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Wednesday night: Football with Miami Vice flare
FIU wide receiver Dean Patterson modeled the vice uniform for the special video that fans absolutely loved. The video was produced by FIU Athletics social media specialist Hunter DuBois.

Wednesday night: Football with Miami Vice flare

Don't miss the fun! FIU hosts a special game featuring Miami-style colors and free T-shirts, and the Panther team will wear its nationally acclaimed "Vice Uniform" for the first time.
Sports

By Gisela Valencia

October 10, 2023 at 2:00pm

Can you feel it in the air? It's the Miami Vice excitement.

Vibrant fuchsia, light blue and black colors. Luxury cars. Free T-shirts. And more fun than you’ve had in a while.

That’s what’s coming up Wednesday, Oct. 11, during Vice Night at FIU. The football team will host the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) for a showdown at the FIU Football Stadium that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. The night’s special theme harks back to the feel of the 1980s hit TV action-drama "Miami Vice," which was known for its visual style.

“We’re excited about the Vice Game,” Head Coach Mike MacIntyre said during a press conference last week. “It’s going to be good. The guys are excited.” 

The Panthers will be wearing a highly anticipated, much-adored Miami Vice-inspired uniform that just about broke the internet when FIU released a video that went viral (it garnered 1 million views in just one week, according to FIU Athletics). The uniform features an eye-catching black jersey and pants accented with fuchsia palm trees, Panther heads painted in black, pink and blue, and the “305” logo (featuring Roary’s head as the “0”) in pink and blue.

The vice uniform has been universally praised by fans and student-athletes alike, and news outlets and sports channels — including ESPN —  have raved about the threads. Notably, Sports Illustrated ranked FIU's vice uniform as the No. 1 look in all college football for the 2023 season. 

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FIU wide receiver Dean Patterson modeled the vice uniform. Patterson played in all 12 games last season, starting five times. His best outing of 2022 was hauling in five catches for 100 yards against Middle Tennessee. The video and photos were shot and edited by FIU athletics social media specialist Hunter DuBois.


Aside from Panthers wearing the famous uniforms, the night will also boast an assortment of eye-catching, high-energy experiences, including:

The Vice Look: T-shirt giveaway — The first 1,000 students in the stadium will receive a free FIU Vice T-shirt. The first 100 fans at the Panther Walk on the Tamiami Hall Promenade will also receive the shirt. Be here early, and don't miss your chance to get your limited-edition tee! And, don't forget to wear vice colors (hot pink/fuchshia, light blue and black). 

Vice field — The field will be painted in vice-themed colors to complement the Panther uniform and set the mood for the game. In 2022, FIU Athletics became the only NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision program in the nation to have a different field design for each of its home football games. The tradition continues this fall. All six designs last season were celebrated by fans, but the vice-themed field for the Panthers’ 2022 game turned heads at a national scale. What will the design look like this year? Get a sneak peek below.

Wheels — Four luxury cars - two Lamborghinis, a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce - will grace the tailgate on the concourse and on the field. Three of the cars will lead the team down the Panther Walk across Tamiami Hall Promenade starting at 5:15 p.m. Come check it out!

Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Students get in for free (with their One Card). Faculty, staff and retirees can secure up to five general admission seats for just $1 each in honor of Employee and Retiree Appreciation Vice Night. For fans and all other Panther supporters, buy tickets here. 

See you there! 

FIU Trivia: Did you know?
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FIU actually appeared in an episode of "Miami Vice." Whaaat? That's right!

Before FIU's Ocean Bank Convocation Center (previously called the FIU Arena) officially opened, "Miami Vice" filmed several scenes in the arena for an episode titled “The Fix,” featuring the Sunblazer mascot (Roary's predecessor), as well as "Miami Vice" stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas and a guest appearance by former NBA great Bill Russell. The episode aired March 7, 1986, as part of the show’s second season. Can you spot the Sunblazer? Learn more.