The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles showed us hot not to do throwback uniforms – convincing evidence that Pennsylvanians are color blind. Those uniforms are invariably called ugly by everyone but homers.
Watching Redskins game. Have to think the were distracted, all day, thinking, "AHHHHH!!!! BEES!!!!!!! GIANT BEES!!!!"
— Dan Graziano (@espn_nfceast) October 29, 2012
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The Washington Redskins uniforms are improvements on two counts. It does not recall a uniform that should never be seen again. It commemorates a period when the team actually won something.
The Steelers were a stinker 2-10-0 franchise in 1934, the year they unveiled those colors. The Redskins won it's first NFL championship in 1937. It's 80th-Anniversary unis are based on that period – sorta.
The new throwbacks are not replicas of the 1930's colors. They are a blend of the 1930s through 1960s colors should pop better on HDTV than the originals.
@skinshogheaven They're similar to the late 1950s, but they're supposed to be from the 1930s. More of a traditional hodgepodge look. No matter. The Steelers proved that nobody needs to see authentic throwbacks anyway.
— Zac Boyer (@ZacBoyer) October 30, 2012
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I went to my first live Redskins game in 1962 (please … don't do the math), before Sonny Jurgensen joined the team. Those old wine-colored jerseys were the flashiest in the NFL that has yet to be accurately captured in any of the throwbacks. Those colors were acceptable on black & white TV, in days when fortunate families had a TV set, and only one at that. They were drab after Disney and Bonanza drove demand for color television.
(Actual quote: "No, son. The TV isn't broken. That movie is supposed to be black & white.
"Well, who wants to see a movie that's not in color." Goes back to video game.)
Washington went to the Spearhead logo in 1965. Younger readers have an impression that the Redskins copied the design from the Florida State Seminoles rather than the accurate other way around.
Vince Lombardi's effort (as I recall, don't quote me) to restore a winning mindset to the moribund franchise led to brightening the jersey from wine to red and the pants from gold to yellow. Lombardi called it Championship Gold. No photograph i've seen did justice to those legacy wine-colored jerseys.
A season later, Lombardi changed that scheme imitation Packers with yellow helmets and a Circle-R logo. Lombardi did not live to see that uniform in a live game. Fortunately, it was short-lived.
Washington moved to its familiar uniform with the Buffalo Nickel helmet logo in the 1972 season.
Washington will wear its homecoming, 80th Anniversary throwbacks this Sunday, November 4, at home against the Carolina Panthers. Redskins tickets are still available.
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