"If you look good, you play good." - Deion Sanders
theScore is counting down the 100 best uniforms in sports history, with a new post every weekday until May 15.
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
20. New York Rangers (current)
So much stands out when analyzing what make makes New York's uniforms gleam. The drop shadow on the iconic diagonal "Rangers" wordmark pops, and it looks even better on the big red numbers on the back of the sweaters. Elsewhere, bright red pants and quiet striping patterns define the identity of the NHL's most glamorous team.
19. Houston Oilers (1980s)
Perfect uniformity of striping. It's rarer than you might think among the hundreds of pro sports uniforms. And it's arguably never looked better than it did on the defunct Oilers uniforms, with their gorgeous, and rare, color palette. Red, white, baby blue, white, red. Those stripes in that exact pattern are there on the helmet, sleeves, and pants. Home and road. Perfect uniformity. J.J. Watt is among the Houston Texans players who would love the chance to wear these as throwbacks, but the Tennessee Titans own the rights and aren't likely to gift them to their divisional rivals.
18. UCLA basketball (current)
College basketball's most accomplished program, with a record 11 national championships, UCLA has looked the part for decades with a luminescent combination of bright blue and yellow, which confidently counterpunches the red donned by archrival USC. Both looks are great, but we're giving the edge to the Bruins in the battle of Los Angeles.
17. Michigan football (current)
Back in the '30s, Michigan made an effort to shift away from the black-and-brown helmets worn by almost everyone else and invented the "winged" design still in use today. The maize and blue combination is remarkable on the jerseys and pants, too, but the Wolverines' lids are unquestionably one of the most instantly recognizable uniform features in sports.
16. Detroit Red Wings (current)
Detroit's winged-wheel logo is so untouchable that, at one point, the Red Wings were the only NHL franchise to put captain's letters on the right side of the jersey in order to leave the famous crest unimpeded. We respect that immensely, and we also appreciate how the club has never added a third color into the mix.
15. St. Louis Cardinals (current)
The Cardinals have a certain magic about them as one of baseball's model franchises. Part of it is the vast collection of Hall of Famers they've produced and the 11 World Series titles they've collected. Part of it is playing in a gorgeous ballpark. But don't overlook the uniforms. The two birds sitting on the bat is timeless and creative, and whether the Cards are wearing their homes, roads, or alternates, it's difficult to identify a single flaw in their setup.
14. Texas (football)
There aren't many better atmospheres in sports than 100,000-plus ballistic Longhorns fans packed into Texas Memorial Stadium on a sunny Saturday in the fall, clad in burnt orange. The unique color is exclusive to Texas' historic program and features so many likable qualities: the minimalist longhorn outline on the helmet; the accent stripes on the sleeves; the all-white pants. The giant "Texas" across the chest is even acceptable, because we all know everything is bigger down there.
13. Boston Celtics (current)
The Celtics have repped green and white to a record 17 NBA titles and formed an everlasting image along the way. Boston's experimented with black and gold over the years, which is difficult to fathom considering the club's regular set is flawless. Bonus points for the subtle shamrock feature on the waistband.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers (current)
Does it get any cleaner than this? The Dodgers' home whites are beautiful, and any notable changes to them would cause a significant uproar from the world's uniform purists. The cursive font and famous "LA" logos on the sleeve and hat are nice on their own, but the bright red numbers on the front are a special tradition that puts a bow on arguably baseball's best getups.
11. Green Bay Packers (current)
No logo changes, no color changes. The Packers have stuck with what works for decades. Even though they often play through dark and dreary conditions at Lambeau Field, Green Bay's uniforms always shine through as one of the most aesthetically pleasing in football and in all of sports. Green. Gold. Greatness.
