For fans of college football, the uniforms are more than just attire; they are a statement of identity, tradition, and sometimes, even superstition. Baylor University, under the guidance of Art Briles, certainly understood this, ushering in an era of unprecedented uniform variety and style. As we delve into the history of Baylor Football Uniforms during this transformative period, we’ll explore the evolution of their look, analyze the team’s performance in different combinations, and ponder the future of the Bears’ on-field aesthetic.
The Pre-Briles Era: A Simpler Look
Before Art Briles took the reins, Baylor’s uniform approach was relatively straightforward under Coach Guy Morriss. The team sported a classic green home uniform and a white road uniform. Helmet choices included a Vegas gold shell with a single green stripe and a green “BU” logo, alongside a shiny green helmet featuring a white “BU.” The color palette was completed with gold, green, and white pants.
Baylor Bears football uniforms under Guy Morriss: Vegas gold helmet, green jersey, gold pants.
Image via graphics.fansonly.com
Baylor Bears football uniforms under Guy Morriss: shiny green helmet, white jersey, white pants.
Image via graphics.fansonly.com
Despite the combinations, the team’s performance on the field remained consistent – losses were a frequent outcome, regardless of the uniform choice.
2008: A Nod to Tradition
The 2008 season marked Coach Briles’ debut at Baylor and brought immediate changes to the Baylor football uniforms. The shiny green helmets of the Morriss era were retired, as was the Vegas gold helmet with a single green stripe. Instead, Baylor adopted a modified version of the gold helmet design from their successful 1972-1992 period. This updated helmet featured evenly sized green and white stripes, a reversal from the original thicker green stripe. This gold helmet became a staple during the Art Briles era, appearing in 45 out of 77 games.
Baylor Bears football gold helmet introduced in 2008, a modern take on a classic design.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Jerseys and pants largely remained from the previous era – solid green or white jerseys with the “BU” logo on the sleeve, and gold, green, or white pants. Green pants were notably absent during the season, however.
In this inaugural season, the team frequently wore a gold-green-gold combination for home games and favored gold-white-gold on the road.
Baylor Bears football team in 2008 wearing gold helmets, green jerseys, and white pants.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | Gold | Green | White | L |
| Northwestern State | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| Washington State | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Connecticut | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| Oklahoma | Gold | Green | Gold | L |
| Iowa State | Gold | Green | White | W |
| @Oklahoma State | Gold | White | White | L |
| @Nebraska | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| Missouri (HC) | Gold | Green | Gold | L |
| @Texas | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| Texas A&M | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Texas Tech | Gold | White | White | L |
2009-2010: The White Helmet and Modern Touches
Nike’s biennial uniform refresh in 2009 brought a new white helmet to the Baylor football uniforms, coinciding with the rise of Robert Griffin III. This white helmet featured two green stripes and a green “BU” logo without an outline. Interestingly, this marked the first time Baylor had donned white helmets since the Bill Beall era, a period not fondly remembered by Baylor fans. This historical context led to some superstitious whispers about a “white helmet curse.”
Baylor Bears football white helmet introduced in 2009, featuring green stripes and a green BU logo.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Jerseys and pants received a modern update. “BAYLOR” was prominently displayed across the front of both green home and white road jerseys. Thin side stripes were added, and numbers and text were outlined in black. The white road jerseys also incorporated Vegas gold accents. Pants options included white, gold, and green, each with a stripe that widened down the leg.
Notably, the 2009 team briefly experimented with an all-gold uniform combination against Oklahoma State, a look that was quickly retired.
Throughout the 2010 season, which included a bowl game appearance after a decade-long drought, Baylor rotated through uniform combinations. Gold-green-gold and white-green-white were each worn five times at home games, while gold-white-gold remained the preferred road combination, though a “stormtrooper” all-white look was available. This period marked the last regular rotation of the gold-green-white combination, a historically common home uniform for Baylor.
