Good morning Uni Watchers, and a Happy Humpday to you all.
Before we get started, ICYMI, the Jacksonville Jaguars have announced they’ll wear their gorgeous throwbacks a second time this season. Also, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially unveiled their 2024-25 City Edition uniforms.
Now then.
We’re in for a treat, uniform-wise, this Thursday, when both the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers will wear throwback uniforms in the same game. Generally, teams who wear throwbacks are the only team wearing them, while their opponents are almost always in their “regular” uniforms. Not so this week.
Interestingly, while the two teams have never met while wearing these uniforms in an actual NFL game, back on December 21 of 1997, the two teams met wearing almost identical uniforms to what they’ll wear on Thursday evening. This occured during the two-year window of 1996-97 when the 49ers were wearing white pants, as they had modified their uniforms to look like those worn during the 1994 (NFL 75th Anniversary) season, which the team wore all the way to a Super Bowl victory. They wore their throwbacks quite often during the 1994 season, and liked the look so much in 1996 they basically returned to those same uniforms full-time. They’d go back to gold pants in 1998.
So, the Thursday Night Football game between the Seahawks and 49ers will resemble that 1997 game.
A couple weeks ago, I noted that teams seem to wear alternate uniforms often in prime time games, and especially during TNF. In fact, in Week 2, the Dolphins wore their aqua throwbacks against the Bills. In Week 4, the Cowboys wore their all-white alternates against the Giants. And last week, the Falcons wore their 1966 throwbacks against the Buccaneers. That’s more than half the TNF games with at least one team wearing an alternate.
I also noted in that article that I’d love it if the NFL were to “make” teams wear throwbacks for TNF — “Throwback Thursday” — and while not scheduled as such, we’re going to get a “Throwback Thursday” tomorrow night. Nice!
The uniform the 49ers will be wearing are their white “1994 throwbacks” (which themselves in 1994 were supposed to be 1955 throwbacks). The Niners actually wanted to wear those very same uniforms this past Sunday (because of the heat in Santa Clara), but because they didn’t declare those uniforms before the season (as is the rule), the NFL denied that request. However, the NFL did allow the 49ers to wear their red jersey throwbacks against the Cardinals.
This actually poses a bit of an interesting situation for the NFL. The 49ers are scheduled to wear their white throwbacks tomorrow night, and also scheduled to wear their red throwbacks in Week 8 (against the Cowboys) and again in Week 17 (against the Lions). Since the NFL allowed them to wear their red throwbacks last Sunday, that would technically violate the rule that limits alternates to three games per season. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers will be allowed to wear alternates for four regular season games. I’d imagine the NFL will grant an exception (they’ve done it before with the Browns and Rams), but San Francisco would be bending, if not breaking, the current alt-use rules. That’s something to keep an eye on going forward.
Normally I’d be overjoyed with having a Throwback Thursday — and don’t get me wrong, I am pumped — but the 49ers are one of the few teams whose regular uniforms are, at least in my opinion, better looking than their throwbacks. That’s partly due to the team wearing white hosiery — if they’d just wear red socks, the look would be improved immensely. Still, I’m not complaining.
Any time we get to see the Seahawks in their beautiful throwbacks is a good day.
I’m not sure if anyone from the NFL who is in any position to affect such things is reading this, but if he/she is: PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING TNF “THROWBACK THURSDAY.” Yes, I know not all teams have throwbacks, and more teams have color throwbacks than white ones, but think of all the $$$ you could make if you enacted Throwback Thursday! If it takes 18 months for a uniform to be approved, fine — make Throwback Thursday a thing starting in 2026. We can wait.
We suffered through almost two full years of “Color Rush” TNF … so clearly making teams wear alternates isn’t a problem; how about you do the same for throwbacks? Hell, I’d even spring for Prime if you were to do that! Who’s with me?
OK, Uni Watchers — we’ve got a uni-treat in store tomorrow night. How about Throwback Thursday for a full season?
What say you?
I think the NFL needs to allow each team *two* throwback uniforms: one home, one road (i.e., color-jersey and white-jersey), from the same era/design, in addition to the alternate/”Color Rush” set.
