Uniform Norms, Transformed

Over the past century, University of Maryland basketball has come a long way—not only in its number of wins, but also in the length of athletes’ socks and shorts.

The 16–5 Terps, who return to Xfinity Center to face Northwestern tonight, are celebrating their 100th varsity season this year, and University Archives took us on a revealing tour of how men’s game-day uniforms have changed. After sporting plain black jerseys, high socks and shorts with belts (!) in its first full season in 1910–11, Maryland sporadically fielded teams before returning to stay in 1923–24. 

Since then, kneepads came and went, the awkwardly short shorts of the ’70s gave way to today’s baggier style, thick material evolved to feature sweat-wicking technology, and the logo of Terp-founded Under Armour appeared on the uniforms. UMD introduced elements of the Maryland state flag as well, whether the M flag logo, the M bar or simply its bold pattern.

Coaches’ preferences also played a role, says longtime equipment manager Ronald J. Ohringer ’85. Bob Wade liked the script font, while Gary Williams ’68 reverted to the block Maryland. Lefty Driesell incorporated gold and black jerseys into the red and white mix. Now, UMD under Mark Turgeon uses all four colors, with one addition: a commemorative patch on the back to celebrate this centennial season.