Baylor Bears football team in 2010 wearing gold helmets, white jerseys, and gold pants.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result (2009) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @Wake Forest | White | White | White | W |
| Connecticut | White | Green | White | L |
| Northwestern State | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| Kent State | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Oklahoma | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| @Iowa State | Gold | White | White | L |
| Oklahoma State (HC) | Gold | Gold | Gold | L |
| Nebraska | White | Green | White | L |
| @Missouri | Gold | White | White | W |
| Texas | Gold | Green | Gold | L |
| @Texas A&M | White | White | White | L |
| Texas Tech | Gold | Green | White | L |
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result (2010) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston State | Gold | Green | Green | W |
| Buffalo | White | Green | White | W |
| @Texas Christian | White | White | Green | L |
| @Rice | Gold | White | Gold | W |
| Kansas | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Texas Tech | White | White | White | L |
| @Colorado | Gold | White | Gold | W |
| Kansas State (HC) | Gold | Green | White | W |
| @Texas | Gold | White | White | W |
| @Oklahoma state | Gold | White | Green | L |
| Texas A&M | White | Green | White | L |
| Oklahoma | Gold | Green | Gold | L |
| Illinois | Gold | Green | White | L |
2011: Bear Claws and Striped Pants
The 2011 uniform redesign brought a more traditional feel to the jerseys. Black number outlines and side stripes were removed. The home green jersey adopted a more muted shade, and gold outlines were added to numbers and logos. A notable detail was a seam on the shoulder pads, possibly intended to resemble a bear claw.
Baylor Bears football 2011 green jersey detail showing shoulder seam and gold outlines.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Pants, however, took a more modern turn with two “streaking” stripes towards the front of the leg. These pants came in gold and white with green stripes. Interestingly, the team occasionally paired the 2011 jerseys with the brighter green pants from the 2009-2010 collection, a combination considered visually unappealing by some.
Green jerseys were worn frequently in 2011, including in two neutral site games. The team also debuted a new matte green helmet for the Alamo Bowl against Washington, featuring a white “BU” outlined in gold. This matte green helmet would reappear for the 2012 Holiday Bowl, suggesting a potential link between this helmet and bowl game victories.
Baylor Bears football matte green helmet introduced for the 2011 Alamo Bowl.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Baylor Bears football player in 2011 wearing a matte green helmet, green jersey, and white pants.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Christian | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| Stephen F. Austin | White | Green | White | W |
| Rice | White | Green | Green | W |
| @Kansas State | White | White | White | L |
| Iowa State | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Texas A&M | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| @Oklahoma State | Gold | White | White | L |
| Missouri (HC) | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Kansas | White | White | White | W |
| Oklahoma | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| Texas Tech | White | Green | White | W |
| Texas | Gold | Green | Green | W |
| Washington | Green | Green | White | W |
2012: Enter the Black Uniforms
Despite a full uniform redesign on the horizon for 2013, 2012 brought a significant addition to the Baylor football uniforms: black jerseys. These jerseys, while maintaining the overall design, featured green numbers outlined in gold. Interestingly, these black jerseys would likely be deemed illegal under current NCAA rules due to insufficient contrast between the green numbers and the black jersey color.
Baylor Bears football team debuting black jerseys in 2012 with green numbers and gold pants.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Black pants were also introduced in 2012. The team wore black jerseys at home three times, twice with black pants and once with gold pants. A gold-black-black combination was worn on the road against Louisiana-Monroe, marking the only time in the Art Briles era that Baylor wore a dark jersey in a true road game. Road uniform combinations varied each week otherwise.
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Methodist | Gold | Black | Black | W |
| Sam Houston State | Green | Green | White | W |
| @Louisiana-Monroe | Gold | Black | Black | W |
| @West Virginia | White | White | White | L |
| Texas Christian | White | Green | White | L |
| @Texas | Gold | White | Gold | L |
| @Iowa state | Green | White | Green | L |
| Kansas (HC) | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Oklahoma | White | White | Black | L |
| Kansas State | Gold | Black | Gold | W |
| @Texas Tech | Gold | White | White | W |
| Oklahoma State | Gold | Black | Black | W |
| @UCLA | Green | White | White | W |
2013-2014: The Modern Redesign and Throwback
The 2013 season brought the most significant Baylor football uniforms redesign to date. New jerseys, pants, and helmets were introduced. Home green jerseys now featured Vegas gold numbers in a new proprietary Nike font. Both home and road jerseys incorporated a bear claw pattern. The color palette remained black, green, and white, with gold as an additional pants color. Pants featured a modern “half stripe” design.
The white helmet was modified by removing the green stripes and outlining the “BU” logo in Vegas gold.
Baylor Bears football white helmet redesigned in 2013 with gold outlined BU logo.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
The matte green helmet saw a reversal of the “BU” logo colors.