That way, the Broncos get a white-jersey “Orange Crush” set; the Bucs get a white-jersey “Creamsicle” set, the Jets get a green-jersey “Classic” set; &c., and can keep their alternates (navy, pewter, black, respectively) if they want. In other words, if one of your four uniforms is a throwback, you get to add a fifth, as the opposite-jersey version of the throwback.
Agree. Two throwbacks, and if a team doesn’t have enough (or any) legit throwback options, like the Ravens, I’d be fine with a fauxback of some sort.
Ravens should pull a titans and throwback to the browns, while playing the current browns
As far as official franchise history is concerned, the Ravens are an expansion team that began play in 1996. While the Browns took a three year hiatus and returned in 1999.
I’d love to see that.
Or, or…cosplay as the Colts since, you know- franchise histories belong to the city and should not travel with the team if they relocate ; )
Yeah, if I was in charge of the Ravens I’d have black pants full time (but with side stripes) paired with purple jersey at home, white jersey on the road. Since the only throwback they have is their disputed original logo, can’t use that. So just the mono black alternate for the dark, and a Colts inspired mono white, jersey and pants could be an exact replicate except swap out the blue numbers, stripes, and socks with black. Pair that with a white helmet featuring their shield logo.
“if I was in charge of the Ravens I’d have black pants full time (but with side stripes) paired with purple jersey at home, white jersey on the road”
That’s exactly what the Ravens did in their inaugural season.
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Great call, Jay. So like the 49ers and Dolphins have now (and the Giants kinda/sorta had until this season)
Right, but if the team already has a non-throwback third/alternate/”Color Rush”/whatever (which the 49ers and Dolphins don’t), they get to keep it if they want (irrespective of whether they should). IIRC the Giants had to ditch one of theirs because of the four-uniform limit; the Jets can’t add a green-jersey version of their [awesome] throwbacks because they still have the [stupid] BFBS in the rotation.
Oh, I get what you’re saying, Jay. The NFL seems to “violate” its own rules (like, will the 49ers *now* get to wear their alt/throwbacks four times this season), and I’m sure neither Nike nor the NFL would terribly mind creating a “matching” throwback (either color or white) for use when facing a team wearing a color or white throwback. $eem$ like a no-brainer.
And yes, when the Giants introduced their “Century Red” unis this year, they had to drop one uniform, and that ended up being the 80s/90s white (CR) throwback.
I agree. Wouldn’t it be great to see Tampa Bay in a white jersey/creamsicle pants? How about the Seahawks in their throwbacks with a white jersey? Atlanta with a white jersey/gray pants. Or, even a throwback to the original Titans uniforms in Nashville. Bet that would get a positive response over the gimmicky set they came out with a few years ago. I would also like to see the Vikings in their white jersey with the purple/yellow UCLA stripes.
The NFL should absolutely to throwback Thursdays, and they should include retro graphics, end zones/midfields, wardrobes for the commentary staff, past team greats participating in the booth/analysis, and team history segments. But they should also treat the games the way the MLB does or at least used to. Teams didn’t have to designate negro league unis as an official part of their wardrobe in order to wear them for a tribute game. They just got to wear them for that special game. That way the Bucs, for example, could wear the creamscicle era unis with the white tops if they were the away team without making it their primary “throwback” or losing the orange top as an option for other games.
“If it takes 18 months for a uniform to be approved…”
Really it is if it takes 18 months to manufacture enough merch to sell along with the new uniforms.
Players get new uniforms every year, it doesn’t take very long to actually create the on field uniforms.
“…it doesn’t take very long to actually create the on field uniforms.”
Clearly.
Throwback Thursdays should be a thing in MLB too. It would force teams to drop the dreaded and stupid CConnect uniforms and bring a bit of history to the modern era. Been saying this for years.
Does anyone else think the Seattle throwbacks look better now than when they were originally worn? The natural light, modern broadcast tech, the modern slimmer fit all make a strong case to bring these back full time.
Absolutely. Been saying this since before they took the field — most of my memories of these uniforms involved games in the dark and dank Kingdome. Now that they’re “seeing the light of day” as it were, they look even better.
