The past two weeks or so have been one of the busiest periods in NFL uniform history, as the lifting of the one-shell rule has led to an avalanche of teams unveiling alternate helmets, throwback uniforms, and so on.
But there’s one place where we won’t be seeing any new uni designs, at least for the foreseeable future: Kansas City.
That news comes from a report on Pro Football Talk, which quotes KC owner Clark Hunt like so:
“It was something that my dad [team founder Lamar Hunt] felt very strongly about, going all the way back to the early ’60s. He wanted a lot of continuity in the uniform and we’ve tried to maintain that over the years. I think we have a very distinct brand with the red and white, and I don’t anticipate steering away from that any time soon.”
The franchise, which began play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans and then moved to Kansas City and changed its team name in 1963, has certainly maintained a fairly consistent aesthetic over the years. Some notes:
- The team’s primary helmets have always been red and stripe-free — and there has never been an alternate helmet.
- Facemasks were grey from 1960 through 1973 and have been white from 1974 to the present.
- Primary jerseys and pants have always been either red or white — and there have never been alternate jerseys or pants.
- KC’s Color Rush uniform was just the standard red jersey paired with the standard red pants — a combo that that the team had already worn once or twice per year for the previous few seasons. In other words, they didn’t change or add anything for Color Rush. Not even a red facemask!
- The team has occasionally worn Dallas Texans throwbacks — which look very similar to the standard KC uniforms.
Add it all up and you have a team that clearly values staying the course over changing things up. So when Clark Hunt says they have no alternate uniforms on the horizon, I think we can believe him.
(My thanks to Phil for bringing the Pro Football Talk report to my attention.)
Obviously, the only variable the Chiefs have had in their uniforms over the years has been which pants they’ve worn under the white jersey–they’re as liable to go white-over-white as white-over-red.
Another team that looks so much better going white-over-white on the road.
They’ll never retire the red pants, but I wish they would.
Interesting take. I would argue that teams with non-white helmets look worse white over white. Chiefs, Browns, Giants, Jets, etc., Strikes me as the “ice cream man look”, and I’ve always preferred the color contrast. In other words, I think all look better with pants matching the helmet. To each there own of course.
Browns, Jets and Vikings look better with white jerseys and pants. Chiefs… not so much.
Giants are like the Bears. They’d look good either way.
Agree with Vilk, with the caveat that I think the Browns’ white-over-orange is a great look even though I prefer white-over-white. White-over-orange is good enough that I might even prefer it in the case of players not wearing their sock stripes correctly or at all and producing the unitard look with the white pants.
I’d say those are their best looks and would prefer they wear white at home and never wear orange pants with the brown jerseys.
Does this make the Chiefs the Yankees of the NFL (uniform-wise anyway)?
I never thought of it that way, but I think you’re on to something! I like to think of my Steelers as being a hallmark of consistency with their uniforms, but they’ve undergone some drastic changes just in the time since the Chiefs came into existence. Even if we just look at the tweaks the Steelers have made since the Chiefs changed their facemask color in 1974 (changing their own facemask color, changing numeral style on the jerseys, and having multiple throwback/alternate uniforms), they can’t hold a candle to KC in terms of saying they’ve stayed consistent! KC definitely has a clean, timeless look that need not be tinkered with.
Almost – but the 2 pants disqualify them. Even Steelers and Packers did throwbacks. Most consistent are Raiders.
Yes! And they even have 2 non-identical monograms, and the odd quirk of black trim on the helmet but nowhere on the uniform AND yellow on the uniform but nowhere on the helmet.
I like alts when they are done well, but it’s refreshing to see an owner who won’t take the bait on every cash grab.
Yaaaay! Much respect to the Chiefs for resisting this garbage!
Glad to read it and I think it just makes sense to stick with what has worked for so long
“He wanted a lot of continuity in the uniform and we’ve tried to maintain that over the years. I think we have a very distinct brand with the red and white, and I don’t anticipate steering away from that any time soon.”
Good to see at least someone understands the value of maintaining a recognizable visual identity with their uniforms.
Are the Chiefs the only team without an alternate uniform or helmet?
Raiders.
The Raiders have the silver numbered white jersey.
Ah, good point — you’re right! My bad.
From 1964-2015, the Raiders had that consistent one helmet, one pants, two jerseys look. But then in 2016 they added the Color Rush uniforms with white pants and silver numbers on the white jerseys. They only did the white pants for 2016 and 2017, but they have kept the silver-numbered white jerseys.
They also didn’t even wear their red on red bloodclot last season either, & won the SB to boot. Stick with the traditional look, whip out the white on white away for AFC West games, can continue to be one of the best looks in the league.
I’d like for them to dust off their Dallas Texans throwbacks again from time to time, even if they’re not much more than a helmet decal/facemask swap.
Other than those…stay the course.
Kudos to Clark Hunt for this decision.
They know they look good and do not tinker with it. I guess they could sell some items to some fans by introducing a black or a gold jersey, but no: they stay put. Nice and wise decision.
I’ve always wanted to see what a yellow version of their pants would look like paired with the red jerseys.
That’s a look that Washington ‘owns’…or used to since they stupidly jettisoned the yellow pants just before the name change – they never looked better then, and have since abandoned looking good at all. I suppose KC’s take would not look much different – but not as great.
Hate that team, that owner, that city, but I do give them props for this.
Bitter, party of one.
Some UniSanity.
That is great! I’d be interested to see where they rank in terms of jersey sales among the NFL.
It’s always bothered me that their helmet has black but no yellow and their uniform has yellow but no black. Wish they could fix that somehow but otherwise a very strong look (minus blooclot)
Actually, a throwback uniform for the Chief’s would be to move the numbers on the shoulders back to the sleeve just over the stripes. In 2011 they started wearing the numbers on the shoulders.
Actually, that was in 2012 — part of the Nike changeover.
;)
You are correct, I saw that on the Gridiron database when I doublechecked the sleeve numbers while was writing my original comment and yet I still typed 2011 when I should have hit 2012. I don’t think they could even do a throwback like they wore in 2011? there would be no room with that big Nike logo over the sleeve stripes.
I didn’t move to KC until 2012; there were a few people here who complained that the team had moved the TV numbers to the shoulders and switched from striped cuffs to actual stripes. The story then was that the cuffs had been getting thinner over time on the various jersey templates, and the 2012 Nike cuffs were going to be even thinner so they made the change.
The Chiefs wore loosely cuffed sleeves even when Len Dawson was there. I always thought their numbers were too small in the 70’s, by then they were wearing mesh Russell athletic jerseys. When I was a kid, around 1976 I was with my family at the movies, we ran into Chiefs TE Walter White, he had played at Maryland like my father and my father was talking to him. He introduced me to Walter, and I asked him why the numbers are so small on their jerseys? he said I don’t know what you are talking about? My father said, Jimbo, most players don’t care about that stuff, they just play.
Fred Name was a rookie when he played for the Dallas Texans.
Why would they? They already look the same as they did in 1988, and that’s clearly the theme this year for Nike.