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Auction Action

Photo courtesy of Sonya Abrego; click to enlarge

As you may have noticed in our left-hand ad sidebar, our friends at Grey Flannel Auctions are running another catalog auction, so it’s time for another edition of “Auction Action.” But this one is different, because the catalog features a very special item that I’ve known about for several months now — the 1905 Princeton football gamer shown above.

This jersey — along with some very unusual pants, which I’ll get to in a minute — is being sold by my friends Sonya and Tony Abrego. They’re fashion historians and are very active in the vintage clothing world, where they buy and sell a lot of goods. In addition, Sonya has a Ph.D. in Design History, Decorative Arts, and Material Culture. She teaches at Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design, where I’ve twice been a guest speaker at her Fashion and Masculinity class.

As Tony and Sonya poke around in search of vintage clothing, they sometimes come across old uniform finds. Back in April, for example, Tony found this old New York Golden Gloves warm-up top (note the zippered sleeves, to allow for the boxer’s gloves). About three months ago they were at the Brimfield Antique Show, a huge multi-day event that takes place three times a year in Massachusetts, and Tony spotted the old Princeton uniform being sold by a new vendor who was mostly selling furniture and blankets. He immediately knew it was historically important, and probably worth a lot more than the vendor was asking for it. He and Sonya would rather not disclose what they paid, but let’s just say they got a steal. (Not ten bucks or anything crazy like that, but still a lot less than what the jersey is worth.)

When they brought the uniform home, Sonya showed me photos of it and asked me what I thought. I immediately recognized it as a Princeton jersey — that was obvious from the “P” and the sleeve stripes. I had seen old photos of jerseys with sewn-in padding, but I had never seen one in the present day. You can see the front view in the photo at the top of this page, and here’s the rear view:

I wasn’t sure of the exact year, but I figured it was likely from around the turn of the century. Sonya knew the key to determining the exact date was the Spalding label on the jersey, because the Spalding logo evolved over time:

That tagging helped Sonya determine that the jersey was from 1905. As you can see, the label also includes a handwritten name — “Tooker.” Sonya did some more research and found that the jersey had been worn by a player named Norman Tooker. He’s listed as a 1905 All-American selection, and she even found a photo of him — he’s No. 17 in this 1906 shot (click to enlarge):

Sonya later learned that Tooker got into sports medicine and ended up teaching at Princeton later in his life. He died in 1967.

Here’s an illustration, copyrighted 1906, of this uniform, or something very close to it, in action (click to enlarge):

The uniform also includes some pants or leggings, complete with pajama-like feet. Check it out:

I’d never seen anything like that before. I figured it was a base layer.

The pants also include a beautiful label from the local sporting goods shop that sold the uniform to Princeton — Alex Taylor & Co. of New York City:

Sonya and Tony wanted to sell the uniform and asked if I could offer any advice. I steered them toward a few reputable auction house contacts I have, including Michael Russek at Grey Flannel. They eventually decided to go with him, in part because Grey Flannel had sold another early Princeton jersey for nearly $70,000 back in 2010.

There’s no guarantee that Sonya and Tony’s uniform will sell for that much, of course, but we’ll see. The auction runs through Dec. 20. If you want to see more information or place a bid, you can do that here.

Meanwhile, here are some other noteworthy items from the auction catalog:

• This is pretty cool: a complete run of Yankees World Series tickets, from 1921 through the present.

• This 1976 A’s jersey, worn by Bill North, includes the team’s bicentennial sleeve patch.

• Speaking of sleeve patches you may have forgotten about, here’s a 1984 Orel Hersheiser Dodgers jersey with the 1984 Dodger Stadium Olympic Baseball patch.

• Can never get enough of the Astros’ old shooting-star jerseys.

• One more MLB patch: I’ve always thought that the Pirates’ Pittsburgh 250th-anniversary patch from 2008 was a bit underwhelming. So much blank space, no pizzazz.

• We all know that the Reds and sometimes the Pirates used really big NOB lettering back in the day. But check out this 1963 Milwaukee Braves jersey — huge lettering!

• I think this one may have come up in a previous edition of Auction Action, but once more won’t hurt: Here’s the uniform worn by Ken Griffey Jr. for the Reds’ “Father-Son Day” promotion in 1974, when Junior was only four years old!

• Oh baby, check out this amazing Team USA baseball uniform from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Spectacular!

• Speaking of the ’36 Olympics, here’s an American uniform from the opening ceremonies.

• Love this Brooklyn Royal Giants cardigan sweater from the Negro Leagues.

• Speaking of cardigans, this 1960s Maple Leafs sweater is another keeper.

• Here’s an assortment of flannel jerseys — Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Cardinals, and Braves — that were worn in the movie 42. (As an aside, here’s an ESPN piece I did back in 2013 on the making of the uniforms in that movie.)

• I’m not a huge soccer fan, but I absolutely love this 1977 New York Cosmos Pele jersey.

• Look at the beaded trim on the collar and armholes on this 1956-57 St. Louis Hawks jersey. Very subtle! Really nice.

