University of Houston football will defy NFL, feature alternate light blue uniform in 2024

In defiance of a cease-and-desist order from the NFL, the University of Houston is moving ahead with plans to use a powder blue uniform as an alternate option for the Cougar football team.

The Houston Chronicle reports school officials sent a letter to the NFL last month saying that, after weighing its legal options, the university was reversing an earlier decision to shelve the jerseys.

"This isn’t a reach. This is a layup," UH athletic director Chris Pezman told the Chronicle at the Big 12’s spring meetings. "We’ve got a very defensible position."

The Cougars wore the blue uniforms in their 2023 season opener, sparking a threat of legal action from the NFL's merchandising and licensing division, which described them as "blatant copying" of the ones worn by the former Houston Oilers.

According to the Chronicle, university officials had not received a reply from the NFL as of late Tuesday.

"We’re giving them two or three weeks to respond," Pezman said. "We’re waiting on a response to see if we get one."

Pezman said an updated design has modified the striping on the uniforms, and uses a slightly different shade of blue than the Columbia blue the Oilers popularized in the late 1970s. He also pointed out that other schools, notably Mississippi and Louisiana Tech, also feature a similar light blue uniform color and design.

The overall response to the blue uniforms has been, in Pezman's words, "overwhelming."

The school hasn't announced when the team might wear the alternate blue jerseys this football season, its first as a member of the Big 12 conference.

The UH women's soccer and golf teams also wore their own versions of the blue uniforms last year − and the university is considering expanding the rollout to potentially include all sports.