BLUE PRINT
Identity
Maize, blue and the Jumpman.
Jordan Brand · First in football
Jumpman
The Michigan Football program was the first college and/or professional football program to wear Jordan on its uniforms and sideline apparel, starting with the 2016 season. The Wolverines are in their ninth season wearing brand Jordan apparel.
Michigan was joined by North Carolina as Jordan football schools in 2017, while Oklahoma and Florida were outfitted by Jordan starting with the 2018 season. UCLA has since been added to the schools sporting the brand.
Jordan outfits Michigan from head-to-toe on all apparel needs for the football and basketball programs. Michigan and NIKE began its 15-year agreement on Aug. 1, 2016.
Since 1867
Maize and Blue
The official colors of the University of Michigan are maize and blue, not yellow and blue. Selected by a committee of students from the Literary Department, Azure Blue and Maize became the emblematic colors of the University on Feb. 12, 1867.
The colors worn by Michigan Athletic teams were adopted unofficially as deep blue and bright yellow by the Athletic Association near the beginning of the 20th Century.
The Nickname
Wolverines
Since the earliest days of recorded University of Michigan history, the students and alumni have been referring to themselves as “Wolverines.” There is truly no known reason why the Wolverine was chosen as the nickname, but there are several theories.
One surrounds the border dispute between Michigan and Ohio in 1803, when Michiganders were called wolverines. From then on, Michigan was labeled the “Wolverine state” and when the University of Michigan was founded, it simply adopted the nickname of the state it represented.