University of Nevada Reno
Nevada
1874
Formerly “Nevada State University”
Nevada State University students selected royal blue and silver as their school colors in 1892. Silver was chosen because Nevada was known as the “silver state” after the discovery of silver in the territory during the 1860s. Royal blue symbolized the broad expanse of sky over Nevada’s many lakes. University of Nevada students also chose blue and silver because California was known as the “golden state” and the University of California had chosen blue and gold.
Citations in the World Almanac (listed by cover date; color information is from the previous year): blue/silver (1895-1897); national blue (1900-1904); royal blue/white (1906); royal blue/silver (1908-1913); royal blue (1914-1915); blue (1916); blue/white (1917-1918); silver/royal blue (1923-1931); argent/azure (1934-1935)
The University of Nevada first appeared in an Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume (IBAC) list from 1927, having been assigned a hood lined Yale blue with a silver gray chevron. The IBAC used “Yale blue” to describe dark shades of blue like navy blue or royal blue, and “silver gray” described a light gray shade that resembled the metallic color of silver when tailored from the satin fabric of the hood lining. A 1969 IBAC list more accurately described the hood lining as “royal blue” with a silver chevron.
In 1895 or 1896 the IBAC assigned Colby College a hood lined Yale blue above silver gray, divided per chevron, so it is likely that the University of Nevada was assigned its hood at about the same time, as the IBAC tended to assign the first college or university it registered with a given pair of colors a hood lining that used a chevron. Schools with the same colors registered later were assigned a different heraldic division (two chevrons, per chevron, bar, etc.).