George Perles Era Michigan State Football Jerseys

When George Perles became the head coach of Michigan State football team in 1983 he outfitted the Spartans to look like the Pittsburgh Steelers, which he was the assistant head coach for during the previous season in 1982.

George Perles final record at Michigan State was 68 - 67 - 4. He held the Big Ten Conference Championship title in 1987 and 1990, earned victories at 1988's Rose Bowl, 1989's Aloha Bowl and 1990's John Hancock Bowl, and made appearances at 1984’s Cherry Bowl, 1985's Hall of Fame Classic, 1989's Gator Bowl and 1993's Liberty Bowl.

1983 - 1994 Michigan State Football Jerseys

It can be speculated that George Perles tweaked the jerseys and helmets during his eleven-year tenure at Michigan State, but based on very limited photographs, no significant style changes have been identified between 1983 – 1994.

Helmet

• Green helmet
• One-inch white center stripe
• Block "S" logo on the right side
• White facemask
• Word "STATE" or "SPARTANS" over the center facemask holder, depending on the season
• Player numerals above the center facemask holder on the front

Jersey

• "MICHIGAN STATE" appears above the player numerals – font reminiscent of the 1965 - 1966 national championship teams
• Solid color player numerals on front
• V-neck color and sleeve trim are the opposite as jersey colors
• Three stripes on the sleeves, with the middle being the thickest - some players had their sleeves cut short making the appearance of just two stripes
• Player last names on the back above the player numerals
• Solid color player numerals on back

Pants

• White pants
• Single thick green stripe down the leg
• Same pants used for home and away games

Home Uniform

• Green jersey, white pants, white socks

Away Uniform

• White jersey, white pants, white socks

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Georgia Tech - December 31, 1985 (17 - 14 Loss) - Michigan State wore an All-American Bowl patch on top of the left shoulder
• Michigan State vs. USC - January 1, 1988 (20 - 17 Win) - Michigan State wore Rose Bowl patches on top of both shoulders
• Michigan State vs. Hawaii December 25, 1989 (33 - 13 Loss) - Michigan State wore Aloha Bowl patches on top of both shoulders
• Michigan State vs. USC - December 31, 1990 (17 - 16 Win) - Michigan State wore John Hancock Bowl patches on top of both shoulders
• Michigan State vs. Louisville - December 28, 1993 (18 - 7 Loss) - Michigan State wore Liberty Bowl patches on top of both shoulders