Good point Phil! I was asking myself, why do these look so much better to me now than when they originally wore them. That outdoor sunlight really makes the uniforms vibrant. I had a friend from college who punted for the Seahawks, he didn’t wear his college number 8 even though it was available. I asked him why he didn’t take his college number, he said when he asked for it the equipment guy said you don’t want this number, the last couple of guys who took it got cut. So, he figured it was a bad luck number.
I think the silver blue silver combo is too close the Lions.
I’d rather see them:
1. Change the logo to drop out the gray bottom stripe and make it green.
2. Keep the navy helmets
3. Use the throwback jersey design, but updated with the modern navy and green, and the modern logo on the sleeve.
4. Go with gray/silver pants.
5. Have both royal blue and white versions of the throwback in the rotation.
Seahawk Royal Blue is as close to Detroit Honolulu Blue as is Carolina Process Blue, which is to say it’s distinct enough to stand out. But it’s always been the green that sets the uniform apart, and shows why designers should not be afraid to lean into a third color — yes, I’m looking at you, Jacksonville.
And HD tv and photos are a huge difference, too. We used to see these in low def in the darkness of the Kingdome. Ditto for Denver and TB throwbacks.
GTGFTS
13 Aug 2013
Most likely the first inning after Hyun Jin Ryu gives up a home run to Juan Legares on the 4th pitch of the game.
Despite the rocky start, Dodgers prevail 4-2 for Ryu’s 12th win on the season. Matt Harvey takes the the loss in front of 46,335.
Davis wins the AL HR title with 53, beating Cabrera (44) and Encarnacion (36).
Did anyone else notice how close the #28 and “2B” look to each other on the scoreboard? If I was a second baseman I’d wear 28 just for that reason.
Make the Seahawks throwbacks their regular togs. They’re perfect.
GTGFTU
9 December 1996
Leafs get goals in each period to beat the Hawks 3-1
Only time that Wendel Clark played for Toronto against Ed Belfour and Bob Probert both playing for Chicago (Jeff Hackett was in goal for the other TOR-CHI game that season in the United Center).
Actually this is not the right answer.
I took this photo myself…I’ll post solution this afternoon if no one solves it
April 11, 1996, Hawks 5, Leafs 2, Probert with 2 goals for Chicago.
Once again, the 49ers throwbacks are a considerable downgrade from their regular set. They were worse in 1994-97, they’re worse now. About the only time they would have been an improvement was from 98-08, when they brought back the gold pants but kept everything else on the throwback jerseys the same except darkened the red, and added a large, weird leg stripe to the pants.
Agree. I was born into the early Montana years (in the Bay Area) and jr high/high school was the Young era. So I think of the 49ers as gold/red(or white)/gold with no outlines or drop shadows or trim, and I remember miserably the burgundy (with outlines AND drop shadows) years, and I remember with great relief the return to gold/red/gold. But these gold/white/white years with drop shadows just fade into obscurity for me (though I remember enjoying the Steve young years, the unis just don’t register as a significant part of the memory). Now that they’ve returned I see them and wonder what they were thinking. They just don’t work. Take the helmet away and it’s more of a cardinals or falcons uniform. I understand they want to use a throwback and what else would they do that looks significantly different from what they currently wear unless they returned to the burgundy (dear gods, no), but I’m of the mind that they should embrace the one day logo, and come up with a full uni design based on that helmet/logo as a “fauxback” (I have to imagine they already had a uni design in mind, if not already created) and do that once a season (maybe preseason or Thursday night). But please leave these drop shadow unis in the bin.
Update: there does seem to exist a design sheet showing that the one-day logo was to be paired with a uni that looks essentially like what they wear now/Montana era. I think they should get Nike to do a new retro fauxback with the one-day helmet, and just let the Nike weirdos cook.
They have multiple really intriguing throwback looks they could still get into outside of the 1996-2008 maroon look, including my personal choice that I’ve wanted to see forever… the 1959-1963 silver and red set, particularly the ‘62-‘63 versions with the SF logo. Talk about different, I think people would flip out seeing the Niners is silver.
On a side note, it’s funny to think that in the early 60’s, pre-1964, both Bay Area football teams had basically switched colors… the 49ers wore silver and the Raiders were black and gold!
Throwback Thursday. Excellent idea! Certainly a better idea than the prior Color Rush bullshit.
