• Alt. White, Purple N: The 2013 season opener at Cal featured NU's all-white uniform, the first white/white/white uni for NU since 1980, and it included this helmet, the first white helmet with the Northwestern N.  Like the Gator Bowl N, this logo featured a silver outline, similar to the variation of the helmet logo that NU sported from 1982 through 1993.  The N also was a slightly different shape from the current purple helmet's logo, again similar to the 1980s version of the logo:

• Alt. Purple, 2016 Outback: NU unveiled still another alternate helmet in the 2016 Outback Bowl. The helmet kept NU's standard logo on the left side, but replaced it on the right side with the player's number. The helmet also had an Outback Bowl and a Chicago flag decal added to the back.
  

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2013 Wounded Warrior Uniform (Alt. Warrior)

Under Armour provided an alternate uniform for the 2013 game vs. Michigan.  The response to the uniform was mixed, and there was some controversy (to say the least, as seen in the comments sections here and here and here).  While some fans viewed the uniforms as a fitting and stark tribute to vets and "edgy," others were put off by the perceived mistreatment of the flag or what appeared to be blood splatter (both NU and Under Armour released statements denying the design represented blood spray; it was intended to be a "distressed" pattern).  NU donated a portion of the sales of replica jerseys to the Wounded Warrior project, and the school gave 100% of the proceeds of an auction of the game-worn jerseys.

Regardless of controversy, the one-use alternate uniform generated national attention, which was somewhat surprising because Under Armour had actually unveiled the same uniform in 2012 for Hawaii and Boston College.  There was nothing unique to the NU version of the uniform.

The uniform broke with NU tradition on multiple levels.  It was the first time since NU began wearing a true football uniform in 1888 that the team's uniform did not sport a single stitch of purple.  Even games played in 1879 through 1886 likely included purple garments of some sort (although that cannot be confirmed).  The last time the team wore no purple was quite likely the 1876 game against the Chicago Football Club.

HELMET: The 'Cats wore a split-designed flag helmet, the (player's) right side sporting the star-spangled blue field, the left a "distressed" red and white stripe design.  The face mask was grey.


JERSEY: The grey jersey (the first grey jersey for NU in well over 100 years) also sported the flag motif, on the shoulders.  The shoulder patches greatly resembled the old College All-Star uniform design (although that is likely a coincidence).  The sleeves (of the compression shirt, not the jersey itself) had the Northwestern "N" logo with the flag design that NU originally used on its helmet in 2011.

The jersey still had the word "NORTHWESTERN" on the chest, but the font for both the wordmark and the numbers was a block font.  The white numbers had a red outline; the wordmark did not.

Unlike the standard jerseys, the Warrior jersey had no name on the back; rather, several different patriotic words were sewn onto the back.  These include "duty," "country," and "commitment."


PANTS: Also grey, also sporting the split flag design, with the stars and blue field on the right leg, stripes on the left.  The "N" with flag design was attached to the left hip.  Socks were grey.  The left shoe was striped; the right shoe was blue and star-spangled.

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2014-2015 Northwestern Gothic Uniform (Alt. Gothic)

As the comments from 2012, at the top of this page, demonstrate, Under Armour and NU had planned since the beginning to produce a version of the uniform that incorporated NU's arches, ivy and gothic sign lettering. They decided to unveil the uniform for the 2014 night homecoming game against Nebraska.

The uniforms are predominantly black and gold, with purple as a supporting color. It should be noted that black and gold were NU's original colors, selected by the students in 1879 (before that, NU's teams wore a variety of colors, including light blue and white, and brown and white; however, none of these were official colors). Black and gold lasted only briefly, before the school switched to purple and gold later in 1879. NU's early football teams did wear purple and gold, but the football team has never worn the original black and gold-- at least, not until this uniform.

It's only my opinion, but I think that this is the greatest alternate uniform that Northwestern has ever produced. I hope that this sticks, and becomes *the* alternate-- possibly once annually-- uniform for the program. It is perfectly Northwestern.

HELMET: The black matte alternate helmet introduced in 2012 gets more decals. This time, the N is in purple, outlined in gold. For the first time since 1980, the helmet has a stripe: a modified northwestern stripe of gold-purple-gold. For the first time ever, there is an image on the back of the helmet: the NU Weber Arch.

 

2015 JERSEY: The Wildcats broke out the Gothic Uniforms for the 2015 home game vs. Minnesota. The helmet and pants were identical to the 2014 uniform, but the jersey was changed, from purple numbers to gold:




PANTS: Also black, with the brick/ivy pattern and the modified stripe on the back of the legs.