Baylor Bears football matte green helmet redesigned in 2013 with reversed BU logo colors.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
New matte black and “chrome” gold helmets were also added, seeing significant use in the 2013 season. The black helmet featured a championship gold “BU” outlined in green, while the chrome helmet had a black “BU” outlined in championship gold.
Baylor Bears football matte black helmet introduced in 2013 with gold and green BU logo.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
Baylor Bears football chrome gold helmet introduced in 2013 with black and gold BU logo.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
As a tribute to Floyd Casey Stadium’s six-decade history, Baylor also introduced a throwback uniform. This featured a plain “old gold” helmet shell, plain dark green jerseys, and white pants with a green and gold side stripe.
Baylor Bears football throwback uniform in 2013 featuring old gold helmet, green jersey, and white pants.
Image via grfx.cstv.com
In 2013, Baylor wore a different uniform combination for each home game, except for the repeated chrome-black-black for the Fiesta Bowl. Road combinations also varied weekly, except for two instances of the “stormtrooper” all-white look.
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result (2013) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wofford | Green | Green | Green | W |
| Buffalo | White | Green | White | W |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Green | Green | Gold | W |
| West Virginia | Chrome | Black | Black | W |
| @Kansas State | Gold | White | Gold | W |
| Iowa State (HC) | Gold | Green | Gold | W |
| @Kansas | White | White | White | W |
| Oklahoma | Black | Black | Black | W |
| Texas Tech | Chrome | Green | Green | W |
| @Oklahoma State | Black | White | Black | L |
| @Texas Christian | White | White | White | W |
| Texas | Gold | Green | White | W |
| Central Florida | Chrome | Black | Black | L |
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result (2014) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Methodist | Black | Green | Black | W |
Uniform Performance Results
While uniform choice arguably doesn’t impact on-field performance, fans often associate certain combinations with good or bad luck. Here’s a breakdown of Baylor’s win-loss record by helmet and uniform combination during the Art Briles era.
Helmet Performance
| Helmet Color | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold* | 27 | 19 | 0.586 |
| White | 9 | 10 | 0.473 |
| Green | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Black | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
| Chrome | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
*Includes the old gold shell worn in the 2013 Texas game.
Baylor’s overall record under Art Briles was 45-32 (.584). Since 2009, after a year with limited helmet options, their win percentage improved to .640. Despite the team’s overall success, they had a losing record when wearing white helmets, potentially fueling the “white helmet curse” superstition.
Uniform Combination Performance
| Combination (Helmet-Jersey-Pants) | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold-green-gold | 12 | 4 | 0.750 |
| Gold-white-gold | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
| White-green-white | 4 | 4 | 0.500 |
| White-white-white | 4 | 4 | 0.500 |
| Gold-white-white | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Gold-green-white* | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Gold-black-black | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Gold-green-green | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Green-green-white | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chrome-black-black | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Black-black-black | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Black-green-black | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chrome-green-green | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Gold-black-gold | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Green-green-gold | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Green-green-green | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Green-white-white | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| White-green-green | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Black-white-black | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Gold-white-green | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Green-white-green | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| White-white-black | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| White-white-green | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Gold-gold-gold | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
- Includes the throwback uniform worn in the 2013 Texas game.
Concluding Thoughts on Baylor’s Uniforms
Drawing definitive conclusions from uniform performance can be misleading. For instance, Baylor’s gold helmet record is influenced by its exclusive use in 2008, a less successful season. However, some observations emerge. The white-green-white combination, a historically common home uniform, shows a lower win percentage compared to other home combinations. Conversely, matte green helmets appear to be associated with strong performance.
Ultimately, this analysis serves more as an intriguing look at the variety and history of Baylor football uniforms under Art Briles than a definitive statement on uniform efficacy. One thing is clear: seeing Baylor in white jerseys at home is unlikely to become a trend.
Questions for the Future
- Considering this uniform history, which Baylor football uniform combination do you favor and want to see more often?
- Are there any Baylor football uniforms you’d prefer to see retired or used less frequently?
- With uniform redesigns always on the horizon, what changes or additions would you like to see Nike implement for the Baylor football uniforms in the future?
- Would you be interested in further explorations of college football uniforms, perhaps focusing on other teams or specific uniform elements?
