Written by Ken Ables
On July 7, Aztec Football teased “One week out,” the implication that new uniforms for the 2025 season would be unveiled on July 14. While some were hoping for a new look, I had my fingers crossed that the Piedra del Sol – the Aztec calendar – would stay on the sleeves, pants and, of course, the helmets. The calendar has been our signature look for 10 years; all-black uniforms have been our brand since 1963.
After constantly checking and refreshing my laptop throughout the morning, we finally got our answer a little after noon. The home uniforms remained unchanged, with two exceptions: SAN DIEGO STATE is no longer across the front chest of the jersey, and the jersey’s collar is now red, a shoutout to the team’s motto “Blood In, Blood Out.”
To my delight the Aztec Calendar on the sleeves, pants and helmet remains!
The biggest change: all-white road uniforms, with red collar, no name on the front and red & black calendars on both sleeves and legs. Very clean looks. Love it!
Matteo Ortiz – the driving force behind Sons of Montezuma – wrote a great article on the new uniforms: If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out his article.
The Tradition Continues
I’ve been going to Aztec football games for a long time. My first season was in 1962. Don Coryell was in his second season as head coach, and the Aztecs looked sharp in their black jerseys, silver pants and silver helmets. But Don wanted a unique, more intimidating look for his Aztecs.
On October 12, 1963, the Aztecs took the field at Aztec Bowl for the first time in black jerseys, black pants and solid red helmets. Final score: Aztecs 33, Long Beach State 8. It was the first of 264 wins while wearing black pants and jerseys, with only 121 losses and 6 ties. That calculates to a .683 winning percentage, and that includes 17 sub-.500 seasons between 1983 and 2009.
The all-black look has been copied by teams across the NCAA – even schools with no black in their colors (I’m looking at you, Boise State and San Jose State), but it started right here on Montezuma Mesa.
With the exception of 1980 and 1983, the Aztecs have worn black jerseys, black pants and red helmets at home. (And they even wore all-back at home for at least one game in both of those seasons.) How did that work out? Since 1963 the Aztecs are 3-6-0 at home when not wearing all-black.
The new-look 2025 uniforms are the 14th different all-black uniforms the Aztecs have worn since 1963. Here’s a look at the previous 13…
The Coryell Uniforms: 1963-72
The original all-black set. Red stripes outlined in white on the shoulders and sleeves; red and white stripes on the pants; solid red helmet. Aztecs wore these 10 seasons. They were 56-8-1 in these all-black unis (and 33-7-0 in their whites). Three undefeated seasons, three national championships, three bowl wins.
The Gilbert uniforms: 1973-85
After Don left to take the head coaching job with the Cardinals in 1973, defensive coordinator Claude Gilbert was promoted to head coach. The Gilbert uniforms were similar to the Coryells. Pants and helmets remained the same; stripes moved from shoulders and made larger on the sleeves. AZTECS was added to each side of the helmets in 1978.
But then came the 80’s. In all areas from space exploration, technology, and even in hollywood, it was a decade truly focused on all things in the future—or so it seemed that ways back then. For the 1980 season, Claude wanted a completely new look.
Black jerseys were replaced with red, white pants home and away, and black helmets with red AZTECS on each side. This was the first white-on-white-look road unis for the Aztecs since before the Coryell era. The change was not well received by the fan base.
SDSU switched to the traditional all black for a couple of home games and wore their red/white set for the last game, Claude’s final as head coach. The all black set and the red helmet with AZTECS on it returned in 1981, and stayed through 1985, except for the first four home games of the 1983 season.
The Aztecs wore white pants for 4 afternoon home games in 1983. Photo: Venture
Three Seasons, Two Different Looks: 1986-88
So, after 23 seasons of the same pants and helmets and two home jerseys (except for 8 games), the next 29 seasons featured 6 different home versions of all-black, plus one home alternate:
The Marshall Faulk Uniforms: 1989-99
Left: These uniforms, debuting in 1989, were made famous by Marshall Faulk in 1991. Right: A much cleaner look on the shoulders, no stripes on the pants, 1992-99. Photo: Ernie Anderson
Although Marshall made these uniforms famous, the Aztecs introduced this set two years before he arrived on the Mesa. I have to confess that I never liked these uniforms. Yes, Marshall was the talk of the college football world. He introduced himself and reintroduced San Diego State to the nation.
But I didn’t like the look and at the time neither did much of the talking heads of college football. Black was too radical for people’s taste—at least the way I see how SDSU had executed it. There was too much going on. I think they were trying to bring back the Coryell look, and they were close.
They were improved for Marshall’s final year in 1993, and the Aztecs wore these through the 1999 season. Bolder shoulder striping and solid black pants with no stripes.
21st Century Aztecs: 2000-05
Once again the sign of the times influenced SDSU to try and make drastic changes. The new millennium brought an all-new look to Aztec football. All-black at home (with a lot of red some years), plus some all-white on the road.
They featured all the piping and striping that was popular early this century. A rebrand gave the Aztecs an updated Montezuma, plus an “Aztec tribal pattern look” design running down on the pants and sleeve bands.
The 2000 and 2001 jerseys featured red shoulders and sleeves. The Aztecs switched to solid-black jerseys in 2002 and kept them through 2005.
In 2004, they introduced an alternate black and red jersey (the opposite of the 2000-01 jersey). Reviews were mixed. I liked them. And I like that they wore them in the 31-10 victory over BYU in 2005.
