Garnet and black have been South Carolina’s uniform colors of choice throughout the program’s 123-year history, rarely straying away from the white accents that help the two contrast so well together.

-1South Carolina’s first known use of the current ‘Block C’ primary logo on its helmets came in 1975 when the graphic replaced an oversized Gamecock which stood for the previous decade. The Gamecocks first donned arguably their most popular helmet in school history, a garnet shell with two whites and a single black stripe, in 1983 and it stuck around for 15 years before being reverted back to white.

The Gamecock has been on South Carolina’s helmet in some form since 1969.

Lou Holtz added a single stripe to South Carolina’s pants when he arrived in 1999, but those were quickly trashed after the team finished 0-11.

RELATED: Photos — South Carolina uniform looks since 2000

During Holtz’s disastrous 2004 season, the Gamecocks went to black helmets for the first time since 1974 and wore uniforms free of garnet trim, but the move backfired. White shells returned in 2005 to kick off the Steve Spurrier era and have been the gameday choice every season since.

Black Gamecock Helmets

Since ditching Russell Athletic and partnering with Under Armour as the official uniform supplier in 2007, UA has modified the Gamecocks’ look several times with altered piping and varying font sizes. South Carolina’s current look, popularized by the all-garnet home alternate during three straight 11-win seasons, gets a full-time black combination this fall.

NCAA FOOTBALL: NOV 14 Florida at South Carolina Three times during Spurrier’s tenure South Carolina has worn special Wounded Warrior-based alternate uniforms, most recently all-grey digital camo makeups at LSU during the 2012 campaign.

Prior to the Gamecocks’ home game against Auburn in 2011, South Carolina was forced to wear its base black alternate jersey instead of the Wounded Warrior iteration since numerals were not visible from the press box. The Gamecocks did keep the pants, however.

The Gamecocks are currently on a six-year deal with the Maryland-based apparel giant. The contract runs out June 30, 2016.

Current preferred uniform combinations