• By now most of you probably know that I love old basketball warm-up tops like this late-1960s Cincinnati Royals beauty. Love everything about it, from the vertically arched chest lettering to the UCLA stripes.

• Two unusual things about the NOB on this 1988-89 Sacramento Kings: The NOB is below the number, and the Kings used nameplates instead of direct-sewn lettering.

• You don’t often see game-used XFL jerseys, but here’s one from the Memphis Maniax.

Want to see more? You can browse the complete auction listings here.

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Embed from Getty Images

A simple question: When an NFL team wears its throwbacks, as the Dolphins did for last night’s game against the Patriots (lots of additional photos here and here; note that they also updated their nose bumpers), there’s usually a chorus of voices saying, “They should wear these full-time!” and “Why did they ever move away from these?”

But that chorus of voices was particularly loud last night. I received a mountain of emails and tweets from people who wished the Dolphins would go back to their original look. (And I agree with them, of course.)

All of which brings up a question: Is there anyone out there — anyone at all — who prefers Miami’s current uniform set? If that’s you, don’t be shy. Speak up and tell us why in today’s comments. It would be interesting to hear from you.

For those who prefer the throwbacks, I ask that you please hold off from commenting. We already know that the throwbacks are popular. Let’s hear from the other side, if there is one. Thanks.

• • • • •

Dot-dot-dot: The Steelers posted an interview with coach Mike Tomlin the other day, and it includes some very interesting info about the team’s green dot protocol, especially in the wake of linebacker Ryan Shazier’s injury:

Q: About the green dots on the helmets that designate the defensive players as being able to get communications from the sideline. I understand that only one guy can be getting calls from the sideline at a time, but because of in-game injuries or sub-package football, how many different guys have helmets with a receiver in them?

A: By rule, we can have three guys, because the NFL acknowledges that a second-level defender wearing the green dot, whoever he may be, is not an all-situations player. Sometimes you may have a guy who stands in front of your huddle on first and second downs, and he’s a Vince Williams-type, and on third down you might have an oversized safety standing in front of your defense. We’ve never had those issues because of Ryan Shazier. He’s an all-situations player. He wore the green dot. He was on the field at all times. As we adjust to his circumstances, he’s out, it requires us to rely on the rule a little more, and we have more flexibility there. You’ll see Vince Williams with the green dot on first and second downs. You’ll see L.J. Fort with the green dot in some passing situations, because it’s going to be more than one man replacing Ryan Shazier and his impact on the game.

Q: Would they have to change helmets?

A: No. They just can’t be on the field on defense at the same time. They can both be on the field on special teams at the same time, so if they’re covering a kick, for example, Vince Williams and Fort can both cover a kick at the same time, but they can’t both be on the field for defense at the same time if they both have a green dot on their helmets. If both guys happened to be on the field on defense at the same time, one of the guys would have to have an alternate helmet – that would be Fort, because you don’t want to inconvenience Vince. But that’s a non-issue. It’s just two helmets on the sideline being handled by the equipment people. It’s not the logistical thing maybe I just made it seem to be.

Q: Have you ever had, or considered having, a defensive back wear the green dot?

A: No. Nobody wants to take instructions from a little man in a huddle. Let’s be honest. Football is a big man’s job. We’re not going to stand Will Gay in front of Tuitt and them and tell him to tell the group to shut up because he’s going to deliver the information. That’s just the reality of it. That’s another element of football play that people ask about that I laugh when I get that question. Big guys don’t like to take instructions from little people.

Great info. Now, I can already hear some of you saying that the swapping of green-dot helmets must violate the one-shell rule, but remember, the rule is not designed to eliminate multiple helmets; it is designed to minimize multiple helmets.

(My thanks to reader Jerry Wolper for letting me know about this one.)

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Click to enlarge

Collector’s Corner
By Brinke Guthrie

Got a few collectible banks for you this week. First up is this nice-looking Buffalo Sabres hockey puck bank. Standing five inches tall, this is without any type of advertising logo, so perhaps it was a retail item, not a giveaway. Sabres logo on one side, and the NHL logo on the other.

Now for the rest of this week’s picks:

• Here’s a 1970s A’s mini-helmet bank, still in the bag.

• Here’s another baseball bank, this one is from Louisville Slugger, with bats from all the 1960s National League teams.

• A rare 1970s shot of Reggie Jackson wearing Adidas! Reg was always a Puma guy as far as I remember.

• These glossy NFL medallions were quite cool around 1972-1974 or so. They were available for all teams — I still have mine for the Cowboys and Bengals. Here’s a Vikings medallion in perfect shape. They come with a little adhesive strip on the back for mounting. As I recall, once you stuck ’em up, they were hard to pry off!

• This Vikings poncho goes back to the 1970s, a promo giveaway from Northwestern National Bank. I would think it snowed more at the Met than it rained, right?

• We’ll file this 1970s photo of Bob Griese on the bench under “Had a bad game,” or perhaps he was out due to injury?

