MSU Football Uniform History to 1986

I believe that I have an accurate collection of uniforms from 1986 to now.  Due to convenience, all of the uniforms are on the same template.  Obviously the 1986 team didn't have techfit jerseys, but the template, though it lacks full sleeves, gets the point across. (Click on images to enlarge them)

Rocky Felker became the Mississippi State Head Coach in 1986, taking over the duties from Emory Ballard (I believe that when Ballard was the HC, the Bulldogs wore Texas A&M-style uniforms with two stripes on top of the jersey).  The 86 uniforms added a new slanted “MSU” logo to the helmets, and introduced silver into the color scheme.

An update in 1989 removed the shoulder stripes and all silver from the uniforms, except for silver away pants.

Jackie Sherrill became the Head Coach in 1991, and he added “MISS. STATE” to the front of the Jersey, added the “MSU” logo to the hip of the pants, removed the pants stripes, and moved the shoulder numbers to the top of the shoulder.

The 1996 update was the biggest change yet for the Bulldogs, with black drop shadows being added to the numbers, stripes added to the shoulders, and the “MSU” logo on the helmet updated.  This may be the look most associated with the Bulldogs, as the late 90’s teams were the most successful MSU teams in recent history.

An alternate white helmet was added in 2000, creating the famous all-white combo worn during the Snow Bowl, the 2000 Independence Bowl, in which MSU defeated Texas A&M wearing the all-white unis in the snow.

 The white helmet was worn as an alternate in the 2001 and the 2002 seasons, and was also worn in the 2003 Egg Bowl, this time with numbers on the side.

After 3 disappointing seasons, Jackie Sherrill resigned as head coach and was replaced by Sylvester Croom, the first African American Head Coach to be hired by an SEC school.  Croom was an Alabama alum, and he preferred a simpler style of uniforms.  The school also changed manufacturers in 2004, changing from Nike to Russell.  Nike owned the updated slanting “MSU” logo, and to this day the Bulldogs still can’t use the logo.  The “MSTATE” logo was placed on the helmet, and stayed there for the remainder of Croom’s time at MSU.

After the 2008 season, Croom resigned and was replaced by Dan Mullen.  During the offseason, the university underwent a rebrand, updating the “MSTATE” logo, adding new Bulldog logos, a new wordmark logo, and a new manufacturing agreement with Adidas.  The new Adidas uniforms added a small wordmark and piping to the chest, and a wide stripe to the white pants.  A black jersey was added during this time, the first black jersey in school history.

Special Egg Bowl uniforms with gold numbers and a gold outline on the helmet logo were worn against Ole Miss in 2011, 2012, 2013,and 2014.  A chrome gold helmet was worn in 2013.  A maroon helmet with a chrome gold facemask was worn in 2014.

4 different helmet designs were worn during the 2011 season: The normal maroon helmet with a white “MSTATE” logo with no outline, a matte maroon helmet with a white “MSTATE” logo with no outline, the egg bowl helmet, and a matte maroon helmet with a white “MSTATE” logo with a gray outline.

Adidas redesigned the uniforms for the 2012 season, with shoulder stripes going down the shoulders, and a ribbon design mimicking the “MSTATE” logo throughout the uniforms.  The Mississippi State wordmark on the chest was enlarged, and gray pants were added.

2012 was the first year for Texas A&M, whom MSU beat in the “Snow Bowl” 12 years earlier, to play in the SEC.  Adidas designed special uniforms for the Bulldogs to wear against the Aggies in their first meeting as conference mates.

A unique combination was worn for the 2013 Gator Bowl against Northwestern.  The helmet was matte, but with a new shiny gray facemask, paired with the Snow Bowl uniform and gray pants.

A new helmet, a maroon version of the Snow Bowl Helmet, was worn against Oklahoma State in the 2013 Texas Kickoff Classic.  Also in 2013, a chrome gold helmet was introduced for the Egg Bowl.

In 2014, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Davis Wade Stadium, as well as the opening of the new expansion, the Bulldogs unveiled throwback uniforms.  Resembling the unis worn from 1996 to 2003, the maroon jersey features white sleeve stripes with a black outline and a white numbers with a black outline.  The helmet is maroon with a white facemask and no special texture.  The biggest difference between the 90's unis and these throwbacks is the absence of the interlocking "MSU" logo and the presence of the "MSTATE" logo.  Originally worn vs Southern Miss, these became the go-to uniforms in 2014 after the Bulldogs wore them in back-to-back-to-back victories over then top-10 teams (LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn).  The Bulldogs finished the 2014 season 6-0 in these uniforms.

A white version of the throwbacks was unveiled for the 2014 Orange Bowl. It was worn with a matte maroon helmet that had the exact same design as the helmet worn in the Music City Bowl three years prior.

In 2015, the DWS 100 uniform design was carried over to full time.  Several small changes (Maroon, White) were made, however, as the Bulldogs transitioned to Adidas's newest "Primeknit" template.  Notable changes included the helmet logo, removal of shoulder numbers (a mistake that was corrected after the first three games),and the modification of the sleeve stripes and pants logo. Maroon pants, also bearing the oversized pants logo, were added. 

Throughout 2015, several alternate uniform elements were added.  Gray pants, with stripes resembling those worn in the 80's, were worn.  A black alternate was worn for the first time since 2011.  A white helmet was worn for the first time since 2012, and the first time with a version of the M-State logo on it since the Croom Era ended in 2008.  The white helmet was worn with the maroon jersey in the Egg Bowl that year instead of a gold-accented alternate.