A short while ago, I mentioned I’d like to compile uniform histories for the major sports, and with the news last week of Peyton Manning teasing a possible throwback for the Cincinnati Bengals, I thought today would be a good day to look at the uniforms worn by the Cincy Bengals throughout their history.
1968-1980
The Cincinnati Bengals were founded in 1967 and began play in 1968 in the American Football League (which was separate from the NFL at the time), coached and run by the legendary Paul Brown, who had been the coach of the Cleveland Browns until 1962. Brown worked with Ohio Governor James Rhodes to bring football to Cincinnati and who was fearful the Reds might leave town — so having two major sports in that city was looked at as a way to keep the Reds as well as to bring pro football to the town. There had been a number of defunct teams from the State of Ohio, and legend has it that Brown called his team “Bengals” because there was once a pro team from Cincy called “Bengals.” Bengal tigers are, of course, orange and black, so it was logical that the Bengals colors would be black and orange. They also happened to be eerliy similar to colors and style of Brown’s old team.
Indeed, the first Bengals uniforms very closely resembled those of the Cleveland Browns.
The black home jersey featured white numerals, long sleeves and simple white and orange striping on the sleeves above the elbow. Numbers were white. The pants were white with black/orange/black stripes. The white jersey was basically the inverse: black numbers on a white jersey with black/orange/black stripes, separated by a small white stripe between each color. The white pants were worn with both jerseys.
The helmet was orange (like the Browns’) and featured the word “BENGALS” spelled out in a radial arch.
Although the Bengals wore that uniform until 1980, they made a slight change to the helmet after the 1979 season, switching from a gray facemask to a black one.
1981-1996
The new uniforms worn by the team in 1981 were nothing short of revolutionary. While the colors remained black and orange, just about every element of the uniform was redesigned. We could almost properly call this a rebranding.
Gone was the plain helmet, replaced by the now familiar orange dome which was now adorned with tiger stripes. While the facemasks were black, superstitious QB Ken Anderson’s was gray painted black, which would often flake off during a season of play, leading to some interesting looks.
The rest of the uniform would take on a decidedly more “tiger like” look as well, with jerseys adorned with shoulder loops of orange with black striping patterns inside the orange. The pants, which remained white, would also take on the tiger stripe pattern of the shoulder loops. Home jersey remained black while white tops were worn on the road. While the team attempted to keep the striping patters similar, each player had a unique set (helmets, shoulder loops and pants stripes).
The jerseys still had sleeves, but they were much shorter than the original long-sleeves the team began life with. TV numbers on both white and black jerseys were on the top of the arms, beneath the loops. Black jerseys had white numbers outline in orange, while the white jerseys had black numbers, also outlined in orange. High socks were orange.
It’s hard to say just how new and different these uniforms were when they were introduced — no NFL team had ever been so “adventurous” in uniform design. Perhaps only the Chargers, who also wore shoulder loops and pants stripes (adorned with lightning bolts inside the elements on the jersey, by themselves on the pants), came close to new age design. But the Bengals upped the ante with their tiger-striped helmets.
For one game only, during the NFL’s 1994 75th Anniversary, the Bengals wore their OG uniforms against the Patriots, who themselves were throwing back to their Pat Patriot look.
1997-2003
By 1997, sleeves on NFL uniforms were becoming a vestigial piece of apparel, and the Bengals made some adjustments to their uniforms to compensate. The biggest change was the moving of the TV numbers from that sleeves to the shoulders. They would also modify the stripe loops, becoming for of a stripe. The tiger stripes within the orange stripes would also change, becoming thicker and more uniform. The other big change would be the addition of a tiger patch, which was placed on the sleeve where the TV numbers had been.
In addition to the more refined stripe pattern, different uni makers seemed to produce different stripe patterns and widths on both pants and jerseys. The team also switched from orange high socks to black ones.
From 1997 through 2002, the team had only two jerseys (black and white) and one set of white pants. In 2003, the team added black pants, which they wore twice (in weeks one and 17), and only paired them with the black jerseys.
2004-2020
In the early years of Reebok’s 10-year league-wide clothing contract, the Bengals underwent a major uniform redesign for the 2004 season. While their (now) iconic helmets remained unchanged, the jerseys and pants would be redesigned. Not only were black and white jerseys and pants a part of this set, the team would also introduce a new orange jersey, allowing for multiple uniform combinations beginning in 2004. Although the orange jerseys were not worn with white pants that season, that look would soon enter the rotation.
