STARKVILLE, MS -- Few institutions treasure their traditions the way Texas A&M does and for more than 80 years the Aggie football team’s uniform’s primary color on game day has been maroon or white. However, today against Mississippi State the Aggies will wear specially-designed all-black uniforms for the first time in school history.

“With Mississippi State receiving a special exemption to wear white uniforms at home, we were approached by adidas with an opportunity to do something very exciting and distinctive for this game, without straying too far away from our traditional look,” Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin said. “I know the players are pumped and ready for this big game, and I think the recruits will like the new look.”

Designed by adidas and using the same innovative TECHfit technology as A&M’s normal home and road uniforms, the black jersey and pants feature maroon trim with matching adizero Smoke gloves and adidas TEAM Speed socks . The helmet is a collaborative effort with Riddell and Hydro Graphics Inc., and fades from black to maroon. The Lone Star logo design on the helmet is a fusion of the school’s traditional “TAM” mark within the state of Texas outline, which was unveiled as a part of the base adidas uniform back in July.

It will be the first time the Aggies have worn uniforms that weren’t maroon or white since the late 1920s. Red and white were Texas A&M’s official school colors prior to the late 1920s. At that time, an order went out for football jerseys in those colors. An error was made and the jerseys came back maroon and white. An athletic department official decided there were too many schools with the color red and decided to keep the maroon jerseys. Thus, the Aggies’ official colors became maroon and white.

Visit www.aggieathletics.com for more information and photos of the special uniform. Follow the uniform conversation on Twitter at #12thMan and #teamadidas.