UCLA Blue
A clear blue shade worn by UCLA's teams and tied to the Pacific coast
UCLA Blue is a shade of blue used by the University of California, Los Angeles for its athletic teams. The colour has shifted over time, from Yale Blue to lighter baby blue, then to True Blue, and now to the current UCLA Blue, which symbolises the ocean and wildflowers of California.
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- UCLA Blue symbolises the ocean and wildflowers of California
- The colour was first made lighter in 1949 for football uniforms
- UCLA Blue is paired with Westwood Gold for team colours
- The shade has changed several times, most recently in 2021
- It is used on all UCLA athletic uniforms and branding
What colour is UCLA Blue?
UCLA Blue is a bright, clear blue shade that stands out among university colours in the United States. It is lighter than navy but deeper than a typical sky blue, and is paired with Westwood Gold for UCLA's teams. This blue is closely tied to the identity of the university and its athletic tradition.
Where does UCLA Blue come from?
The colour originally matched Yale Blue, reflecting UCLA's connection to the University of California, Berkeley. In 1949, football coach Red Sanders chose a lighter blue for the uniforms, which he called 'powder-keg blue', to make the team more visible on the field and in film. Over the years, the shade has shifted: a darker 'True Blue' was adopted in 2003, but the school returned to a lighter blue in 2017. Since 2021, UCLA Blue has been the standard shade for both academic and athletic use.
How UCLA Blue is defined
UCLA Blue is a standardised colour defined for uniforms, branding, and digital use. Its exact shade has changed over time, set by the university and its apparel partners. It is not made from a specific pigment or dye, but is specified by digital and print colour codes for consistency.
Where UCLA Blue is used
UCLA Blue appears on the uniforms of all UCLA athletic teams, as well as in the school's branding, flags, and marching band attire. The colour is widely recognised in college sports and is used for both men's and women's teams across a range of sports, from basketball and football to beach volleyball.
What UCLA Blue means
UCLA Blue does not carry a specific symbolic meaning in faith or ritual, but it is said to represent the ocean and wildflowers of California. The yellow paired with it reflects the state’s poppies and sunsets. These associations tie the colour to the landscape and identity of California.
Blue around the world
What the blue family means from country to country.
The flag's colours have no official meaning. For the Great Seal of 1782, though, blue was said to stand for vigilance, perseverance and justice, white for purity and red for hardiness and valour.
Politics and protestTrustSource: Flag of the United StatesLapis lazuli has been mined in the mountains of Badakhshan for more than six thousand years. Ground to powder it gave ultramarine, the costliest blue in European painting.
Royalty and powerSacred and holyAweSource: Lapis lazuliThe chadari is a full-length covering for women with a mesh panel over the eyes. In Kabul and the north it is most often a light blue.
Protection and healingSource: BurqaThe blue band of the flag stands for the wish of the Armenian people to live under peaceful skies. The red above it is for the highlands and the struggle to survive.
Politics and protestHopeSource: Flag of ArmeniaThe flag is sky blue, white and sky blue, created by Manuel Belgrano in 1812. National teams are called the Albiceleste, the white and sky blue.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of ArgentinaBoca Juniors play in blue and gold. The club's story is that in 1907 it took the colours of the flag of the next ship into port, which was Swedish.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Boca JuniorsShades and relatives of UCLA Blue
Earlier versions of UCLA's blue included Yale Blue, a much darker shade, and 'True Blue', which was darker than the current standard. The current UCLA Blue is lighter than both and is sometimes called 'Powderkeg Blue' or 'Baby Blue'.
Colours that go with UCLA Blue
Harmonies are worked out from the value #2D68C4. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about UCLA Blue
What colour is UCLA Blue?
UCLA Blue is a bright, clear blue that is lighter than navy and deeper than sky blue. It is the main colour used by UCLA athletic teams and in university branding.
Where does the name UCLA Blue come from?
The name comes from the University of California, Los Angeles, which uses this shade as its official colour for athletics and branding.
Has UCLA Blue always looked the same?
No, the shade has changed over time. It began as Yale Blue, shifted to a lighter 'powder-keg blue' in 1949, became 'True Blue' in 2003, and returned to a lighter blue in 2017. The current standard was set in 2021.
What does UCLA Blue represent?
UCLA Blue is said to symbolise the ocean and wildflowers of California, reflecting the local landscape. It is paired with gold, which stands for the state’s poppies and sunsets.
Good reading and sources
- UCLA Bruins on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "UCLA Bruins", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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