The Virginia football program will celebrate the 30th anniversary of what many consider to be the biggest win in school history by wearing 1995 throwback uniforms during Friday night’s game against Florida State, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Cavaliers used a last-second goal-line stand to secure a 33-28 victory and hand the Seminoles their first ACC loss on Nov. 2, 1995, as they entered that Thursday night matchup on a 29-game winning streak in conference play and as winners of three straight ACC titles.
Florida State and Virginia finished the season tied atop the ACC with matching 7-1 records, marking the last time that the Cavaliers won their conference. The Seminoles, meanwhile, wouldn’t lose another ACC game until 1998 or finish second (or worse) in the conference until 2001.
The uniforms the Cavaliers will wear this evening are almost an exact replica of their 1995 home design, with a navy blue helmet that features their “V-Sabre” logo on the sides and navy blue jerseys with block numbers, a “V” without the sabres on the sleeves and a contrasting orange collar and cuffs, as well as plain white pants.
The only difference is the players’ name on the back of their jerseys, as well as Virginia’s current “Hoos” wordmark and “For All Virginia” on the front and back helmet bumpers, respectively. There is also the current ACC patch on the left shoulder opposite of a Nike Swoosh, whereas the Cavaliers were outfitted by Russell Athletic in 1995.
Florida State will look to avoid a similar fate on Friday by wearing all-white uniforms instead of the traditional road uniform of gold helmets, white jerseys and gold pants they donned that evening. They are 2-1 all-time in this design, which has appeared once every season since white helmets were added to the rotation in 2022.
Photos courtesy of @UVAFootball on X/Twitter.
