Back to the College Football Uniforms
The Cowboys have given Nike free reign in recent years to spice up football apparel in Stillwater, going from many different hot orange-based uniforms schemes to even black and anthracite gray. The program’s acceptance of an “all-in” approach has allowed for unique, eye-catching combinations that rival other heavyweights in the Big XII.
In 2011, as a part of Nike’s Pro Combat line, the Cowboys were given access to four choices of both jerseys and pants — orange, black, gray and white. There are white, matte black and anthracite gray helmets as well, two with the Cowboys’ new “Pistol Pete” alternate logo. Some form of the Cowboys’ “OSU” logo has been applied to shells since 1969. The current white helmet with an updated orange logo made its first appearance in 2001.
Black shells returned after a 28-year hiatus in 2011 and now, OSU has a mix and match of 48 different uniform combinations. The Cowboys returned to orange as their primary color in 1995 and kept the look before incorporating an all-black alternate in 2009. Gray was added in 2011 as a third color.
There’s a rumored orange-mirrored helmet with a black “OSU” decal floating around, but the Cowboys have yet to debut the look during a game. Oklahoma State was set to debut a digital camouflage jersey and pants set along with the helmet against Texas in 2012, but the combination was nixed in its final stages.
Oklahoma State’s current contract with the swoosh expires in 2017. T. Boone Pickens continues to be a “mega booster” for the athletic department and has donated more than $250 to Oklahoma State athletics since 2005. Over that span, a stretch that includes cutting-edge uniform design and additional national television exposure, the Cowboys have turned into a perennial Top 25 program and Big XII contender.
