Photos: Arizona Wildcats football uniforms through the years
- Updated
The Arizona Wildcats revealed new uniforms Tuesday afternoon. The new look joins some of our favorite uniforms through the years.
Get ready for something new
- Updated
The Arizona Wildcats unveiled their new uniforms Tuesday afternoon with a video posted to their Twitter feed.
Basic blue
- Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
- Updated
Fred W. Enke "wore the colors" long before that became a thing. The Wildcats' quarterback posed in 1947 wearing blue jerseys and what appear to be gray pants.
'70s chic
- Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
- Updated
You can't see it here — black-and-white photo — but Arizona wore electric blue jerseys during the funky 1970s. Quarterback Bruce Hill led Arizona’s “1-2-3” offense to one of the best seasons in school history. Hill finished the 1975 season with 1,747 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
Bear Down, blue and white …
- Arizona Daily Star file photo
- Updated
For most of the Larry Smith and Dick Tomey era encompassing the 1980s and 1990s, the Wildcats wore some variation of this uniform at home: White helmet with a block A, navy jersey and white pants. Keith Smith, above, was wearing the old-school look when the Cats played Arizona State in 1997.
Dress whites
- Arizona Daily Star file photo
- Updated
On the road, Arizona wore white helmets, white jerseys and navy pants for years. Quarterback Ortege Jenkins wore the traditional look during his iconic "Leap at the Lake" game against Washington in 1998.
New, cleaner look during Mackovic era
- JAMES S. WOOD / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2002
- Updated
John Mackovic made a few tweaks to the UA's uniforms when he took over in 2001, placing a "Block A" on the sleeve. Above, linebacker Lance Briggs takes down a Washington State receiver.
Cats flipped lids under Stoops
- KELLY PRESNELL / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2012
- Updated
Mike Stoops ushered in an era of navy helmets, and the UA often wore all-blue at home.
Candy cane
- KELLY PRESNELL / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2012
- Updated
Arizona returned to using white helmets toward the end of the Stoops era, and often paired the lid with white pants. Arizona's Richard Morrison scored on a 63-yard punt return wearing the old-school look.
Whiteout
- Don Ryan
- Updated
Arizona rarely wore all-white under coaches Mike Stoops or Rich Rodriguez, but it made for an interesting look when it did. Quarterback Matt Scott finds a hole in the line during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
All red
- John Miller
- Updated
It isn't quite "cardinal", the UA's official colors, but the all-red look cut a striking image in the UA's annual rivalry game vs. Arizona State. Matt Scott and his teammates wore the unis Nov. 23, 2012, in a game they eventually lost.
Copper helmets
- Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The UA unveiled copper helmets midway through the 2012 season, a supposed nod to the state's mining industry. Arizona long snapper Tim Johnston (49), left, and Arizona long snapper Chase Gorham (50) model the gear above. Photo by Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star
Gradients!
- Courtesy Arizona Athletics
- Updated
The Wildcats unveiled a new uniform set before the 2013 season, and a new element — the gradient color fade — was in. Fading red and blue lines, meant to mimic a desert sunset, took center stage on the jersey numbers and their sleeves.
Not so fast
- Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The gradient numbers on Arizona's home jerseys lasted all of one year. NCAA rules designed to make numerals easier to read forced the Wildcats to switch to basic red and blue numbering on their home jerseys, though the road gear remained the same.
Red chrome helmets
- Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The UA debuted red, chrome helmets for its 2015 game against UCLA. The helmet replaced the copper lid, which was unpopular in the locker room and among many fans.
Honoring the USS Arizona
- Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The Wildcats honored the USS Arizona on the 75th anniversary of its sinking in 2016. The gray jerseys were meant to mimic the color of the ship, while the simplified block A on the helmet was taken from photos of the ship's sports teams.
New look for 2017
- Arizona athletics
- Updated
The UA unveiled a series of uniform changes for the 2017 season. Among them: new shoulder stripes and larger, easier-to-ready numbers. The Wildcats will have nine different uniform combinations to choose from starting this fall.
A red-letter day
- Arizona athletics
- Updated
Arizona's new football uniforms include an all-red block A on a matte blue helmet. It's the first major change to the iconic logo since the 1980s.
