Boston College Men’s Basketball Historic Uniform Rankings

Boston College Athletics recently announced a 10-year apparel deal with New Balance that will stretch across 30 of their 31 varsity sports, including basketball. This means BC will be getting an updated look for next season! It’s hard to top what Under Armour was able to accomplish for Boston College’s primary uniforms, but their alternates often left a lot to be desired, so it should be an exciting time to see what New Balance brings to the table.

In that spirit, we’re ranking Boston College’s men’s basketball uniforms throughout the years. This is by no means an exhaustive list dating all the way back the BCMBB’s founding, but it covers much of what you’ve seen from the Eagles in the past 5 decades.

1. Under Armour’s 2nd edition primaries

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This is everything you could want out of a college basketball jersey. It’s simple, clean, with just enough highlights and detail to make it look complete. The “Boston” and “College” are on two separate lines, which you’ll find out later on in this list is important. Under Armour hit the nail on the head with their second attempt at BC’s primary uniforms.

2. Under Armour’s Script Eagles

Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

These aren't actually designed after any of BC’s historic uniforms, but doesn’t it feel like they are? The classic script look on a white jersey looks really good. There’s not too much going on, just enough to look good and give it a retro vibe that BC’s jerseys generally lack.

3. 80’s & 90’s primaries

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I swear, I’m not boring! I’m a big fan of alternate jerseys, trust me, but these classic no-nonsense primaries from the end of the 20th century just look good. A simple maroon with gold highlights will look good forever on Boston College athletes, and these jerseys are timeless because of it.

4. 2000’s Reebok primaries

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Have you ever seen a more 2000’s basketball image? This primary design from Reebok was the look for much of the Al Skinner years and is the flashiest primary jersey BC has ever had. The big italicized block letters matched perfectly with BC’s new italicized logo, and they fit great into their time period. The gold trim on the lettering is a nice touch, too.

5. Reebok’s gold alternates

I’m a big fan of gold alternates and wished the men’s team would wear something like this more often. It matches everything I said above about the 2000’s primaries, but this time in a stylish gold that mostly gets fleshed out for hockey sweaters.

6. Under Armour’s 1st edition primaries

Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

We’re getting into the jerseys that look nice, but are a bit problematic. Under Armour’s first go-around at the primaries wasn’t terrible, but they left plenty of room for improvement. Squishing the full “Boston College” on the top row wasn’t the best choice, and the polygonal shapes on the side make for odd highlights.

7. Under Armour gray-gold throwbacks

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Such a great idea ruined by the color gray. The throwback lettering combined with the gold numbers could’ve been such a good look, but using gray on a throwback just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. When you try to squish the school name on the top row again too, this jersey just misses the mark in multiple key areas.

8. 70’s & 80’s primary

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

I said earlier I’m a fan of the classics, but these classics aren’t the ones I’m talking about. The white trim around the lettering doesn’t look great, and the font choice isn’t nearly as clean as other BC jerseys. I am a BIG fan of the eagle on the shorts, though.

9. Under Armour City Edition

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At least you’re using gray on a modern uniform instead of a throwback, but the creativity just isn’t there. They add the Boston city skyline to the shorts, but otherwise keep everything the same from the primaries. Reebok did the same thing with alternate gold and it worked much better.

10. Early 1970’s primaries / Under Armour throwbacks

Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Not only did they paint another throwback uniform gray, but this throwback isn't even very good. The script lettering is messy, not stylish. Please take notes on the more recent Eagles script on how to do it correctly. I know this is pretty accurate to what the early 70’s primary uniforms looked like, but that doesn't make it good.

11. 90’s Alternates

Oh my, where do I even begin. I’m showing the white and maroon versions of this one just to prove to you that these don’t look good in ANY color. They might be a little charming in a sort of 90’s nostalgia kind of way, but don’t tell me you wouldn’t barf if BC walked out in these things next season. The letter spacing is all off, the number font is totally different from the rest of the jersey, and the block “BostoN” with “college” underneath is just so gimmicky. Need I go on?

Honorable Mention: 1905 SWAG

Bring back belts & pants.

Really though, I wouldn’t mind a throwback jersey using this BC logo. (Looking at you, New Balance!)