Florida reveals blue helmets for throwback uniforms game vs. Missouri

The Florida Gators had planned to wear throwback uniforms against Missouri for months prior to the 2020 season, going so far as to reveal that in graphics released prior to the season.

But the program had a surprise up its sleeve — or, rather, on pegs in lockers — when it comes to this week’s sartorial choices: The Gators will wear blue helmets with an old-school block F, which they revealed on Monday morning via social media.

Florida has not worn blue helmets in more than four decades, last regularly donning them in 1965.

The helmets also appear to have a matte finish, which I believe would be a rarity in the modern era, and maybe even a first for Florida. The program’s classic orange helmets with Gators written in script worn since the late 1970s have always come with a gloss finish, which has also been true for various alternate helmets — a variety of white ones, but also the “swamp green” lids it wore in 2017 — donned in recent years.

Florida also released a look at its blue jersey and black cleats for this Saturday’s game.

And while the full throwback uniforms for this Saturday’s game have yet to be fully revealed, they are unlikely to vary significantly from the fauxbacks worn a year ago against Auburn, which incorporated many elements of 1960s-era Florida uniforms into a gorgeous design. The program confirmed in its release on the uniforms that it will wear white pants with the blue helmets and jerseys and black cleats, and wearing blue pants — a very modern look for Florida — with a classic-style jersey would seem to me to be veering too far from something beloved, even if many on social media will beckon for them this week.

After all, even though it did not precisely reproduce anything the Gators actually wore in days of yore, that 2019 outfit enjoyed great critical acclaim as a strong look — though Florida’s stirring victory over the Tigers certainly helped in Gator Nation’s eyes.