John L Smith Era Michigan State Football Jerseys

John L Smith decided to remove center stripes from the helmet, which was a break in tradition dating back as far as 1932. However, he did bring back the Spartan head on both sides of the helmet. John L Smith also added green pants to be worn on away games.

John L Smith’s final record at Michigan State was 22 - 26 with an appearance at 2003’s Alamo Bowl.

2003 Michigan State Football Jerseys

Helmet

• Metallic green helmet
• No stripe on helmet - major break with tradition that went back as far as 1932
• Contemporary Spartan helmet logo on both sides
• White facemask
• Big Ten Conference logo over the center facemask holder
• Player numerals on back
• United States flag sticker on back
• Helmet stickers / pride stickers on back

Jersey

• "MICHIGAN STATE" appears above the player numerals – font retained from Nick Saban's jerseys
• Solid color player numerals on front
• Nike logo on left shoulder
• V-neck color and sleeve trim are the same as jersey colors
• Solid color TV numbers on top of shoulders
• Solid color player numerals on back

Away Jersey

• V-neck color and sleeve trim are green

Pants

• Solid color, no stripes
• Nike logo on upper right leg
• Contemporary Spartan helmet logo on upper left leg
• White pants worn at home, green pants worn for away games - first time in Michigan State football history that another color besides white was worn for away games dating back to 1947

Home Uniform

• Green jersey, white pants, white socks

Away Uniform

• White jersey, green pants, white socks

Mid-Season Changes

Jeremiah McLaurin hugs John L Smith (left) Agim Shabaj (right)

• Michigan State vs. Rutgers - September 06, 2003 (28 - 44 Win) - Michigan State wore plain green helmets during the 2003 home game against Rutgers; these, along with a special uniform patch with the Michigan Agricultural College logo and the number "1000" underneath, were worn in recognition of the school's 1,000 football game. The scoreboard read "Aggies," Michigan State's original mascot.
• Michigan State vs. Nebraska - December 29, 2003 (17 - 3 Loss) - Michigan State wore an Alamo Bowl patch on the right shoulder.

2004 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The style of the 2004 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 2003 with the following exceptions:

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Michigan - October 30, 2004 (45 - 37 3OT Loss) - Michigan State wore white jerseys with white pants and socks.

2005 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The style of the 2005 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 2004 with the following exceptions:

Jersey

• Solid color TV numbers on side of shoulders
• 150 Year patch commemorating the anniversary of Michigan State's foundation in 1855

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Indiana - October 29, 2005 (46 - 15 Win) - Michigan State wore green jerseys with green pants

2006 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The style of the 2006 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 2005 with the following exceptions:

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Notre Dame - September 23, 2006 (40 - 37 Loss) - A special helmet design was worn to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the November 19, 1966 "Game of the Century" between #1 ranked Notre Dame and #2 Michigan State, which ended in a 10-10 tie. Michigan State also wore a commemorative patch (shown on right).
• Michigan State vs. Ohio State - October 14, 2006 (38 - 7 Loss) - Michigan State wore green jerseys with green pants and white socks.
• Michigan State vs. Purdue - November 4, 2006 (17 - 15 Loss) - Michigan State wore green jerseys with green pants and black socks.
• Michigan State vs. Penn State - November 11, 2006 (17 - 13 Loss) - Michigan State wore white jerseys with white pants and black socks.