Major changes to the uniforms included a redesign of the number fonts, which went from standard block to a custom rounded font, which also featured a contrasting block shadow. On the orange and black jerseys, a white side panel from armpit to waist. Both the white and black pants had an odd pattern, featuring a white/orange stripe at the hip, with a black/orange stripe cascading down the remainder of the leg. Both orange and black high socks were worn. While unconfirmed by the designers, it was assumed the white/orange stripe transitioning to black/orange was done to mute the visual dissonance of the white side panel on the orange and black jerseys. The tiger logo was removed from the sleeves, and a patterned “B” logo was placed in the center of the jersey, beneath the collar.
Nike would take over the league-wide clothing contract in 2012, which resulted in changes to the pants stripe. Under Reebok, it was basically straight with a taper to a point above the knee, whereas under Nike the stripe would fully curve above the knee.
On the black jerseys, the numbers were white with orange block shadow. Shoulders were black, with orange sleeve caps containing the tiger stripe pattern. There would be a single orange stripe above the orange sleeve caps. The orange sleeve caps would have black stripes. All jerseys had contrasting collars (orange on black jerseys, black on white and orange jerseys). All jerseys featured white TV numbers located on the shoulders.
On the white jerseys, there was no side panel (or if there was, it was also white), with orange shoulder yokes and black sleeves with orange tiger stripes. Numbers were black with orange block shadow.
The orange jerseys would also have the white side panel, but unlike the black and white jerseys, were otherwise a solid color with black tiger stripes on the sleeves. These featured white numbers with a black block shadow.
In case it wasn’t readily apparent in the photos above, here’s a comparison of the pants striping under Reebok (left) and Nike (right):
The team would wear these six uniform combos exclusively from 2004 through 2016. In 2017, after the league had introduced the “Color Rush” program, the team received a new set of uniforms. These featured solid white jerseys and pants, completely devoid of color, with black tiger stripes on the pants, and black shoulder caps featuring white tiger stripes. As with their regular white and black jersey, a single contrasting color tiger stripe was above the shoulder cap. While the striping pattern mimicked the regular uniforms, these CR unis also featured a block number font (with no block shadow), rather than the rounded style found on the regular jerseys. Despite the lack of color (save for the swoosh and “B” logo) in the CR uniform, these appear to be mimicking the look of the white bengal tiger.
2021-Present
The Bengals would unveil their fourth generation uniforms for the 2021 NFL season. >TV numbers are omitted from all jerseys. White jerseys have rounded front and back numbers with orange outline, NOBs are black, orange Bengals wordmark sits at the base of the front collar, three black tiger stripes adorn the sleeves. Black jerseys have rounded white numbers with orange outline, NOBs are white, orange wordmark at the base of front collar, three orange tiger stripes on the sleeves. Alternate orange jerseys have rounded white numbers with black outline, NOBs are white, black Bengals wordmark at the base of the front collar, three black tiger stripes are on the sleeves. Pants: 2 sets of white pants, one features black tiger stripes running down the sides and the other features orange tiger stripes on the sides. Black pants have orange tiger stripes down the sides. Socks are either all white, all black or all orange. An amazing 10 combos are worn in the regular and post season: all white with black striped pants, all black, white/white/black, white/black/white, white/black/black, black/white (black stripes)/black, black/white (orange stripes)/black, black/black/orange, orange/white (orange stripes)/orange, orange/black/orange.
The team wasted no time in mixing and matching the jerseys and pants.
With the new set of uniforms in 2021, the Bengals would (temporarily) drop their white color rush set. However, in 2022, the NFL allowed the use of a second color helmet shell, so the Bengals opted to go with a white version of their classic orange helmet.
Because NFL uniform rules at the time stipulated that alternate helmets could only be paired with alternate uniforms, the Bengals “revived” their old CR uniforms, pairing the new white helmet with those. The team paired their new white pants with the old CR jersey.
By 2023, the Bengals had successfully convinced the NFL’s fashion police that the new white helmet would be best paired with the team’s new white jersey, despite the NFL’s prohibition on wearing alternate helmets with primary jerseys. The Bengals did so by designating the white helmet over all white (jersey, pants, socks) as their “new” color rush uniform, so this became their new CR look.
As if the team didn’t have enough combos and mix-and-match options, in 2024 the team added a set of orange pants, which they would pair with all three jerseys, producing three new uniform combos.
The Bengals won’t be changing up their look any time soon. They will enter their fifth season wearing the current uniform sets in 2025, so they won’t be eligible to change those up until 2026 at the earliest (and based on their previous uniform history, they keep new sets far longer than five years). In addition, the NFL will be introducing “Rivalries” uniforms beginning this fall, with eight teams (two divisions) receiving the new unis. The program will be rolled out over four seasons, and the Bengals (and the rest of the AFC North) won’t be getting their Rivalries uniforms until 2028.
And there you have it. A look at the Bengals uniform history from their founding to the present.