While I agree this game will look good, I dislike the 49ers throwbacks. With the gold lids, they should always wear gold pants. Yes, that wouldn’t be a throwback, but aesthetically, this game would look best with the Seahawks in throwbacks and the 49ers in their regular away set IMHO.
Unrelated: The Utah NHL team played the Blackhawks last night. Great looking game. I really dig the Utah uniforms. The color combo is great, and I like the simplicity.
The 49’ers just look weird without any other gold element besides the helmet. Those white pants and red/back striping look horrendous.
When they first announced Thursday games, throwback Thursday was a big tend and thought the NFL really missed out on taking advantage of that with historical matchups and rivalries using throwback uniforms. Now they lifted the 1 shell rule and tbt isn’t really a big deal but hopefully this could make mid-week football more watchable.
SF 9ers haven’t worn gold pants in Seattle since 2018, is the white jersey/pants uniform at Seahawks a new tradition now?
Basically, yes. They started wearing the white ‘94/‘55 throwbacks in Seattle after the last road game up there of 2019. That game clinched the division for them, and home-field advantage in the playoffs. It was a dramatic and significant win for them, and apparently they’ve saved that uniform for this game ever since.
GTFGTU: January 24, 1997 Maple Leafs (2) at Blackhawks (1) United Center, Chicago
#39 Enrico Ciccone only played for the Blackhawks one season (1996-1997), so that narrows it down to 5 games played between the blackhawks and Maple Leafs that year. Until 2002, NHL teams wore white at home, so we can eliminate the 3 games played in Toronto, leaving us with two. Bit of metagaming I suppose, but the commenter above guessed one of them and was told it was incorrect, so that leaves us with the other.
Rob S had the correct answer above…4/11/96. Ciccone played the stub end of the 95-96 season with the Hawks after a trade deadline deal.
Good job.
Busy night for Probie, 3 points and a fight with Domi
At least 4 hall of famers in the shot.
Clark, Schneider, and Ciccone had all just been acquired at the trade deadline.
Schneider didn’t dress in either of the games in 96-97, and Belfour was traded the day after the game in January
Sorry but I can’t get onboard the “Throwback Thursday” train except on Thanksgiving. I would rather have them wear the throwbacks when the team chooses – for really big games and rivalry games – like last Sunday’s great looking Raiders-Broncos game. Let’s seek these uniforms under the daylight instead of a night game. Plus at the moment the Thursday night games are only streaming on the fairly crappy Amazon Prime platform. As long as the Thursday games are on Prime I say stick them with the leftover Color Rush crap.
That’s a fair point, but unless you have Sunday Ticket (or to a lesser extent, Red Zone), most folks can’t see the throwbacks when they’re worn on Sunday afternoon. That’s why I’m suggesting Thursday night (of course, I don’t have Prime, so I miss them, but a lot of people do have it, and it is a cheaper option than Sunday Ticket). If not Throwback Thursday, then how about SNF or MNF? Teams seem more and more willing to wear alternates when a game is in Prime Time, so why not use Prime Time for good (throwbacks) that everyone (in theory) can see.
All very good points Phil; I was thinking about what could be the best national game spot. I think that SNF, since it’s still on broadcast TV would be the perfect place for Prime Time Throwbacks.
“seek”?!? Sorry that should be “see”.
Throwback Thursday would be so great! Wish the 49ers would make their face mask white or red. Gray face mask just look so ugly and off to me with uniforms with no other grey in them.
Absolutely love the Seahawks uniform! As others have commented it appears to look even better now, compared to when it was worn in the Kingdom.
The 49ers uniforms is a huge down grade. Few teams look good in white pants and jerseys (Chiefs, Dolphins, Browns regular not throwback, Panthers, Colts). For me even worse than the white pants is the drop shadow, it’s just not a good look here or with Browns throwbacks.
I am hit and miss as to liking throwbacks. Some are okay but I can’t stand to see a uniform from the 50s or leather helmet era with modern pads and equipment, especially if played indoors or on a non-grass field. I feel them same for baseball but like someone wrote, Throwback Thursdays for the MLB would be a huge improvement over the City Connect and the horrific dark pants.
Just my thoughts!
I make this comment on the Seahawks throwback every chance I get in hopes that the idea will catch on and it will become reality:
Use the throwbacks full time, but update the logo on the shoulder and helmet to the current, more menacing bird, but in these colors, and you have yourself a winner. The newer logo is a clean evolution from the original, but so much stronger, IMO.