• Check out the helmets on this late-1970s NFL zip-top supply bag. NFC on one side, AFC on the other.

• This Maxwell House promo thermal cup for the 1970s-era Houston Astros is in good condition given its age “No cracks or chips,” says the seller.

• Fairly plain look to this 1970s Philadelphia Eagles jersey made by Sand-Knit.

• Going back to 1972 for this slick-looking Atlanta Falcons poster by George Bartell.

• And we wrap up with one from Paul: a 1975 MLB All-Star Game uniform bag featuring the Brewers’ Barrel Man mascot.

• • • • •

The Ticker
By Alex Hider

Baseball NewsGiancarlo Stanton will wear his familiar No. 27 for the Yankees. Coincidentally, Stanton’s high school coach, Tom Dill, has had a No. 27 Yankees jersey hanging in his office for years. Dill also coached former OF Chris Dickerson, who once wore No. 27 for the Yankees (from Brinke). … Speaking of the Bronx Bombers, Esquire has a good piece on how the Yankees cap revolutionized modern fashion (from Tommy Turner and Jason Hillyer). … Giants fans were outraged when it was reported that pitcher Matt Moore would wear Tim Lincecum’s No. 55 next season, but those reports turned out to be false (also from Brinke). … The Tampa Yankees are changing their name to the Tampa Tarpons, which has already led to an avalanche of tampon-related jokes on social media. They’ll unveil their new uniforms in January.

NFL NewsIn addition to the Dolphins’ throwbacks last night, the field was dressed up too, with a throwback midfield logo and classic argyle end zones. Finally, Miami’s social media team tagged all its photos from last night with a classic wordmark (from @QuintenHLVB and Robert Hayes). … In that same game, Patriots WR Bernard Reedy had his TV numbers overlap onto his shoulder stripe (from Michael Daley). … The backdrops of the Colts’ and Broncos’ websites indicate both teams will participate in Color Rash on Thursday (from Andrew Walker and Zeke Perez Jr.). … Packers LB Clay Matthews wore his father’s Browns jersey after Green Bay’s win over Cleveland on Sunday (from Ignacio). … Speaking of the Brownies, Cleo Macin spotted a Browns player (No. 20) wearing a wedding band following the 1949 AAFC Championship Game. “This isn’t game action, but based on the soiled unis, this has to be immediately after the game.” … We’ve seen this before, but it’s worth mentioning again: In 1990, the Falcons dropped one set of TV numbers for their 25th anniversary patch (from Russell Goutierez). … Vote for the best uni matchup of week 14 here (from Uni Watch Facebook Page).

College Football News: LSU has added the Citrus Bowl patch to its uniforms (from Phil). … Here’s a good breakdown of Auburn University’s marching band uniforms (from Clint Richardson).

Hockey NewsNHL writer Kevin Woodley gives out an unofficial Bunny Larocque award each year to the best back-up goalie. Now, the award has an actual trophy (from @GKG_77). … The British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association is requiring all its players to wear full-face protection starting next season (from Wade Heidt). … The Chicago Wolves of the AHL will wear jerseys honoring first responders on Jan. 20 and 21 (from Jonathon Cain). … The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League wore special unis for their teddy bear toss game over the weekend (from Bruce Brodersen). … The Cleveland Monsters of the AHL will wear Captain America uniforms on Dec. 30 (from David Uhrin). … Markus Kamp was watching Soul on Ice, a documentary about African-American and African-Canadian hockey players. One section of the film focuses on a program that aims to make hockey accessible for inner-city youth, and features some sweat Rangers-inspired Harlem sweaters.

Basketball NewsIt was previously reported that the WNBA’s San Antonio Stars would keep their team name when they moved to Las Vegas next season. However, the league announced yesterday the team would change its nickname to the Aces (from @loneranger158 and @TheSkyShowCHI). … Check out these commemorative soda cans from the University of North Carolina’s 1982 National Championship (from James Gilbert). … Correction from Sunday: Middletown (Ohio) High School wore throwbacks in their final game at Wade E. Miller Gym on Friday, not Saturday. Incidentally, Middletown’s new gym has a pretty wild court (from Brian Henke). … Shortridge (Indiana) High School’s nickname is the Blue Devils, but they often used “Satans” on their uniforms in the 1970s (from @iufbcommenter‏).

Soccer News: Nike is set to introduce a line of keeper’s gloves that don’t include any straps or velcro (also from Josh Hinton). … Whoops. Sheffield United of the Championship spelled its own name wrong on its team calendar (from Josh Hinton). … The newest team in the United Premier Soccer League is Nebraska Bugeaters FC, who unveiled their new badge today. More info here (from Jonathan Collura).

Grab BagLots of speedskaters will be wearing blue uniforms during the Olympics this year. Why? Because blue suits “skate faster” (from Phil). … Tasman’s Rugby Union has clarified that the plural of its team name is “Mako,” not “Makos” (from Camryn Brown). …  Cincinnati high schools Mother of Mercy and McAuley will combine next school year and be known as the Mercy McAuley Wolves (from K.C. Kless). … Do you miss United Airlines’ old tulip logo? You’re not alone (from Edward Hahn).

