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University of Minnesota Twin Cities School Colors

University of Minnesota Twin Cities' school colors are UMN Maroon (#6D001F) and UMN Gold (#FFCC33). Minnesota's brand standards define 18 colors in all; every official HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone value is listed below, along with the story of how the colors were chosen.

UMN Maroon
#6D001F · RGB 109, 0, 31
PMS 195
UMN Gold
#FFCC33 · RGB 255, 204, 51
PMS 136c

History of the Minnesota colors

According to Gophers athletics, President William Watts Folwell asked English instructor Augusta Smith in the spring of 1880 to choose common colors for graduation ribbons and similar occasions. Until then, each graduation had used different colors. She picked maroon and gold, which students and faculty received well. The marching band's history page, adapted from a 1992 band alumni centennial book, says the exact date of her choice was lost but that it fell within her time as an instructor (1876–1880).

Sources: gophersports.com · cla.umn.edu

Sunset over a sold out Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis during the opening game of the the 2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football seas
Minnesota football
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Minnesota primary colors

University of Minnesota Twin Cities primary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
UMN Maroon#6D001F109, 0, 3114, 95, 55, 55PMS 195
UMN Gold#FFCC33255, 204, 510, 27, 76, 0PMS 136c

Minnesota's new maroon

The University of Minnesota's current maroon is #6D001F (PMS 195). Older university pages and some merchandise instructions still give the previous maroon, #7A0019 (PMS 202 C coated, 201 U uncoated), so licensed apparel may be made to either shade.

Minnesota secondary colors

University of Minnesota Twin Cities secondary colors
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Birch (dark)#5A5A5A90, 90, 9054, 45, 45, 18PMS 424
Birch (medium)#D5D6D2213, 214, 21016, 11, 12, 0PMS Cool Gray 3
Birch (light)#F0EFEE240, 239, 2386, 4, 3, 0PMS Cool Gray 1
Sandbar (dark)#A59D91165, 157, 14537, 31, 37, 1PMS Warm Gray 6
Sandbar (medium)#DCD1C1220, 209, 19313, 13, 19, 0PMS Warm Gray 2
Sandbar (light)#F5F1EC245, 241, 2364, 4, 6, 0PMS Warm Gray 1

Additional Minnesota palette colors

Additional colors in the Minnesota brand palette
ColorHEXRGBCMYKPantone
Lichen dark#F85E00248, 94, 01, 68, 100, 1PMS 6020
Lake dark#2783B739, 131, 18380, 39, 10, 0PMS 7690
Maize dark#0D844E13, 132, 7882, 22, 80, 7PMS 6147
Aurora dark#2DA08445, 160, 13277, 14, 55, 1PMS 7473
Berry dark#5B618A91, 97, 13869, 57, 22, 3PMS 2110
Lichen light#FF8814255, 136, 200, 49, 95, 0PMS 2011
Lake light#99C1DA153, 193, 21839, 13, 7, 0PMS 543
Maize light#7BB250123, 178, 8058, 4, 86, 0PMS 7489
Aurora light#A2E3C4162, 227, 19635, 0, 30, 0PMS 565
Berry light#9EADC8158, 173, 20035, 22, 8, 0PMS 536

Matching Minnesota colors on clothing

Clothing sold as a given color can be noticeably off from Minnesota's official values, and supplier color codes describe the dye target rather than the finished fabric. So we measured the actual fabric color of every garment we carry from product photos and fabric swatches, then compared it to Minnesota's official colors. The pieces below are the closest in-stock matches, out of 493 styles close to UMN Maroon, 230 styles close to UMN Gold.

Clothing in UMN Maroon #6D001F

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to UMN Maroon, measured from the garment itself. 493 matching styles in stock.

Clothing in UMN Gold #FFCC33

Blank apparel whose fabric color is a close match to UMN Gold, measured from the garment itself. 230 matching styles in stock.

Minnesota colors: frequently asked questions

What are Minnesota school colors?

University of Minnesota Twin Cities' school colors are UMN Maroon (#6D001F) and UMN Gold (#FFCC33).

What is the hex code for UMN Maroon?

UMN Maroon is #6D001F (RGB 109, 0, 31, CMYK 14, 95, 55, 55).

What is the hex code for UMN Gold?

UMN Gold is #FFCC33 (RGB 255, 204, 51, CMYK 0, 27, 76, 0).

What Pantone color is UMN Maroon?

UMN Maroon is PMS 195.

What Pantone color is UMN Gold?

UMN Gold is PMS 136c.

Why are Minnesota's colors UMN Maroon and UMN Gold?

According to Gophers athletics, President William Watts Folwell asked English instructor Augusta Smith in the spring of 1880 to choose common colors for graduation ribbons and similar occasions. Until then, each graduation had used different colors.

Did the Minnesota maroon change?

Yes. The current UMN Maroon is #6D001F (PMS 195). The previous maroon, #7A0019 (PMS 202 C), still appears on older pages and in some merchandise instructions.

Color values are taken from the official University of Minnesota Twin Cities brand standards (source), checked October 2026. Sweatshirt Station is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Minnesota Twin Cities. We sell blank apparel in matching colors; no logos or trademarks are sold. Photos are used under their Creative Commons or public domain licenses and are credited above.

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