Texas Longhorns to Wear White Throwback Uniforms at Home

For the second year in a row, Texas Football will take the field in a uniform other than their usual home and away set. As last year saw the team commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship with a retro set, it’s only fair that they honor the 1970 champs in a similar fashion. Thus, the ‘Horns will don special white throwback uniforms this Saturday for the 110th meeting with the Baylor Bears.

These throwbacks are replicas of those worn by the 1970 National Championship team. The 1970 Texas Longhorns went a perfect 10-0 in the regular season, and were awarded with the UPI National Championship for their efforts. This season would see the team extend Texas’ winning streak to 30 games, but unfortunately would end in a lose against Notre Dame in a post season matchup at the Cotton Bowl. The 1970 Longhorns were also the first integrated football team in UT history, with the late Julius Whittier being the program’s first black letterman.

This Saturday will also mark the first time in over 70 years that Texas Football has worn white uniforms at home, a feat that has not been done since September 30, 1950 when the Longhorns took on (and defeated) Purdue. It is the 6th instance that UT has worn what can be considered an “alternate uniform”, and is the first time that they have worn a white replica of their 1960-70s look.

While they may appear plain to the untrained eye, the devil is in the details for these 1970 throwback uniforms. Starting from the helmet, the Longhorn logo helmet sticker is a darker shade of burnt orange than usual, and is more in line with what the team wore prior to the 2014 season. The white jersey omits the Big XII patch, Texas chest font, collar Longhorn logo, and shoulder numbers found on the usual game shirt. This leaves burnt orange shoulder stripes, body numbers, and a Nike Swoosh as the only notable features of the jersey. The Longhorns will also be equipped with special white and burnt orange gloves which feature the fan-favorite “Angry Bevo” logo on the palms. White pants, burnt orange and white socks, and black cleats round out an overall sharp look that is sure to please Texas fans of all ages.

While I don’t have a problem with our current game uniforms, I will admit that the number of patches on the jersey is starting to get out of control. I can understand why tons of UT fans have been clamoring for our throwback set to be our full time look, and admittedly when I see how nice uniforms like this turn out its hard to disagree with them. There’s just something about this sterile, blank design paired with burnt orange accents that looks so sharp.

Despite all of that, probably my favorite aspect of these uniforms is the black cleats. They stand out so much when paired with the white helmet, pants, and jersey, and really give the whole ensemble a retro look. It would have been easy for the designers to pair the these throwbacks with white cleats, as on paper that’s a more “consistent” look, so I’m glad they resisted the urge to do so and went full on traditional.

I’ve been asking for white throwbacks for a few years now, so I’m glad to see it finally become a reality. Even though for the most part these are the exact same uniforms that we wore last year sans the burnt orange jersey, I’m glad UT and Nike decided to keep the party going and delivered another clean look. Texas Football rarely wears alternate uniforms at all, so to see two in as many years is certainly a treat. While I’m not quite sold on us wearing these at home (as I prefer that we stay traditional with our burnt orange tops), I understand the desire of the athletic department to show these uniforms off to the fanbase in person.

As stated earlier, look for UT to wear these special uniforms when they take on the Baylor Bears in DKR on 10/24/20. What are your thoughts on this throwback set? Are you a fan of the more traditional look, or do they just not have enough flash for your taste?

Images via Texas Football