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UCLA fauxback uniforms an eyesore masquerading as history

The UCLA Bruins will once again wear a throwback for their final game of the year. Last year, UCLA wore an all white fauxback against USC. This year, in their final home game of the year, UCLA will wear a fauxback with a similar font but now in navy blue. What pants and helmet will be worn with the uniform are as yet unknown.

All that is known is that adidas is calling this an LA Nights uniform (somewhat surprising since the time for UCLA's game against Stanford is still TBA). UCLA wore navy blue at home, just like their parent school Cal, until 1949. 1954 was the year UCLA added the now infamous UCLA stripe over the shoulder. UCLA first wore Claredon typeface numerals in 1954 as well. Thus, this uniform is an amalgamation of past UCLA uniform elements; a fauxback not a throwback.

Adidas has doubled down on the fauxback market recently, including these for Michigan and these for Notre Dame which throwback to a specific time period but aren't an attempt to replicate a specific era. Nike has done this too with their Pro Combat line, borrow elements to create a themed uniform.

Courtesy of the Los Angeles public library, here's a picture of a UCLA football player from 1947. Navy jersey, block numerals. The helmet is certainly white while the pants and numerals are gold. Here they are in action in action against SMU at the Coliseum. The UCLA player is the one getting stiff armed.

UCLA did make it's first two Rose Bowl's in the 1940s, so it would be cool to see them do true throwbacks someday. These LA Nights uniforms with blue numbers on a blue jersey are an eyesore masquerading as a piece of history. Still, they ought to look good with a white helmet and gold pants.