Uniforms have become more than just a symbol representing each football program.
At the collegia level, programs have become creative with the design of their uniforms, often having several different combinations across a wide color palette. While some programs stick to a classic design, much like what is seen in the NFL, others experiment on a yearly basis with different technology, colors and designs that make them standout on game day.
A college's ability to have a wide variety of combinations often stems from contracts with major brands such as Nike, Under Armour and Adidas, which not only includes uniforms but cleats, merchandise and other accessories.
Arizona high school football programs in recent years have explored the use of uniforms from big-name companies through contracts with third-party providers, giving them more opportunity to outfit an entire program in matching attire both on and off the field.
With that, an important question came to mind:
Which Arizona high school football program has the best uniforms?
For me, personally, I am a big fan of Chandler's white helmet, blue jersey and blue pants combination. I also enjoy Valley Christian's white helmet, blue jersey and white pants combination. If you couldn't tell, my favorite color is blue.
I also enjoy the combinations Highland has put together the last two seasons since making the switch to being outfitted by Under Armour. The Hawks sport a matte black helmet with black, white, teal and gray jerseys, and matching pants.
The team at ArizonaVarsity.com, and several folks responding to my initial question on Twitter, weighed in with their opinions.
Chris Eaton
"I've gotta weigh in here with the look of Cactus wearing the Columbia Blue tops and the dark pants. It's a unique look that only a few other schools pull off. Off the top of my head, only Pueblo, Deer Valley, and Benjamin Franklin have that lighter shade of blue as a primary uniform color, so you know who you're watching. Then, Cactus is distinguishable because the Cobras have had that light blue helmet with CACTUS spelled out since the late 1990s.
I'm also a big fan of Hamilton's new road unis we saw last year at Chaparral. I know red is part of the Huskies' color scheme, but when the 53-game win streak comes to mind, I only seem to remember HHS wearing white, black, and silver. Leave that red for Perry and stay in those colors. Back in the day, Hamilton would have a 14-0 lead against some teams the minute they stepped on the field and the opposition was intimated by the giant they were facing."
Eric Newman
"I'm a fan of the Valley Vista uniforms through Nike. I always appreciate the simple all-blacks with white and a tertiary jewel color (think the Monsoon, Highland with the teal, Saguaro with the gold, WF with the red, etc.) and the purple Valley Vista has is really clean. With the pink accessories...whew I love it.
PS: All the other teams I've covered, I promise I don't dislike yours. Please don't hate me."
Jason Skoda
"I love this topic; probably because I grew up in Cleveland and the Browns' orange helmets were so bland and I was never a fan of the brown and orange combo. Just garbage.
I love Desert Vista's new uniforms with the thunder bolt on the helmet. Highland with the teal pants is in the running along with Chaparral, but the one I like the most is Benjamin Franklin's baby blue San Diego Charger look that I have to go with as the best. Just a clean look with a great color scheme. The Chargers are the best in the NFL and Ben Franklin is AZ's best."
Cody Cameron
"I agree with Jason here. Benjamin Franklin’s charger blue jerseys with the gold pants and helmets are one of the best uniform combos in the state. Really liked Williams Field’s All-black and red jerseys from last year. Those were some simple, clean, and tough looking jerseys right there."
Chilly
"I dig Benjamin Franklin's powder blues."
Andy Silvas
"My top three uniform combinations are ALA - Gilbert North's black matted helmets, with blue and white uniforms, and "ALA' stitched in on the pants. I also like Red Mountain's maroon and the grays. They really pop, as do their white and maroon uniforms. I'm also a fan of the Williams Field red tops and Black pants, with black helmets."
Ralph Amsden
"I have a few that stand out. First, I'm a sucker for matte purple helmets, so any time Notre Dame or Queen Creek break those out, I'm all in. But my favorite overall combinations are as follows:
1) Salpointe's all whites with maroon helmets. Part of the reason is the way they play... when a team comes in looking this clean, with the intent to get these uniforms as messy as possible, I have to respect it.
2) Gray is my favorite color. These Central High solid grays are near-perfect. The only way this could be better is if they had a matte black helmet to go with the jersey/pant combination. I'm also a big fan of the lettering.
1) My top uniform in the state is one that I've been head over heels in love with since they were unveiled back in 2018. The Monument Valley Mustangs on the Navajo reservation have an all-red with silver lid from Under Armour, and I'm not sure I've ever liked any uniform more.
One thing that I've also enjoyed is the innovation in 7-on-7 outfitting. Teams like Tucson Turf bring it with the classic combinations, and recognizeable logo, but O.T.B. Elite has cornered the market in touch-football summer swag."
Online Reaction
Elliott Grubbs, the father of NAU signee Tyson Grubbs and Desert Vista sophomore Devon Grubbs, showed off the Thunder's new gray, navy and white uniforms for the 2019 season.
Sports360AZ's Eric Sorenson weighed in with Pinnacle's Military Appreciation Night uniforms.
It isn't just the level of talent that makes the Saguaro football program intimidating. The black and gold combo with the matte black helmet will always be one of the best.
Arizona College Prep coach Myron Blueford has turned the program around and improved in the win column and how the Knights look on Friday nights.
Notre Dame Prep added a new satin purple helmet to the mix this season and it's a very good look.
Chandler Hovik has the Central program moving in the right direction and these Adidas uniforms offer a clean look for the Bobcats.
A trip to Laveen is needed after Cesar Chavez coach J.R. Alcantar shared the Champions sleek uniforms.
Gilbert Christian head coach Danny Norris showed off his team's simple, yet clean look.
Brophy hasn't strayed far from its classic look, and for good reason.
Yet another great use of purple in the far East Valley at Queen Creek.
Marana recently went away from the LSU look but maintained that classic blue, white and gold color scheme. Look closely and you'll see tiger stripes on the helmet, side of the pants and inside the numbers on the away jerseys.
Black, white and burnt orange. A great color combo pulled off by Desert Edge.
The Poston Butte football program makes navy blue, orange and gray look good together.
Red, white and blue. Enough said.
(Managing Editor's Note: Coolidge has the best helmet, by far)
Mountain Pointe's maroon and gold uniforms will forever be a staple in the Arizona high school football community. But I would be lying if I said I didn't love the Pride's black uniforms.
Sabino is another program that knows how to pull off purple. A similar look to Notre Dame Prep but those white helmets with gold decals and face masks is a thing of beauty.
Yet another classic color scheme down south in Nogales.
Combs proves you simply can't go wrong with a black and red combo.
As a huge Notre Dame fan, the navy blue and gold combo is right up there as one of my favorites.
Chaparral is one of the few, if not the only program that has the ability to not only debut a different jersey/pants combo, but also a different helmet. All of them look good.
Not very many teams in Arizona use green as a primary color, which makes Thatcher's that much more unique.
Glendale's uniforms offer a simple design with a variety of different colors. The yellow is a nice change of pace from the red, black and white that is common in the state.
I have always been a fan of Centennial's classic logo on the side of the navy blue helmet. The all navy combo is one of the cleanest in the state but these red and white uniforms make for a great alternate.
Big fan of Winslow's camo and breast cancer awareness uniforms.
Another clean look by the boys on 35th, Carl Hayden. The blue and gold looks similar to Deleware minus the winged helmet decal.
I really like this look from Desert Heights Prep in Glendale. The maroon helmet contrasts well with the white and black uniforms.