• • • • •

Happy Hanukkah to all who are observing tonight. And tasty latkes, too!

 
  
 
Comments (103)

    “Check out the helmets on this late-1970s NFL coin purse. NFC on one side, AFC on the other.”

    That’s not a coin purse; it’s a bag for school supplies (pencils, etc).

    I like the throwback Dolphins uniform better except I do like the brighter aqua color better on the current uniforms.

    Just a bit of clarification in the ticker about a hockey item comment. Not all B.C. Amateur Hockey Association governed leagues will wear full facial protection next year. The linked article is about the junior B players. Junior A (BCHL) and senior players will still be allowed to wear visors.

    It’s a tough one. I don’t think there’s anything fundamentally flawed with the new uniforms, and I personally really like the modern colors and proportions (when they go teal on white, white on teal, not mono-tone). I’d go as far to say that I’m a huge fan, and actually prefer the new logo. However, the nostalgia factor of the originals is strong because they are beautiful and simple.

    The Dolphins are one of the rare instances where I like the current set better than the old set. I think the current set could use some improvment (e.g. sock stripes, too much blue, etc.), but in general the set is simple, sleek and modern. The old set is a copy of the Browns’ old set.

    The older look on the Dolphins just doesn’t sit right with me. The went without it for so long, that it feels irrelevant, clunky and old now. The Dolphins current logo is way better than the old logo.

    For some reason, to me, that look should stay with truly classic (and cold weather) and franchises — Browns, Packers, etc.

    There’s something a little morbid about the auctioning of Rashaan Salaam’s Maniax jersey, given that the XFL took some heat for that nickname as some felt it was mocking people with mental health issues combined with the fact that Salaam committed suicide.

    I absolutely thought I was the only one who missed the United tulip. I’m glad to see I’m not alone!

    I likewise prefer the tulip logo to the one they now use. And I liked Continental’s previous logo much more than the one they foisted on UAL.

    The last paragraph of the article describes my position on the tulip: Mainly, I miss the non-crappy service and clean, well-maintained aircraft of the pre-merger United. The tulip logo, I can take or leave, but I sure do miss the airline it stood for.

    One thing about the tulip that wasn’t mentioned in the article: When you look at the logo from the left side of the airplane (i.e. so the tulip is leaning to the right, like in the photo a the top of the article), the two halves of the logo are a stylized “U” and “A”.

    ed

    I feel like people love the Dolphins’ throwbacks because they’re worn once or twice a season. If they were worn full-time then the novelty would wear off. They look very outdated and have major mismatched striping, which would not age well.

    The colors and logo are fun, but there’s nothing about the actual design that says DOLPHINS. Now, I’m not saying the current set is perfect (it is not), but it has to be more durable since it’s what they wear the vast majority of games.

    As gorgeous as the Dolphins throwbacks are (and superior to everything worn from 1997-present), I actually prefer the later era look from 1973-1996, where the Dolphin is all the way across the sun, and the shoulder numbers don’t get filled in with orange on the 9s, 4s, etc.

    As opposed to just adopting what they wore last night permanently I’d rather they pull a Bills/Blue Jays type move and slightly tweak the old logo, and come up with some new classic-inspired uniforms.

    Also, the modern post-2013 “Miami Dolphins” word marks are far too generic looking. I’m willing to bet they were designed that way specifically so they could leave the “MIAMI” one in the end zones and not have to change it for Hurricanes games.

    I actually prefer the Dolphins current set. I think it’s one of the best in the NFL right now, honestly. It’s sleek and I think it fits the color scheme and the city much better than their older uniform styles. When I think “Miami Dolphins,” I just don’t think old school striping and black shoes.

    I don’t love the black cleats that most guys wore with this uniform, but players that wore white cleats, like Cameron Wake, looked stellar. I like the new set, and think that the throwbacks are a super cool wrinkle. They look really good and the novelty of it only makes it better. I can relate, my high school team has an American flag version of our logo for the playoffs, and even though some of my teammates wanted to wear it the whole year, the limited usage of it keeps it fresh.

    For the Dolphins I prefer a hybrid look. the overall design of the throwback uniforms from last night, but with the 1997-2012 “modern” leaping dolphin logo. Also some slight navy accents in there on the stripe pattern. I think the most important thing is color, the darker and greener aqua is better than what they have now, which looks more blue than aqua. Maybe it is the lighting from the stadium, because even the throwbacks from last night looked a little too blue.

    I think the dolphins new design in the older colors would be best/ And I think the newer ones need more orange. But I definitely prefer the new logo

    I admit, I really liked the Dolphins redesigned unis when they were released. The helmet logo, for instance, was a modern tweak that still resembled the old logo. Seeing the true throwbacks has made me appreciate them, but we have to remember that before the redesign the Dolphins had altered those “old” uniforms with crazy drop shadows and a lack of jersey striping. So while the throwbacks look great, I appreciate the redesign as an upgrade to the version worn just prior.

    this isn’t an outright win for the new dolphins gear and logo, but i do like it very much.
    i think it was done in a clever way that was both modern but stuck to the past in a good way.
    i’m not sure i like it better than this old uni combo, but i like the idea of having both at their disposal.
    i do wish the current uniforms had a little more orange in them, but that’s nitpicking.

