Cardinal Navy Blue Football/colors of the Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats use cardinal navy blue as their primary color. This color can also be described as dark bluish-gray or deep purple. The secondary color used by the Wildcats is gold, and it can also be described as yellow-gold or hues of light to medium orange. Cardinal navy blue is a common color in Arizona culture. It is used by many organizations based in the state, such as the Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns. The cardinal navy blue color was originally specified by former coach John "Red" Sanders as part of his redesign of Arizona's football uniforms in 1989. Before then, the Wildcats wore white jerseys with red stripes and black pants. The new uniform set was met with positive reviews from fans and media members, leading to its adoption for all games. Cardinal navy blue is also the official color of the University of Arizona. Other schools that use this color include Boston College, Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia. There are several theories on how the cardinal navy blue color came to be chosen by Sanders as the team's main color.