The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) West division. When it comes to their uniforms, the Cardinals have worn several different color combinations over their long history, which dates back to 1898. However, since moving to Arizona in 1988, red has become the dominant color for Cardinals uniforms.
Current Home Uniform
The Cardinals’ current home uniform features red jerseys with white pants. The jerseys have black numbers outlined in white. The sleeves have black and white stripes on them. The pant stripes are also black and white. The helmet is red with a white stripe down the middle and the logo on each side.
Here are the key details about the Cardinals’ current home uniform:
| Jersey | Red |
| Pants | White |
| Helmet | Red with white center stripe |
| Numbers | Black outlined in white |
| Stripes | Black and white stripes on sleeves and pants |
The Cardinals have worn some variation of the red jersey and white pants combination for all home games since moving to Arizona in 1988. It provides an iconic, bold look for the team when playing in front of their home crowd at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
Current Away Uniform
On the road, the Cardinals switch to white jerseys with red pants. The numbers on the away jerseys are also black outlined in white. The sleeves and pants have the same black and white striping. The helmet remains red with a white stripe.
Here are the details on the current away uniform:
| Jersey | White |
| Pants | Red |
| Helmet | Red with white center stripe |
| Numbers | Black outlined in white |
| Stripes | Black and white stripes on sleeves and pants |
The white jersey provides a high-contrast look compared to the bold red home jerseys. This gives the Cardinals two distinct uniform styles.
Alternate Uniforms
In addition to their primary home and away uniforms, the Cardinals have black, black and red, and all-white alternate uniforms that they wear for select games.
The black alternates feature black jerseys, black pants, and a black helmet. The numbers are red with a white outline.
The black and red alternates use a black jersey with red pants. The numbers are also red with a white outline.
For the all-white look, the Cardinals use a white jersey, white pants, and a white helmet. The numbers on these uniforms are black.
The alternate uniforms provide even more variety to the Cardinals’ on-field look over the course of a season. Fans can never be sure which uniform combination they might see on any given game day.
Historical Uniform Colors
Although red is now the signature color for the Cardinals, that has not always been the case throughout the team’s long history. Here is an overview of the primary uniform colors worn by the Cardinals over the decades:
| 1898 – 1900 | Red and blue |
| 1901 – 1904 | Maroon and white |
| 1905 – 1946 | Maroon, white and black |
| 1947 – 1959 | White, red, and black |
| 1960 – 1964 | White and cardinal red |
| 1965 – 1988 | Cardinal red and white |
| 1988 – Present | Cardinal red and white |
In the early years after the team was founded in Chicago in 1898, the Cardinals wore red and blue. This color scheme drew inspiration from the colors of St. Louis’ baseball team, the Cardinals.
The team eventually made maroon its primary uniform color in 1901 before transitioning to a mix of maroon, white and black from 1905 to 1946. During this stretch, the Cardinals franchise relocated to St. Louis.
After World War II, the Cardinals began shifting to more white and red uniforms from 1947 to 1959. They then emphasized white for both home and away jerseys through 1964.
In 1965, the Cardinals returned to their current look featuring cardinal red jerseys paired mostly with white. They have stuck with variations of the red, white and black uniforms ever since.
Conclusion
Red, white and black are now the signature colors of the Arizona Cardinals uniforms. The red home jerseys and white away jerseys have given the team an iconic look since they moved to Phoenix in 1988. Fans can count on seeing some eye-catching uniform combinations whenever the Cardinals take the field. While the designs have evolved over the years, that cardinal red remains the staple that embodies the spirit of the franchise.