Back to the College Football Uniforms
Twenty-five years have passed since the NCAA slapped SMU with the death penalty illegal payments to players and still, the Mustangs have yet to recover on the field. Since returning to the gridiron after a two-year ban in 1989, the Mustangs are just 66-169-3.
SMU has attempted to reverse course since June Jones was hired as coach in 2008, entering the Nike era after several years with Adidas in 2012. Nike’s first SMU uniforms under Jones included two different sets — red and white. Road uniforms are white with red numbers, red stripes on the shoulders and the school’s primary logo at the crest instead of “SMU” under Adidas. The red home set is the inverse.
Nike’s current game pants are outlined in blue while Adidas’ black and royal blue alternate tops were dropped. Since 2008, SMU has donned white helmets featuring a red mustang decal. From 2003-07, shells were navy with a red mustang. An alteration to its primary mustang logo would push SMU further into the 21st century so to speak and help erase the stain and horror of what transpired two decades ago in similar garb.
SMU had several different uniform options in the late 2000s with Adidas including royal blue and white jerseys that corresponded well with the Mustangs’ double-striped helmet and a black top, free of blue and accented in red. SMU’s red, white and blue color scheme resembled the Buffalo Bills under Adidas.
Indicative of Nike’s mid 2000s style, SMU donned a popular piping-heavy template under the swoosh before Adidas with a large “SMU” wordmark across the chest. The increased font, outlined in team colors, complimented the Mustangs’ navy lids over that span.
