Back to the College Football Uniforms
In 2010, the Orange dropped shoulder stripes for their current look, a more simple approach with thin, contrasting piping on the sleeves. Orange pants with a single navy stripe complete the look. The program’s current white road jersey with navy numerals and orange trim paired with orange pants is one of the Big East’s cleanest combinations.
Currently, Syracuse has the option of navy or white tops on gamedays along with white, navy or orange pants. The Orange’s block “S” patch is at the crest of all jerseys.
Prior to the switch, Syracuse’s uniforms had less flair with orange numerals on navy jerseys – instead of bright white – and pants that resembled throwbacks. The lack of white in the late 2000s uniforms didn’t translate well on television as viewers often saw navy-orange blurs move across the field.
The swoosh seems to have done more with baselayers in recent years than actual game uniforms. In 2012 against USC, Syracuse donned an all-navy get up to honor alum Ernie Davis, the first African-American to ever win the Heisman Trophy. Nicknamed the “Elmira Express”, Davis is featured throughout the uniform, most notably on the Orange’s undershirts with a train image with “44” across the front and “Express” emblazoned on the shoulders. A patch on the right shoulder of the jersey includes Davis’ number and Syracuse’s zip code “13244.” A special orange Hydrochrome helmet was worn during that contest.
In 2007, the Orange unveiled one of the strangest combinations in recent memory, a head-to-toe orange uniform with nay stripes on the pants and shoulders. The only white on the uniform was the “Big East” logo applied to right shoulder.
Since 2008, Syracuse’s helmet of choice has been an orange shell with a navy block “S” outlined in white. The facemask shifted from navy to gray in 2004. The Orange last donned white shells in 1976, lids that featured an “SU” logo rather than the block “S” that became the standard three decades years later.
Syracuse has given Nike free reign over its basketball apparel in recent years, but we’ve yet to see a Pro Combat or gray alternate look on the gridiron.