    As a lifelong Dolphins fan of 45 years, I love the throwback uniforms but I have never been a fan of the logo. I prefer the new logo, especially with how well it places on merchandise vs the taller logo. That said, I would love to see old meet the new with the new logo used with the throwback uniforms like I created here: link

    That is an exactly spot on idea! Looks great! Would even be cool if they adjusted their logo. The newer dolphin in the same body pose as the old dolphin logo, and with the larger circle so that the dolphin’s head is in the middle of it like the throwback.

    Nice job. I like it. Good mix of teal and orange. With perhaps a teal or orange face mask this might be perfect.

    I find it fascinating that so many people clamor for them to go back to this set full time, because it’s so similar to the set they wore just a couple of years ago before the switch. Are the people that are vocal about moving back vocal because they want to go back to the set immediately prior? Or do they actually see the differences between the prior set and the throwback set? Or is it a mixed bag of people that realize and people that don’t?

    I think I’m kind of in between on certain elements of their previous sets with their current set. I definitely prefer the previous shade of aqua to the current shade, but I like that the orange has been de-emphasized a bit more now, aqua and navy blue are my favorite pairing of my two favorite colors. And I MUCH prefer the current helmet-less logo than I do any of the previous iterations of the helmeted Dolphin logo. I also think they looked way better with aqua facemasks than either their current white or throwback gray. If they fixed just that one little element for me and kept the rest of the current set as is, I’d actually like it fine.

    I’m always amused by the inaccuracies from the sellers on items in Collector’s Corner.

    That Sand-Knit Eagles jersey is most definitely NOT from the 70s, since the flying eagle didn’t appear on the sleeves until 1985.

    And Russell Athletic was the manufacturer of the Eagles’ game-used jerseys at the time. The Sand-Knit uniform had to be a replica.

    Not a Dolphon fan, so no skin in the game, but would prefer a “mashup” between new and throwback. I definitely think the old logo should be brought back, but maybe with a little less detail on the dolphin. As for the uniforms, I think it would be cool to use the throwback uniform template, but with the updated blue instead of that dark teal. That new blue is beautiful, and reminds me more of the Miami Beach ocean….

    I agree regarding the use of the new color in the old set. I do like the new helmet logo, though – they would also have to thin that wide helmet stripe….

    I concur. That new Greyhound/dolphin is sleek and evokes “motion” better. Plus, that old dolphin just looks corny, especially wearing what is basically a Miami (OH) helmet.

    There are not many redesigns that I love right away, but for some reason, the Dolphins redesign is gold in my mind. I feel like the current color scheme looks like something that belongs in Miami. Specifically, I would take the Dolphins all-white look over any other uniform combination in football. I absolutely love it. It looks so good. Personally, I wish the fish would wear the all-white for every game except for one or two throwback games (like last night).

    The biggest problem for me with the Dolphins’ current set is the helmet stripe. Makes for too much aqua. If they’d done a reiteration of the old aqua/orange/aqua stripe (maybe tighter together), I think that would look much better.

    I know talking about merchandise is a no-no on this site, but those NFL shirts with the sliver of pant striping is one of the cooler ideas that they’ve had recently. link

    I can’t say I prefer them over throwbacks, but the Dolphins’ current uniforms are terrific. I like the lighter shade of aqua and the more realistic-looking dolphin logo.

    I like the new version of their uniform with a few minor changes. I would like an orange or teal face guard, and in general a bit more orange in the overall scheme. I do like the new helmet logo. It just seems to “flow” with the Dolphin concept. But I am also a sucker for the throwback as well. Perhaps if they wore the throwbacks with a colored face guard and white shoes, I might prefer that look. Hopefully, some of the excellent Uni-Watch readers have some skills to offer up some mock-ups of a mash-up of old and new? That is all.

    I think alot of NFL teams’ throwback uniforms are more appealing now because they look very sharp with the way Nike tailors them and with the uniform technology that has been implemented. I know this will get eye rolls here but I think alot of teams tried to make their uniform redesigns look “high tech” when they did them back in the 90’s and 2000’s in order to stand out. Think the Broncos, Cardinals, Falcons, Bengals, Vikings (prior to Nike redesign) etc. Take those designs and couple them with all of the new uni-elements Nike introduced and now they are too much. What I am trying to say is that I feel like there was a point where uniforms were baggy, the colors didn’t pop as well, and so teams were looking for uniform designs to make them look cutting edge. Now, the uniforms themselves ARE cutting edge and so the more basic, classic templates just look better. I know many will say they have always looked better but I used to love the Broncos and Cardinals uniforms in the context of certain time periods but now they seem to be a little much with all the paneling and striping and collar things, etc. But, take a simple design and add in the vapor template, silver NFL shield, clean tailoring, and cool shoe designs and you have enough modern mixed in with enough retro. I feel like i did a terrible job articulating this but hopefully you get the idea.