Thoughts? Which era do you think was the team’s best look (I thought then and I still think now, the second generation set which was groundbreaking at the time and still looks good, is their best). The worst? Easily the 2004-2020 set with the block shadows and side panels, IMO. I’m a big fan of the “white tiger” look with the white helmet, although I realize many don’t share that opinion.
And circling back to the story that prompted this article, what do you think of the Bengals original uniforms? Should they return as a throwback?
Fire away.
Go back to the ’75 uniforms.
Agreed
In another similarity to the Browns, I believe that with their original uniforms, they were loathe to wear black at home, just as the Browns rarely wore their brown jerseys at home. I am not sure there was ever a reason stated for this, so I don’t know whether the “white jersey at home” was purposeful copying or a happy coincidence.
Best set was 1997 – 2003. the stripping blended in well with all aspects of uni’s. Black on black was very sharp, with logo on sleaves a nice touch. Second the original uni’s. Just make the lettering bigger on helmets, then you have a great classic look.
Agreed
These are the best sets of uniforms in Bengals history.
I was surprised to see the black pants from 2002. I must not have been paying attention. lol
Ding! Ding! Ding! That’s the correct answer. Also, they seem to be popular, but I’m not a big fan of the white helmet/pants/etc. Stick to orange and black.
I like the 1997-2003 the best although I would look better with orange socks and dropping the tiger on the sleeve. The 2004-2020 was definitely the worst. The 1981-1996 was good but the number font on the 1997-2003 is better. The orange pants they used last year are good to see. They look best with the white jersey. The Bengals should try wearing orange socks with the all white uniform combo. It would add some much neede color.
Regarding the Bengals’ original uniforms:
On the short-sleeved mesh jerseys, the three stripes were separated either by black.(on the black jersey) or by white (on the white jersey).
However, on the long-sleeved jerseys, the stripes were joined — no separation. Note the Ken Anderson photo above.
The three stripes on the socks were joined, no matter what jersey was worn.
The reason for that is that the mesh jerseys had the stripes screened on and the long-sleeved stripes were woven and sewn into the Dureen jerseys.
Exactly. Thanks for adding that.
I know I’m in a deep dark minority, but I favor the helmets from 1968-1980. The tiger striping has always struck me (even as a kid) as kitsch…ill-advised, degrading kitsch.
“Indeed, the first Bengals uniforms very closely resembled those of the Cleveland Browns.”
True, but when we watched a Bengals/Browns game back then, there was no confusion whatsoever. One team had helmet stripes, one did not. One team had helmet lettering, one did not.
Even though I was an Oilers and then a Steelers fan, I think my favorite AFC Central/North rivalry was/is the Bengals vs Browns. And I like it even better when both teams look good as they did then and now.
When the Bengals came into the league it always perplexed me that the colors were so similar except, of course, the Paul Brown connection. Another thing that perplexed me was giving #14 to Andy (The Red Rifle) Dalton after it had been worn by Ken Anderson with distinction for so many years.
It might just be because I’m younger than this site’s typical demographic, but I really like the newest iteration of the Bengals’ uniforms. They strike me as “modern” uni design done right, and I have a feeling they’ll stick around for at least a decade or two.
Not young, but I really really like the new set…except for the zebra uni. Only the officials should wear white and black stripes on the field.
I like it, but the 2nd generation uniform was their best look and it aged well. So on its own merits, the current set is solid, but they’ve had better.
I absolutely love their new (current) set, especially the white tiger alternate.
But those 1981 unis — you had to be alive to see the initial fan/player reactions — may not have started out as instant classics, but quickly came to be. They were so different, almost revolutionary, at the time, yet they still resembled traditional uniforms in most aspects.
And unlike most, I didn’t hate the OG 1968-1980 set, but it did feel then (as now) that Brown was trying to come as close to the Browns unis as he could, without being a direct replica. And it’s funny — I HATED “BENGALS” as the logo on their helmets (and was happy to see them go), yet, now, I’d still like to see it on the field just one more time.
Agreed Phil!
I actually really like every iteration of the Bengals uniforms excited the 2004-2020 set. It just looked silly and cartoonish to me. Especially the side panels and shoulder yokes.
I try very hard to not attach the nostalgia factor to my preferences. Not sure how successful that is. When I was a kid it was definitely the 80-2002 uniforms that Cincy replied and I thought it looked great. Even the minor changes in 97 weren’t bad. I was a freshman in college during the 94 season and while I understand the disdain for the 68-80 set there has always been something about the overly simplistic aesthetic of a good football uniform.
A note: I do say all this as a Cleveland native and a Browns fan. I have never hated Cincy the way a lot of Browns fans do. Because Paul Brown is football. I don’t love the Bengals. But it isn’t Ravens/Steelers level of disgust and resentment.
That’s a decent looking uniform with silly custom font, but the lack of TV numbers makes it look like a cheap knockoff.