Left: Aztec Hall of Famer J.R. Tolver sports a new look for the new millennium: 2001. Center: Solid black for Aztec Hall of Famer Kirk Morrison and the Dark Side Defense: 2002. Right: Lynell Hamilton in home alternates, 2005. Photos: Ernie Anderson
Where’s the Red? 2006-11
The uniforms stabilized again in 2006 with another version of red helmets and black-on-black for home. And much like the Faulk jerseys, there was not enough visible red on these jerseys.
The Aztecs were 13-35 in these for the first four seasons, before Brady Hoke’s 2010 team went 9-4 and started a decade-plus of Aztec success. Rocky Long’s first team went 8-5 in the final year in these unis.
Searching for an Aztec Look: 2012-14
The next three seasons brought three different uniforms sets, as the Aztecs tinkered with uniform design and fonts. In 2013, the current Aztec font was introduced and incorporated into the uniforms.
Left: TE Gavin Escobar in 2012. The only season with AZTECS across the chest. Center: Adam Muema carries in 2013. The first season of the Aztec font used today. Right: Subtle changes for 2014: numbers outlined in red, stripe on pants. Photos: Ernie Anderson
The Greatest Helmets and Uniforms in Football: 2015-Present
Since 2015, as Matteo described, the Aztecs have featured the Piedra del Sol calendar on their helmets, sleeves and pants. I love this look and am so glad that it was kept in the redesign this year.
A lot of great football has been played in these uniforms, and I look for more in the Aztecs’ final year in the Mountain West and into the PAC-12 in 2026.
Left: Most current Piedra Del Sol helmet. Center: Rashaad Penny carries in the Aztecs’ 20-17 win over #19 Stanford in 2017 in the Piedra del Sol uniforms. Photo: Ernie Anderson. Right: CB Chris Johnson and OL Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli in the 2025 uniform redesign. Photo: San Diego State
All Whites are Back!
The all-white road uniforms debuting in 2025 were met with great fanfare. Players and fans have been calling for this revival for several years. Granted, black pants have been the norm since 1963, but not every season. 2025 will be the sixth season with an all-white road uniform.
All-whites – the first five: QB Matt Kofler, 1980; RB Paul Hewitt, 1987; LB Matt McCoy, 2004; QB Ryan Lindley, 2009; RB Donnel Pumphrey, 2013. Photos: Ernie Anderson
The first season in all whites was 1980 and it featured white jerseys and the same white pants worn at home with the red jerseys. Even though the Aztecs wore white pants at home in 1983, they still wore black pants for all road games.
It was back to black pants on the road from 1981 to 1986, but the all-white road unis returned with the new uniforms rolled out in 1987. But again, it was back to black pants in 1988. Even with new uniform designs, black pants remained for road games through the 2003 season. They made a single-game appearance at Idaho in 2009. (Yuck)
When new uniforms were introduced in 2013, all-white was the only road uniform presented. We expected all-whites all year. After wearing black pants at Ohio State in the first road game, the Aztecs unveiled the all-whites at New Mexico State.
After trailing 16-5 at the half, the Aztecs shut out the Aggies 21-0 in the second half for a 10-point road Win. This was true freshman Donnel Pumphrey’s breakout game in his NCAA record-setting career, rushing for 167 yards and 3 TDs. The score was closer than Rocky Long liked, so, despite the 10-point road win, the white pants were deemed bad luck and never worn again.
While all-white looks great, the Aztecs’ record in them has been less than spectacular: 7-18 for a .280 winning percentage. While simultaneously they may seem like fan & player favorites, they also do seem cursed. The all whites were mostly worn by teams that finished below .500.
Twelve years after that game in Las Cruces, all-whites are scheduled to make their comeback this September 6th in the Aztecs game on the road vs Washington State. Maybe a future NCAA record holder will have his breakout game in these all-whites!
Alternates?
Sean Lewis hinted that there may be alternate color schemes in the Aztecs’ future. I think that would be a great addition. As a lifelong Aztec fan and uniform nerd, I’d like to make a couple of suggestions:
I would guess that all-red is already in the works. It makes sense. Call them the Blood In, Blood Out unis. How about an all-gray set with a gray and white helmet? And jerseys, pants and helmets could be mixed and matched. Sixteen possible combinations.
Whatever the uniform, I will be at Snapdragon Stadium August 28 for the kickoff of the Aztecs 103rd football season. It will be my 469th Aztec football game, my 64th season and my family’s 80th.
See you at Snapdragon. Go Aztecs!
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One Response
Enough of the Piedra del Sol. It’s too busy and doesn’t translate well from a distance… if at all. As such, it appears amateurish and goofy with weak intent. Ten years is too long for this novelty graphic, iteration, and approach. The “wow” was derived from logo execution and not a strong design per se. Not necessarily bad; but it’s just not a design element strong enough to carry your message out front. It trys to sell the “steak” and not the “sizzle.” But in the marketing world, it seldom works …if ever. As such, It wore off quickly by after the second year. In advertising and promotions, you want the opposite. Instead, do what Utah State has done. If you want the Piedra, use blown-up portions of it as a graphic base to build on top from and not as a stand-alone element in an attempt to take charge with. As a base highlight to create off of, it becomes a bold graphic accent with now an even stronger sentiment and deeper meaning instead. In the graphic arts world, we have a saying, “You can’t scream class!”