2 NFL Teams Share Uniform History With Washington Huskies

Two NFL teams have a shared uniform history with the Washington Huskies.

The Washington Huskies borrowed elements from NFL team uniforms. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

We are deep in the college football offseason, which is perfect for uniform enthusiasts. While some teams argue about alternate black uniforms or lay out their color schedules for the upcoming season, the Washington Huskies are giving history lessons.

In a nine-part thread on X, Washington's social media team gave the background on their school colors (almost red, white, and blue as a nod to George Washington) and the inspiration behind their primary uniforms. Most interesting is that the iconic uniforms of two NFL teams are connected to the Huskies' look in college football.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys' uniforms in 1975. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Don James coached the Washington Huskies football team from 1975 to 1992. According to the school, when James arrived on campus, he wanted to copy the Dallas Cowboys uniforms. However, purple would replace the blue, and gold would replace the silver. Lastly, replace every Cowboys star logo with the school's "W" branding.

Who can blame James? The Cowboys have always had one of, if not the most, iconic uniforms in sports history. Plus, they had just won their first Super Bowl three years prior to James taking over the Huskies football program.

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings uniforms in 1964. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Long before James arrived on campus, the Huskies already had a shared uniform history with another NFL team - the Minnesota Vikings. Bert Rose, the first Vikings general manager during the franchise's inaugural 1961 season, was a Washington alumnus.

According to the school, Rose instructed the uniform designer to use purple and gold. The popular Vikings fan account on social media, @vikeologist, backed up the claim and provided additional context: "The original Norseman Logo was created by Los Angeles sports cartoonist named Karl Hubenthal."

Washington Huskies Uniforms

The Washington Huskies uniforms in 2025. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The official school colors are Husky Purple (PMS 2685) and Husky Gold (PMS 7502). The purple draws inspiration from the deep purple shadows on Mount Rainier at dusk. Meanwhile, the gold comes from the school being the gold standard for excellence and positive impact.

As pointed out in the X-thread, Washington has tweaked its uniforms over the years but has always remained true to its primary threads. After a 20-year partnership with Nike, the University of Washington agreed to a massive deal with adidas in 2018. The ten-year deal runs from July 1, 2019, through June 2029. The contract was reportedly worth almost $12 million annually.

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