A History of UCLA Football Uniforms: From Classic Powder Blue to Modern Designs
The UCLA Bruins football team boasts a rich visual history, reflected in the evolution of their uniforms. From the program's inception in 1919 to the present day, the Bruins have sported a variety of designs, each representing a specific era and embodying the team's spirit.
Early Years (1919-1930s): Establishing the Foundation
The first UCLA football team took the field in 1919. In these early years, UCLA's uniforms consisted of dark blue jerseys. In 1920, UCLA began playing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), competing against other local colleges.
The 1921 version consisted of dark blue jerseys with three gold stripes around the torso and both arms. The center stripe was much broader. This was probably the first year the team wore numbers (although only on the back). The jerseys were sold dark-blue, with large gold numbers on the back only. The socks shown in the picture below are dark blue with a “tall” gold stripe, but I believe that solid-blue socks were more commonly worn.
The 1939 season was a significant one for UCLA. The team was undefeated that year (though with four ties). It was also the only season during which UCLA mega-stars Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson were on the same football team.
The Golden Era (1950s-1970s): Powder Blue and White Stripes
The 1950s marked a golden era for UCLA football, coinciding with a distinctive uniform design that would become synonymous with the program's success. Under legendary head coach Red Sanders, the Bruins achieved their first major period of success. The Bruins claimed a share of the national title alongside Ohio State. That season was not only a high point for the Bruins but also marked the first year they debuted this now-classic jersey.
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The common thread? Most attribute the debut of the stripes to the UCLA-USC game in 1953. LSU wore stripes on its sleeves until Paul Dietzel moved the stripes to the shoulders in 1957.
During this period, the Bruins sported iconic powder-blue jerseys featuring unique white stripes across the shoulders. This striking detail set them apart from the more familiar gold-accented jerseys. The powder-blue jerseys, with their curled, white-striped shoulder pads, paid homage to an era when UCLA was a powerhouse in college football. The uniforms are a tribute to legendary head coach Red Sanders and his incredible 1954 team, which went 9-0.
These uniforms symbolized a golden era for UCLA Football, a time when the Bruins were setting the standard in college athletics.
Transition and Subtle Changes (1980s-2000s): Maintaining Tradition
Through the 1980s and 1990s, during the tenure of Terry Donahue, the Bruins maintained a strong program. No major changes were made to the uniforms between its founding and the early 2000's. Other than a few small stylistic changes such as font and outline thickness, they have stayed relatively the same.
Modern Era (2000s-Present): Experimentation and Throwbacks
In 2005 the ageless uniforms finally began receiving big changes while at the same time staying true to UCLA school spirit. They shifted from a darker, somewhat reminiscent of Miami Dolphins, blue, to a lighter baby blue that has generally stuck for many of the uniforms in the years after.
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2010 brought no new changes, the same blue and the only change was a small tint difference in the helmets worn by the players, making the helmets a slightly lighter gold compared to before.
Everything that 2010 did not change 2015 made sure to blow out of the water, at least with the Bruins' alternate uniforms.
Considered an ugly uniform by many fans, dark navy blue, off-hue gold lining and off-putting light blue filled the original alternate uniforms in 2010. In 2015 that was replaced by purely black uniforms with bumble-bee reminiscent gold filling the numbers and nameplates surrounded by a blue lining that could hardly be attributed to the known Bruins' blue.
As for the regular uniforms, UCLA decided to leave them how they were; this, as many uniforms tend to have, became a trend for the next decade.
2020 brought a small change of a darker shade of blue but nothing else noteworthy.
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2025, the most recent year, has brought the biggest design change to the uniforms since the 2015 alternates, adding a new diamond pattern to the jerseys in a partnership with adidas. With Nico Iamaleva at the helm, perhaps they are.
The smallest change might have been the biggest in 2025, because the Bruins' were added to the Big Ten and henceforth received a Big Ten patch on all of their jerseys.
For instance, when UCLA changed to Adidas in the early 2010s, the stripe had become more of a small section across the shoulder. It finally got fixed in the final year of the UCLA-Adidas contract in 2016. UCLA went back in its history for Homecoming last year, bringing back the 1954 look of powder blue with white and blue shoulder stripes. Other schools along the way have used “UCLA stripes” at different times - most notably, of late, by Ole Miss.
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