    Actually, that’s a great point. When Denver first went Nike-fied with the sweeping panels, it was on baggy jerseys and had never been done before. Now, the template itself has so many bells and whistles that a unique sleeve and pant stripe and a simple color scheme carries much better visually than all of the seemingly-random elements like the Cardinals and Falcons have.

    Long time reader, first time poster. The new Dolphins unis really modernized the set for me. They’re a few tweaks away from being great, but I really like the. The old set was nice, but it looks seriously dated in 2017. I do think the throwbacks should be kept on– the nostalgia effect really amps up an otherwise okay package

    I like the current Dolphins uniforms. One thing that does bug me is the lack of orange. I think it would be awesome to have orange numbers on the white jerseys outlined in aqua. Im also a fan of the throwbacks, but not a fan of grey facemasks.

    I am a fan of the current Dolphin set. The old set, especially the logo, felt dated to me. As others, I would change up a few things (i.e no more white at home, ever), but overall I like the colors and the fresh feel of the set.

    I felt the same way about the Jaguars current set. Yes, it has some faults, but it is 100% better than the terrible blandness, Eagle ripoff, whisker set before that.

    The Dolphins are the rare exception where I prefer the modern uniform over the throwback.

    I like the brighter shade of aqua, the older green seems dingy by comparison. I generally like grey face masks but in this case the white looks sharp.

    The lack of full sleeves takes away from larger sleeve stripe designs like this. I also wonder if circular logos worked better on the older helmets which were more round, and also didn’t have all the holes and ridges of the new ones.

    As an anti-NOB’er, if names are really necessary, put them under the number. Personally, I think NOB’s ruin the jersey.

    I absolutely LOVE the throwbacks, but greatly prefer both the tone of aqua and logo on the new threads; the old logo definitely feels dated to me.

    Not a Dolphins fan. I do like the new unis. I agree that they are not perfect but they are more up to date. I actually like their all orange color ru-rash unis too. for the most part I like the mono look for most teams in all variations . I like the change of uniforms all around. If teams never changed there would never be throw backs. I do like their throw backs, they are a classic design but I don’t think they should switch back. Maybe a mesh up like other people have said of the old with the new could be cool. But in general I’m a fan of teams switching it up and changing their uniforms every so often. Keeps things fresh and uni-watch’s business boom’n

    CAVEAT EMPTOR ALERT!!

    RE: Here’s the uniform worn by Ken Griffey Jr. for the Reds’ “Father-Son Day” promotion in 1974, when Junior was only four years old!

    1 I see piping on the collars and shirt sleeves but none on the photo of the uniform for sale at the link

    2 there appears to be an elastic waistband but I don’t see them in the listing photo

    2 Notice the zero in the 30s in the listing versus the zeros in the picture. The zero in the listing is narrow and tall if not “ovalish”. The zeroes in the picture looks more like a perfect circle.

    There is NO DAMN WAY that is the original uniform Griffey Jr. wore.

    The photo sure looks like a v-neck pullover too, whereas the auction item is a button front.

    Totally agree, no way that’s the original uniform.

    Maybe they did the father and son thing more than one year? Just that this item and what’s in that photo are definitely not the same.

    Gotta admit that I’m pretty surprised at the number of comments in favor of the current Dolphins’ look thus far. I didn’t think anybody liked it.

    Totally off topic, but does anyone think that if the rams went with a blue face mask when wearing their blue jerseys (with the gold) that the whole gold vs white thing would be less visually jarring? Between the white horns AND white mask that’s a lot of white up top, which really makes that jersey gold look out of place. Perhaps less so with less white?

    Was trying to think of another team that has a color on their jersey that isn’t on their helmet, and closest I could come up with is the Vikings and their yellow. They have a sliver on the helmet, but from afar it would be similar to the rams – dark helmet and mask with white logo. Yellow/gold on jersey trim.

    I dunno, just a thought.

    Love jerseys that incorporate padding, today’s topic is a beaut!

    Glad you pointed out the Pele jersey at the auction, ‘70s NASL jerseys are great.

    A general problem with all the new recent nike football uniforms has been the prominence of the swoosh on the sleeves. The sleeve designs for Seattle, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Miami, and Detroit appear to be designed in such a way to highlight the swoosh rather than minimize it. The stripe pattern of Miami’s throwback does a nice job minimizing the swoosh which is something I like about it. The Nike logo is almost as wide as any other design element such as a logo or name on the sleeve and has lead to a reduction of sleeve stripes. I am very skeptical it is a coincidence and am curious if it continues with future uniform changes.

    I came to the comments section expecting it to be dominated by talk of the gorgeous Princeton jersey. The Abregos sound fascinating and I would love to read a Uni Watch interview with them.