I’ve said that so much. The new logo, with the old colors. The old logo is too blocky and just doesn’t look good. It’s extremely dated. The new logo just looks good. As for the colors, I’m a fan of the neon green (sue me) but the colors don’t feel so dated with the updated logo
Change some of the striping on the 49ers unis to include some gold and make the facemask white. Also, I guess the black on the helmet logo kind of works with the drop shadow numbers and black on the pants, but on their normal unis get that out of here.
Do you think they’ll ever remove all the rules to how many times and what you can wear certain uniform parts with? Hate having rules on something like that.
I’d agree to a certain extent. It’s one of those “be careful what you wish for” things. I don’t know if any NFL team would do it, but if you remove those type of restrictions, you could end up with a Oregon sitch — for several years in the past couple decades, the team went through an entire season without every repeating a combo. Would we want to see, say, The Houston Texans wearing a different combo every week?
There is something to be said for some uni-consistency. I’d actually prefer it if the NFL were to allow teams one extra “alternate” week (so they could wear alternate jerseys up to four different games), but remove the restriction on the alternate helmet. That way, the Saints (just as an example) could pair their black helmet with the all-black uniform. Not that it would look good, but it would look a lot better than going gold/black/black/black.
But again…citing Pandora’s Box…that opens up more “be careful what you wish for” options.
Your crazy The Niners All white throw BK uniforms are awesome Way better than Ther regular uniforms And all these teams people are mentioning that wear white tops But wearing dark pants Don’t cut it with me All white uniforms mono uniforms are the best looking by far So nice clean professional Stand out on the TV I love them I like how Alot of team’s are wearing their All white uniforms at home Browns niners Miami Bill’s Cincy white Bengal lions ATLANTA Az CAROLINA theres more teams but these are all smokin All white uniforms The best What I really hate terrible awful ugly ass All Dark uniforms mono It just looks like one dark depressing color especially All Black Uniforms Omg so dam ugly pathetic Just trash them right away please
Whoa, take a breath.
I agree about the Pandora’s Box conundrum. I always thought it was weird when they wouldn’t allow alternate helmets even if it was just a decal swap. Now we get Houston sporting 3 lids this season. I can understand and even support teams wearing throwbacks (maybe once or twice a season) but creating something out of whole cloth has led us down a road we’re never coming back from.
I’d love for Throwback TNF to become a more regular, but unofficial thing. Leagues can suck all the fun out of this sort of thing when it becomes a mandate. If enough people talk about it, more teams will do it.
For me this is a matchup between the league’s best and worst current throwbacks, but I’m all for anything that gets those Seahawks unis on the field more. Something about that set really made an impression on me as a kid, the colors, the logo, the stripes…such a great football uniform, and great for Seattle. I’ve been a Lions fan since the Sanders days, and the similarity never really bothered me. The royal blue and kelly green combo is just so underutilized in sports.
This 49ers uniform, and the accompanying red version, I’ve never really liked. The black drop-shadow always seemed unnecessary, and the black stripes even more so. I think their current mains are modern classics that don’t need to be changed, and can’t be substantially improved upon. But if the fans like it, then I don’t have a problem with it as a once-in-a-while throwback alternate.
throwback TNF……YES, PLEASE. since the NFL does not have city connect jerseys like MLB or NBA, then this would only make sense from a marketing standpoint. and who doesn’t love throwbacks? it’s a great way to celebrate the history of the game and shake things up a bit from the usual.
I agree with Phil. I grew up a 49ers fan in the 1980s and college in the 1990s. I totally think the white pants looked/look anemic on the road and paired with red they just feel top heavy and do not coordinate with gold helmet. I really only like white pants if helmet is white or the team only has one color + white like Colts or Jets, Penn State etc
The NFL need to make up for their atrocious handling of their 100th anniversary in 2019: no alternate color helmet shells were allowed still and their was no league-wide throwback uniform celebration like in 1994 (for the 75th anniversary season), leading to an overall underwhelming centenary (I mean, IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE!)
Making TNF “Throwback Thursday” would slightly make up for that egregious fumble in 2019.