H-Town is set to turn baby blue once again.
On Thursday, the University of Houston football team unveiled their alternate uniforms for the upcoming season, celebrating the city’s rich football heritage. The Nike uniforms include a baby blue jersey with red accents, white pants with baby blue and white stripes, and a white helmet featuring “Houston” in baby blue outlined in red, with matching stripes down the center.
Although the uniforms’ launch doesn’t explicitly mention the Houston Oilers, the design pays homage to the professional team’s iconic baby blue jerseys. The Oilers, founding members of the AFL in the 1960s, won the league’s first two championships and inspired the “Luv Ya Blue” movement in the 1970s after the NFL merger.
The Cougars will wear these uniforms on Saturday, with TDECU Stadium’s end zones painted baby blue for their season opener against the UTSA Roadrunners. This game marks Houston’s debut in the Big 12, and the school is promoting a special $15 “Love You Houston” ticket offer for the occasion.
The team unveiled the uniforms in a promotional video on X, narrated by Olympic track legend Carl Lewis, who now serves as the school’s track and field head coach. The nine-time gold medalist reflects on the city’s strong sense of community and the football program’s history.
“Houston is tradition, a place with a long history of winning, always pushing the limits and never giving up,” Lewis said. “… Houston is home. This city, rich in culture, instilled with pride, is more than just a pin on the map. It’s a way of life. This is for the city that always has our back. This one is for the people that call this place home. Love you, Houston. This one’s for you.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, head coach Bill Yeoman put the school on the national football map. He guided the team to the 1976 Southwest Conference championship and capped the season with a Cotton Bowl victory over Maryland. In 1989, Andre Ware became the first Black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.
However, two years after Yeoman left in 1986, the NCAA placed the school on a three-year probation due to recruiting violations and improper payments to players.
The Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997 and rebranded as the Tennessee Titans in 1999. The Houston Texans joined the NFL in 2002.
This season, the Titans are also honoring the Oilers with alternate uniforms. This summer, they introduced baby blue jerseys featuring red accents and white helmets with baby blue and red stripes.
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