    I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before, or how it impacts other Dolphin players with a 0 in there number, but the inside of the 0 on Kenny Stills TV number was solid orange. Looking back, it was the same way last season as well.

    cmgpbpdailydolphin.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/20161127-spt-dolphins-v-49ers-07.jpg

    They’ve had filled-in TV numbers on their throwbacks as far back as 2003: link

    And that style was used back in the day, as can be seen in this video: link (in case the time code link doesn’t quite work, skip to 7 minutes 53 seconds to get a good look at Bob Griese’s TV number as he’s carted off). Note that not every player had the filled-in TV numbers, but the early-1970s Dolphins had some real uni oddities, with some players having stripes on their sleeves, and others having plain sleeves. (I’m certain this anomaly was covered on Uni Watch in the past, but I haven’t been able to find it yet…)

    Of all the jerseys in all of time and all of sport, the pullover white A’s like the North 1976 jersey for sale at Grey Flannel is the best.

    My position on the Miami Dolphins’ uniform is this: don’t ever go back…to anything. Move forward. Going backwards is a sign of defeat. It’s the equivalent of saying, “We don’t have any new ideas, so, we’re giving up the ship, giving up any hope of finding something that speaks to this moment in time. Let’s just go home (to what is comfortable).” Tempting though this may be, resist this course of action. Always. I’m not devaluing history. I love looking back at almost everything. For knowledge. Inspiration. Enjoyment. But I always return to the present open to change. The path forward is a blank page, and therefore a bit dangerous. But it’s better to fail attempting to go somewhere new than it is to settle simply for what we’ve already tried and liked.

    By this logic, if you were driving somewhere and made a left instead of a right you’d keep heading the wrong direction, never to arrive at you destination, rather than turn back on the path to the point where you were going the right way.
    There is nothing wrong with going back to an old design, or as the case with uniforms, an updated version of an old design. Seems the vast majority of people love the old blue and yellow Rams look, certainly acceptable to move “backwards” to some variation of that design.

    In the field of aesthetics, it’s pure, unsupportable assertion to say that any change is an advance, or any return inadvisable. This isn’t the physical sciences, where one step forward is rigorously based upon another and can provably be called an advance. The greatest modern author is not necessarily superior to Homer, nor the greatest living painter an “advance” over Rubens. Regular rediscovery and redeployment are essential to art, to design, and to aesthetics in general.

    don’t ever go back…to anything. Move forward. Going backwards is a sign of defeat. It’s the equivalent of saying, “We don’t have any new ideas, so, we’re giving up the ship, giving up any hope of finding something that speaks to this moment in time. Let’s just go home (to what is comfortable).”

    This is silly. There’s nothing wrong with admitting a mistake and saying, “We got it right the first time, so we’re going back to that.” (I’m not saying this necessarily applies to the Dolphins; I’m talking more about decisionmaking in general.)

    Forward and backward, as employed here, are just metaphors. You shouldn’t be asking whether you’re going forward or backward; you should be asking which option is the best. Sometimes it’s the previous one.

    I agree with Paul here, especially in the area of sports logos and uniforms, where fans often form deep emotional bonds with a certain look and get pretty upset when a team changes for the sake of “modernizing”.

    It seems like the NBA especially has seen a number of teams make radical uniform changes only to return to a look that either matches or reflects the past. The Sixers, Pistons, Warriors, Hornets (from Bobcats), Wizards (adopted Bullets like colors and designs), and Jazz all “went backwards”.

    Appreciate all the feedback. I’m just going to have to go with the auto industry on this one. I know a lot of car buffs who believe the fifties and sixties have never been equaled when it comes to car design. Who knows? All I do know is that the auto industry has never gone backwards and said, you know, we just can’t come up with anything really good this year, so let’s go back to ’65. Because that way of thinking is a dead end. How will we ever get the next great, never-before-seen uniform if the best option is to go with something that’s already been done and that everyone already seems to like at the moment? I’m still inspired by the path forward. Always.

    But there’s a functionality with cars; you’d never go back to 1964 aerodynamics or engines.

    Uniforms are a bit different; you won’t go back to wool flannels in baseball, but… one of the best redesigns of recent years was the Blue Jays. They didn’t go back to the precise original logo, but you can certainly tell they were inspired by it.

    In regards to the topic that started the discussion, I sort of prefer the current Dolphin uniforms. I particularly like the use of white as almost the primary color, especially the face mask.

    How will we ever get the next great, never-before-seen uniform if the best option is to go with something that’s already been done and that everyone already seems to like at the moment?

    You’re assuming that creating the “the next great, never-before-seen uniform” is the goal. That is, I’d say, a faulty premise.

    I never said it was the goal, Paul. I just asked the question. And yes, with cars there’s functionality, but I specifically mentioned the design aspect.

    That example says nothing bad about uni designers, but implies some terrible things about auto designers. (Though I’d prefer to believe that technology limits their horizons, as DJ suggests, than think them all so pointlessly neophiliac by taste.)

    In case anyone doesn’t already know this, “Bugeaters” was an earlier name for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. That is the tie-in to history that they refer to. Also, I love their slogan “Farm to Pitch”. Clever.

