A History of Ohio State Football Uniforms

In recent years, the Ohio State Buckeyes have worn several different uniforms on the gridiron. Some uniforms honor past Buckeye teams while others appeal to a younger audience. Throughout the last several years, Nike has sponsored Ohio State athletics, and has significant influence on the recent alternate jerseys worn by the Buckeyes.

For many years, Ohio State stuck to their traditional uniforms for each game. However, starting in 2009, the Buckeyes took the field wearing new uniforms inspired by the 1954 OSU national championship team. The set, which debuted against bitter rival Michigan, featured a white helmet which displayed the players' number on both sides.  The Buckeyes have not worn a white helmet since.

In 2010, Ohio State debuted a second consecutive "Rivalry" uniform. This time, they faced the Wolverines at home and featured a new scarlet jersey and helmet. Once again, the uniform set honored a past Buckeye national championship team, this time from 1942.

The following year, the Buckeyes introduced Nike Pro Combat uniforms against Wisconsin. Once again, the uniform drew from the past, honoring the 50-year anniversary of coach Woody Hayes' 1961 national championship.

In 2012, the Buckeyes resumed their "Rivalry" uniform series against Michigan at Ohio Stadium. Unlike the previous three years, the Buckeyes brought back this flashy uniform set in later games (against Wisconsin and Penn State in 2013, Clemson in 2014, and Virginia Tech and Illinois in 2015.) The uniform paid homage to the 1968 title team.

The "Rivalry" uniforms continued in 2013 with what was essentially the "away" version of the set from 2012. The Buckeyes went with a white jersey and pants, and the helmets remained the same from the previous season. OSU also featured the uniforms against Penn State in 2014.

While nothing new was introduced during the regular season of 2014 for the Buckeyes, Ohio State did add very subtle changes to their jerseys in both of their playoff games which were later dropped from the uniform the following season. Last season, Ohio State went with "black out" uniforms against rival Penn State.

This season, Ohio State will debut throwback uniforms (from the 1916 season) at home against Nebraska as part of military appreciation night. Reports indicate that the uniforms may look like this:

Overall, Ohio State does a great job with their football uniforms. I believe their traditional scarlet and gray look is one of the best in college football. While some of their alternate uniforms have been hit or miss in my opinion, I am excited to see what Nike and Ohio State continue to produce in the following years.

(information found via elevenwarriors.com)