UConn Huskies (2013, 1970)

Long known for its basketball prowess, The University of Connecticut’s football team had a pretty successful run in the Yankee/Atlantic 10 Conference before making the leap to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2000. The Huskies’ meteoric rise in the Big East under coach Randy Edsall culminated in a trip to the Fiesta Bowl after the 2009 season. The Huskies fell on hard times after Edsall bolted for Maryland, but they hope a new coach (Bob Diaco) will get them back on track in 2014.

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Notes about UConn’s unis:

• UConn may lead this project in total uniform styles. The Huskies can never find a look to satisfy them. It’s only because UConn’s yearbooks are online that I’ve been able to document their ever-changing look.
• The Huskies seemed to make radical overhauls almost every year from 1963-77 and again from 1999-2004. If you didn’t like a uniform, sit tight; UConn would likely change it next year.
• Team colors have changed frequently. Gold pants were used from about 1953-63. Red was used on and off from 1971-2001 and reintroduced in 2013. Royal blue replaced navy blue from 1968-88. Silver trim was used from 2002-08.
• UConn used eight helmet designs from 1961-68, including one that was blue on one side and white on the other. And you thought the current helmets were out there.
• The latest overhaul was last year, as part of a school-wide rebranding that also coincided with the Big East morphing into the American Athletic Conference. UConn wore eight styles in 12 games.

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Check out the Nutmeg, UConn’s yearbook, here. This has nothing to do with nothing, but the Huskies’ 1970s yearbooks take irreverence to a whole new level.

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The 2013 UConn uniforms (shown above) deserve points for originality, that’s for sure. Those helmets look so … naked from the side, however. They need a uniform number or a “C” or something.

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Our throwback uniform takes us to 1970, when the Huskies won the Yankee Conference title despite a 4-4-2 overall mark (they went 4-0-1 in the league and 0-4-1 in nonleague contests). The Chicago Bears-style wishbone-“C” with the football stitches is probably one of those logos fans think is either really clever or really dumb (I vote with the former). It appeared on their helmets and/or jerseys from 1968-76.

But check out this pic from the 1971 Nutmeg below: Some of the logos were affixed upside-down! Of course, I had to add them here.

Next, we complete our run of FBS schools with the newbie, UMass.