    Coming in late from the west coast, but I absolutely love the new Dolphins look. I think its one of the best modern makeovers in the NFL.
    I think the biggest issue with the throwback, as some have mentioned above, is that it feels too “cookie-cutter” old school. Very similar to the Packers and Browns and doesn’t necessarily create a unique identity. This new set feels much more appropriate.
    The new logo is so slick to me, and I usually prefer cartoon mascots. The shade of aqua is cleaner and feels like Miami, while the previous shade felt more like polluted waters. The jerseys numbers are a rare instance of being modern without being obnoxious. I think they could benefit from a bit more orange and that darker accent blue, but overall it’s a great uniform.
    Here’s where I might lose most of you, I actually don’t mind their mono aqua or mono white look.

    After seeing the Dolphins’ throwbacks last night, I wondered why the 49’ers can’t have three stripes. For that matter, the Packers should restore the former stripage, rather than the truncated version they now have.

    What’s up with the name on that North Oakland A’s auction jersey? The N and H are small and it looks like the O, R and T are gradually larger.

    -Jet

    I think the new dolphins uniforms would look a lot less like garbage if they would use the number font that they used last night.

    The old Dolphins uniforms are classic… the new ones seem rather generic to me. Like the logo you’d see in a video game that doesn’t have the NFL license. Also, the color is off, and there is little orange used at all. Those classic uniforms harken back to when the Dolphins were actually good.

    Mono top and bottoms matching only works with WHITE, regardless of team!

    Colts and Broncos BOTH wearing he rash? I can’t believe we’re actually getting a REAL COLOR RASH MATCHUP RATHER THAN MONO COLOR VS. MONO WHITE!!

    Which brings me to a point. Why couldn’t Nike wait until after schedules release before creating Color Rash uniforms like they did in the Rash’s inaugural season? I’m kinda tired of seeing all white vs. a color. If you’re gonna do “COLOR Rush”, make sure both teams are wearing a color.

    hhahaahah cool UNC can! ahah my dad had a few of those unopened when i was a kid….he had some duke and NC state cans too….he worked out a town a lot when i was kid for Rotary Lifts/Pep Boys, i think he got them when he did a big job in Raleigh Chapel Hill area as we lived just over the boarder in southern VA…757 baby Iverson, Vick, Uptons town

    im not a dolphins fan, but i liked those 1997 starter junks with the drop shadow hahaha. that uniform had edge.

    san fran needs to bring back their 94 steve young super bowl drop shadow as well

    Dolphins throwbacks are/were classic and gorgeous! They need to go back to the glory days of Griese, Csonka and (early) Marino!

    Late to the party, haven’t read any previous comments on the topic, and not a fan of the team but I prefer the Dolphins current set. I like the lighter shade of aqua they use now and the white face mask on the helmet. I much prefer the current striping with the very thick band bordered by thinner lines. I think that’s much cleaner than the striping across the components of the original set.

    Also never liked the original logo. Looks like a bad drawing of a dolphin. Only thing I miss is the M helmet on the dolphin.

    As a longtime Dolphins fan, I prefer the throwbacks to the current uni set. I’m like an earlier reader though and prefer the mid-70s to mid-80s unis with the solid orange/aqua/orange striping on the pants. IMO, the current uni set isn’t all that bad but could be better. My suggestions: (1) change the facemask back to aqua. Never been a big fan of a white facemask on a white helmet; (2) add more orange to the uni in general. On TV, it’s hard to even see any orange anywhere but on the helmet logo. The unis just looks all aqua and white; (3) When wearing the aqua pants, wear socks with some horizontal striping to set them off, similar to when they wore aqua pants during the 1989-2011 seasons. The current pants/socks combination looks like they’re wearing aqua tights; and lastly, (4) bring back one of the pre-2013 jumping Dolphins logos. That logo design regardless of which version you choose, is the Miami Dolphins. The current logo just looks generic.

    Sorry for being a little late to this discussion. I’ve been travelling on business this week, so I haven’t had a chance to respond until now. As a lifelong Dolphins fan, I can tell you that I love the current uniform set, and do not want to employ the throwbacks as a full time uniform. The color now is the truest representation of what the original uniform looked like. It was always intended that the aqua be more blueish in hue, and not the greenish look it eventually morphed into. Plus, the current Dolphins logo is unique, and more fitting with modern graphic arts. The ’72-era logo is undeniably dated, and looks a bit boring, truth be told, as do the unimaginative gray facemasks. Also, the advent of the aqua pants paired with the white jersey was a big step in the right direction in giving this team some needed color. I don’t have a problem with using the throwbacks two times a season, even though their historical accuracy is not completely true. (The ’72 team’s TV numbers were on the sleeves, not the shoulders. And, for the most part, the jerseys didn’t have sleeve stripping, either.) But the league, the game and uniforms have advanced greatly since ’72, so there’s no need to go backwards on a permanent basis. Leave things just the way they are.

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