Back to the College Football Uniforms
Remember when black was the go-to alternate color for college football teams in the early 2000s? It appears gray has now taken its spot as the heir apparent. UNLV went all-gray (silver’s its actual school color) for the first time in 2012 as its latest Nike “re-imagining” came full circle.
The swoosh’s updated sets for the Rebels have an Ohio State-feel with white and scarlet-blocked numerals and well-placed stripes along the sleeves and pants. The Rebels’ primary home get up is currently a scarlet jersey with gray pants. “UNLV” wordmarks have been dropped from sleeves in favor of double stripes and a triple-stripe has been added to previously solid color pants.
Prior to the 2012 retro redesign, the Rebels unveiled a fresh look with Nike in 2008 that featured a wide “REBELS” wordmark across the chest with contrasting a shoulder color. Home uniforms were scarlet and silver with silver pants while the main road combination included a white jersey with silver shoulders and white pants. Needless to say the uniforms looked more like something you’d create on a video game uniform editor instead of apparel originating from Nike’s headquarters.
UNLV has donned a silver helmet since 1982, choosing scarlet the previous decade. In 2012, the design was altered to include a scarlet and white racing stripe down the middle, the first double stripe on shells for the program since 1989. Facemasks have also been switched back to gray for the first time since 1982 and the blocked “UNLV” lettering, something that’s been around for nearly two decades, has been moved from scarlet lettering with a black outline to white lettering with a scarlet outline.
Against Nevada in 2012, an alternate logo — a cannon — was added beneath the updated “UNLV” decal. The Rebels are heading into the final year of their current five-year contract with the swoosh.
UNLV previously had separate sponsorship deals over multiple sports with Nike, Russell Athletic and Adidas.