The top two photos show no TV numbers. Odd.
I’m thinking the simplistic Paul Brown went with just the word BENGALS on the original helmet because he couldn’t make a choice among the many prototypes presented him, as demonstrated in the photo above. Given his attention to Xs and Os detail, he was probably asked by someone on the equipment staff one day what style he wanted to go with, With bigger things on his mind, he likely said, “Aw, the hell with it…just put BENGALS on the helmet!”
I believe Paul Brown hated TV numbers; for several years with the Browns he had them use helmet numbers until the league mandated TV numbers right around the time Art Modell canned him. So the Bengals didn’t have TV numbers until 1980 – maybe the league increased fines for not having TV numbers, or maybe PB just decided to add them as they must have already been planning to have them on the 1981 tiger stripe set.
Fun fact – the 1980 TV numbers were sewn on the existing jerseys (that had printed on front and back numbers) by the team’s seamstresses; some of the numbers looked like they were cut freehand – they must norhave bought enough pre-cut numbers.
Love the orange/black/orange look. Should be primary.
My favorite of their sets is the brand new Orange pants with the home black. That is absolutely fantastic.
But otherwise, their best look is essentially what they wore in SB XXIII, in my opinion. Orange socks with the 1981-2003 roads.
The only thing missing from the modern set is a lack of orange on the standard road whites. That’s it.
As long as raglan sleeves and side panels are not involved I like any era with the tiger striping in any combination. The first generation looked too generic and too close to the Princeton Tigers. The tiger stripe helmet is a classic. The only thing: bring back the most recent version of the tiger head to adorn the jerseys (either on the sleeves or up front below the collar), as they had until recently and use the striped B for coaching gear only. Similar to the block gold S with the Steelers and the script orange B with the Bears (and the erstwhile, beautiful gold R of the Washington team). I miss a tiger logo for this team.
Those original unis were way too plain and too close to the Browns. Anytime I see 70s Steeler highlights I frequently confuse the two.
I like the 97-2003 set, but their current set is my favorite by far, though the pants could use some more orange.
The Rebok/Nike 2004 to 2003 were utterly hellish. It made the switch to what they have now a godsend – even though its far from perfect. The weird outlined pants stripes don’t match any other element of the uniform. The new orange pants somewhat fix that – but it becomes overwhelmingly Halloween at that point. If the pants borrowed the simplicity of the shoulder strips – in vertical format, it would fix the problem. The only sports jersey I ever wear is a black 70’s Bengals Ken Riley classic. I do love the old originals and would love to see them occasionally on the field.
Phil, great look at the Bengals uniforms.
The Bengals have only worn two team-specific commemorative patches in 57 seasons – a small City of Cincinnati Bicentennial patch in the 1988 Pro Football Hall of Fame game, and a 50 seasons patch in the 2017 season, due to the Brown family influence over the years.
I remember all these sets, but the current one is the best by far. Then a HUGE drop-off to the 2nd gen, then 3rd and finally the 1st gen ones. They were just sooooooooooooo plain and horrible. 2nd gen gets a bump when they had the flying tiger on the sleeve though. Never thought the B logo was worth anything
I first became a Bengals fan in the 70 because of the orange and black. Ken Anderson was my favorite player and his poster in the old uniform hung on my wall. There is a place in my heart for the simple elegance of that. However I realize now that they are too simple and too much like the Browns to be a modern primary uniform. The 1981 unis were great, but after that the uniforms got progressively worse. The newest uniforms are fine, much better than anything since the first Super Bowl uniform and they have one great addition: Orange pants. I have always wanted the Bengals to have orange pants. I think they work be best with white jerseys, but accent black shirts as well. I don’t think the present orange is the best — little too neon for me. But it is still a great look. College uniforms feature much more orange than the NFL which has more yellow, silver or khaki, especially as pants. The orange and black make the Bengals special and I am glad they took advantage of orange for the pants.
THE VERY BEST BENGALS UNIFORMS were never actually worn by the team.
When the Bengals readied for their very first season, early promotional sketches and literature promoted by the AFL on Calanders and releases had the Bengals wearing their original Orange helmets with “Bengals” arched in sides, but with White-Black0-White center helmet striping. That helmet looks much better than the stripe-less helmet they wore.
Those promotional materials also had the Bengals wearing ORANGE jerseys with Black numerals trimmed in White. It was a very sharp, unique look. A wasted opportunity.
97-03 is my favorite. Unfortunately they were synonymous with some terrible teams. The leaping Bengal is a great logo. I realize many don’t like the Bengals helmet but I think it’s a great look. The current one is an improvement over the 04-20 uniform set which isn’t saying much but it’s not bad it’s just not great. Hoping they rebrand to the now classic 81-96 or 97-03 look in the near future.