Basic blue
- Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
Fred W. Enke "wore the colors" long before that became a thing. The Wildcats' quarterback posed in 1947 wearing blue jerseys and what appear to be gray pants.
'70s chic
- Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
You can't see it here — black-and-white photo — but Arizona wore electric blue jerseys during the funky 1970s. Quarterback Bruce Hill led Arizona’s “1-2-3” offense to one of the best seasons in school history. Hill finished the 1975 season with 1,747 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, University of Arizona Photograph Collection
Bear Down, blue and white …
- Arizona Daily Star file photo
For most of the Larry Smith and Dick Tomey era encompassing the 1980s and 1990s, the Wildcats wore some variation of this uniform at home: White helmet with a block A, navy jersey and white pants. Keith Smith, above, was wearing the old-school look when the Cats played Arizona State in 1997.
New, cleaner look during Mackovic era
- JAMES S. WOOD / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2002
John Mackovic made a few tweaks to the UA's uniforms when he took over in 2001, placing a "Block A" on the sleeve. Above, linebacker Lance Briggs takes down a Washington State receiver.
Candy cane
- KELLY PRESNELL / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2012
Arizona returned to using white helmets toward the end of the Stoops era, and often paired the lid with white pants. Arizona's Richard Morrison scored on a 63-yard punt return wearing the old-school look.
Whiteout
- Don Ryan
Arizona rarely wore all-white under coaches Mike Stoops or Rich Rodriguez, but it made for an interesting look when it did. Quarterback Matt Scott finds a hole in the line during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
All red
- John Miller
It isn't quite "cardinal", the UA's official colors, but the all-red look cut a striking image in the UA's annual rivalry game vs. Arizona State. Matt Scott and his teammates wore the unis Nov. 23, 2012, in a game they eventually lost.
Copper helmets
- Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star
The UA unveiled copper helmets midway through the 2012 season, a supposed nod to the state's mining industry. Arizona long snapper Tim Johnston (49), left, and Arizona long snapper Chase Gorham (50) model the gear above. Photo by Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star
Gradients!
- Courtesy Arizona Athletics
The Wildcats unveiled a new uniform set before the 2013 season, and a new element — the gradient color fade — was in. Fading red and blue lines, meant to mimic a desert sunset, took center stage on the jersey numbers and their sleeves.
Not so fast
- Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
The gradient numbers on Arizona's home jerseys lasted all of one year. NCAA rules designed to make numerals easier to read forced the Wildcats to switch to basic red and blue numbering on their home jerseys, though the road gear remained the same.
Honoring the USS Arizona
- Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
The Wildcats honored the USS Arizona on the 75th anniversary of its sinking in 2016. The gray jerseys were meant to mimic the color of the ship, while the simplified block A on the helmet was taken from photos of the ship's sports teams.
New look for 2017
- Arizona athletics
The UA unveiled a series of uniform changes for the 2017 season. Among them: new shoulder stripes and larger, easier-to-ready numbers. The Wildcats will have nine different uniform combinations to choose from starting this fall.
Tags
As featured on
It hasn't been a secret that the Arizona Wildcats will wear new uniforms for the 2013 season…
The Arizona Wildcats released pictures of their new uniforms for the 2013 season this afternoon.
The University of Arizona's new football uniforms for the 2013-14 season.
View this profile on Instagram#ThisIsTucson 🌵 (@this_is_tucson) • Instagram photos and videos
Most viewed stories
-
27 exciting events to check out this weekend, January 16-18 💎
-
New eats! 10 new restaurants that opened in Tucson this fall
-
Tucson's twin winter music festivals kick off this weekend 🎵
-
Horchata lattes and breakfast burritos: Tucson's Barista del Barrio opens 2nd location
-
Looking ahead to Tucson's new and cool for '26
-
Nearly 50 fun events happening in the month of January! ✨
-
Get ready to eat all the spicy tuna rolls you can at this viral sushi spot 🍣
-
Presta's newest location is bringing coffee culture to the foothills ☕
-
Pilates is so hot, demand for space and classes is booming
-
Create the icy dessert of your dreams at this new frozen yogurt spot 🍨