School colors, also known asuniversity colors orcollege colors, are thecolors chosen by a school, academy, college, university or institute as part of itsbrand identity, used on building signage, web pages, branded apparel, and the uniforms of sports teams. They can promote connection to the school, known as "school spirit", and help differentiate it from other institutions.[1]
The tradition of school colors appears to have started in England in the 1830s. TheUniversity of Cambridge choseCambridge blue for theBoat Race against theUniversity of Oxford in 1836,[2]Westminster School have used pink as their color since a boat race againstEton School in 1837,[3] andDurham University adoptedpalatinate purple for its MA hood some time before that degree was first awarded in 1838.[4]
Many US colleges adopted school colors between 1890 and 1910. These were generally chosen to be distinctive, something that grew harder as more colors and color combinations were taken, although many Presbyterian colleges chose to imitatePrinceton University's black and orange.[5] Some American schools have adopted one or more of the colors of red, white or blue from thenational flag.[6]
The most popular colors among US colleges ranked in the 2012 Forbes Top 50 or in the 2012–13 NCAA basketball or cross-country rankings were white, blue, red, black, and gold. These same five colors were the most popular five colors among colleges in each of the three rankings individually.[7]
The use of colors to identify university sports teams dates back at least to the secondBoat Race betweenOxford andCambridge in 1836.[2] While most universities use the same color(s) for their sports and other university branding,Cambridge Blue is only one of twelve colors in the supporting palette for the university, not one of their six core colors.[8] TheUniversity of Nottingham uses green and gold for its sports, but the rest of the university uses blue as its brand color.[9][10]Roger Williams University changed its athletics colors in 2018 to match the university colors, in order to "foster a strong, unified visual identity for RWU Athletics that is more cohesive with the overall University", stating that "this combination will be powerful in strengthening RWU's brand identity and awareness".[11]
Most competitive teams keep two sets of uniforms in different colors so the two teams in a match can be distinguished. In some sports, such asAmerican football, a darker color, often the school's main color is emphasized on home uniforms, with the away team wearing a lighter color or white,[12] while in other sports, such asbasketball, a lighter color is used for the home team and a darker color for the away team.[13] A third option used for some sports, such asassociation football, is that the home team gets to choose their color and the away team plays in a contrasting strip.[14]
In addition, various groups that generate support for athletic teams, includingcheerleaders andmarching bands, wear uniforms with the colors of their school.[citation needed] At many private schools, or more traditional state schools, "colors" areawards presented for achievement in a sport.[15]
The university color can sometimes become a nickname for the sports program. For example, the Palatinate (Durham) and the African Violet (Loughborough) in the UK,[16][17] and theHarvard Crimson andCornell Big Red in the US.[18]
School colors are also used in the academic dress of many institutions. The first school color adopted by a university for its academic dress waspalatinate purple atDurham University, England, some time between 1835 and 1838.[19][4] Schools in the US that award anacademic hood to their students and abide by theAmerican Council on Education guidelines use hoods lined with their school colors and trimmed with velvet in a color indicating the discipline of the degree.[20] Some USdoctoral robes will also be in the colors of the university which granted the degree, departing from the Academic Costume Code color of black.[21]
Many British, Irish and Commonwealth universities and some American universities have anacademic scarf in the university's colors, usually long, woollen and patterned only with lengthwise stripes of varying widths. Atcollegiate universities such as the universities ofOxford,Cambridge,Durham, andLancaster, each college has its own colors and scarf. Other non-collegiate universities such asGlasgow andNewcastle have scarf colors for each faculty.[22]
(at school, college, or university) an honour given to people who have been chosen for a sports team, often represented by a special symbol on a shirt or tie
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