long enough to sit?
“I don’t like the dress shoes,” he said. “If I could wear suits and sneakers, I’d be OK with that.
“I like what we’re doing now. Hopefully, it’s something that sticks.”
When he was growing up, Capel said he often asked his dad, a coach himself, why basketball coaches wore suits during games when many men in other sports did not.
“I also never understood why baseball managers have to wear uniforms,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think that’s a good look either for some of these managers.”
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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