Nick Saban Era Michigan State Football Jerseys

Nick Saban put the contemporary Spartan helmet logo back on both sides of the helmet and reincorporated the three-stripe effect on the helmets and pants from the Darryl Rogers era.

The helmets were painted with a metallic green paint. This color made the helmets look darker than pervious years, but this is an illusion caused by the reflective nature of the metallic paint. Spartan fans reference the Nick Saban years as the era that the “helmets didn’t match the jerseys” because of the metallic paint.

Nick Saban’s final record at Michigan State was 34 - 24 - 1 with an appearance at 1995’s Independence Bowl, 1996's Sun Bowl and 1997's Aloha Bowl.

1995 Michigan State Football Jerseys

Helmet

• Metallic green helmet
• Three stripes: one-inch white center stripe, a half-inch gap and a half-inch white flanking stripe
• Contemporary Spartan helmet logo on both sides
• White facemask
• Big Ten Conference logo over the center facemask holder
• Player numerals on a single sticker on back

Jersey

• "MICHIGAN STATE" appears above the player numerals
• Outlined player numerals on front
• Reebok logo on left shoulder
• V-neck color is opposite as jersey colors
• Outlined TV numbers on top of shoulders
• Diamond block "S" logo on side of shoulders
• Player last names on the back above the player numerals
• Outlined player numerals on back
• For the 1995 season, Michigan State wore a green and white Big Ten Centennial patch on their right shoulder. The other Big Ten teams also wore the patch, but with their respective school colors.

Pants

• White pants
• Three stripes on the pants, with the middle being the thickest
• Reebok logo on upper right 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

Notable

• 1995 was the first season of Michigan State’s five-year contract with Reebok. It was also the first Michigan State sport to gain a major athletic apparel contract.

1996 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The style of the 1996 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 1995 with the following exception:

Jersey

• Reebok logo on right shoulder

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Stanford - December 31, 1996 (38 - 0 Loss) - Michigan State wore a Norwest Sun Bowl patch on their left shoulder

1997 - 1998 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The style of the 1997 - 1998 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 1996 with the following exception:

Jersey

• Reebok logo under the v-neck

1999 Michigan State Football Jerseys

The 1999 season was the last season the jerseys and pants were provided by Reebok, ending a five year relationship. Starting in the 2000 season and continuing to the present, Nike has outfitted the major sports at Michigan State University with their uniforms.

The style of the 1999 Michigan State football jerseys, helmets and pants are the same as 1997 - 1998 with the following exceptions:

Jersey

• Solid color player numerals on front
• Solid color TV numbers on top of shoulders
• Solid color player numerals on back

Pants

• Contemporary Spartan helmet logo on upper left leg

Mid-Season Changes

• Michigan State vs. Flordia - January 1, 2000 (37 - 34 win) - Michigan State wore a Citrus Bowl patch on their left shoulder
• Nick Saban did not coach the Citrus Bowl because he abruptly resigned to accept the head coaching position with LSU. Nick Saban's assistant head coach and successor, Bobby Williams, coached the Spartans to Citrus Bowl victory over Florida.