NFL 100 Throwback Concepts (32/32 COMPLETE)

[packerfan21396]

Arizona Cardinals:

 

1898 Throwback: The Oldest Throwback

The oldest franchise in the NFL gets the oldest throwback in the NFL.  The Cardinals started as the Morgan Athletic Club in Chicago in 1898, sporting these sweaters in an age where numbers weren't worn.  As a result, these numbers come from some late 1890's Harvard football teams from when college football teams occasionally wore their graduation year on their sweater for the team photo (or in the pre-1895 one's case, their standing?).  I decided to go with a logo-number stack for the front in an attempt to evoke both an era of monogram sweaters and the sizing of the graduation years.

 

1925 Throwback: Sorry, Pottsville

The controversial 1925 NFL champion Chicago Cardinals wore these University of Chicago leftovers that were insisted on being cardinal, not maroon, hence the name.  Numbers come from a later iconic Cardinals uniforms due to only parts of a 1 and 4 being found that looked pretty close. Unfortunately, a stripe had to be dropped to fit the double C logo (from the mothership) on the sleeve.

 

1947 Throwback: The Cardinals' Last NFL Title

The Chicago Cardinals' second, and more legitimate, NFL title came in 1947 where they wore rather plain red and white that would become the base of the Cardinals to this day.

[packerfan21396]

Los Angeles Rams:

 

1936 Throwback: Red... And Khaki...?

Before there was blue and gold, there was red and khaki with a hint of black butt stripes.  These were the colors of the 1936 Cleveland Rams when they started out in the second of four iterations of the American Football League before joining the NFL the next year.  The logo comes from this 1937 letterhead.

 

1945 Throwback: The First Rams Championship

Once the Rams started wearing blue and gold, they pretty much looked like the Packers did during this time.  As a result, the Rams entered the 1945 NFL Championship wearing these inverse Packers uniforms.  The World War II support patch I recreated basing it more off of the Ruptured Duck Insignia.

 

1949: Red... Again?

For whatever reason, in 1949, the Rams changed their colors and even newly created horn paint for a single season.  There's plenty of mystery around this uniform set.  Elroy Hirsch wore the old, smooth horns on an extra padded helmet (to protect his recent skull fracture) that could even had been blue.  Also, in some pictures, the Rams were wearing serif block numbers similar to the ones from the year prior; while in others, the Rams were wearing sans serif block numbers similar to the ones they'd wear the next season.  As a result, the numbers I chose attempted to combine both, but mostly resemble the serif block numbers.

[JH42XCC]

Wait, we don't get the Fearsome Foursome-era uniforms or the ones from the team's 2nd NFL Championship in 1951?

[ATolly66]

The Rams wore Red & Yellow in 1949 as a tribute to USC. 

[packerfan21396]

6 hours ago, JH42XCC said:

Wait, we don't get the Fearsome Foursome-era uniforms or the ones from the team's 2nd NFL Championship in 1951?

Personally, I don't like the Rams in blue in white, and I think a lot of current Rams fans might agree, hence the Rams wearing their great royal and gold throwbacks and gold and navy Color Rush uniforms more often than their navy and white disasters in 2018.  And sure, the 1951 team is important, but since the Rams had a lot of interesting throwback options, I decided to not do what essentially is what they should be wearing with just Northwestern stripes instead of shoulder horns.  I'm not a fan of throwbacks that don't look that much different than a team's current look.

 

3 hours ago, ATolly66 said:

The Rams wore Red & Yellow in 1949 as a tribute to USC. 

That does make a lot of sense and I was going to make a joke about that similarity, but I just thought it was an odd choice.

[Silver_Star]

On ‎7‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 2:57 PM, packerfan21396 said:

Personally, I don't like the Rams in blue in white, and I think a lot of current Rams fans might agree, hence the Rams wearing their great royal and gold throwbacks and gold and navy Color Rush uniforms more often than their navy and white disasters in 2018.  And sure, the 1951 team is important, but since the Rams had a lot of interesting throwback options, I decided to not do what essentially is what they should be wearing with just Northwestern stripes instead of shoulder horns.  I'm not a fan of throwbacks that don't look that much different than a team's current look.

 

That does make a lot of sense and I was going to make a joke about that similarity, but I just thought it was an odd choice.

Amen brother! Amen. I hate those god awful blue and white. Looks so much like the Colts in many ways. I advocate a lot for the royal blue and yellow gold uniforms a lot because that look is the IT factor!

And yes, the 1949 colors was to pay homage to USC Trojans championship win. So it was a love letter of sorts.

[hutchins75]

I love the acknowledgement of all this football history.  Especially pre-super bowl era professional football.  Very enjoyable topic.

[packerfan21396]

San Francisco 49ers:

 

1946 Throwback: The San Francisco... Cardinals?

The 49ers started off in the Browns' stomping ground AAFC in 1946 looking extremely similar to the Chicago Cardinals over in the other league.  The logo comes from a combination of the mothership logo and the 1946 Information Booklet.

 

1949 Throwback: The '49 49ers, Winning For Nine

The closest the 49ers came to taking down the AAFC powerhouse Cleveland Browns came in this season, their last in the AAFC.  Logo is same as before.  Following this season, the 49ers started looking more and more like their current look, so I decided to not make any newer throwbacks.

[packerfan21396]

Seattle Seahawks:

 

1974 Throwback: Royalty

In 1974, when Seattle was finally awarded a franchise, one of the more prominent groups that was lobbying for the franchise was the Seattle Kings.  Even though a Seattle Kings jersey never surfaced, a helmet and logo did.  I used the numbers from the inaugural Seahawks and an application of the helmet stripe to the rest of the uniform to make a guess at what could have been.

 

1976 Thowback: Royal-y

In my opinion, the only uniform in the Seahawks catalog that looks decent, the original Seahawks look was royal blue, green, gray, and white with enormous, tall numbers.  And then the 2000's happened...  And then Nike happened...

[BJ Sands]

This has been one of my favorite threads to follow. So many good ideas and fine execution. 

 

It’s a shame the NFL isn’t doing something similar this season. 

[heavybass]

8 hours ago, packerfan21396 said:

Seattle Seahawks:

 

1974 Throwback: Royalty

In 1974, when Seattle was finally awarded a franchise, one of the more prominent groups that was lobbying for the franchise was the Seattle Kings.  Even though a Seattle Kings jersey never surfaced, a helmet and logo did.  I used the numbers from the inaugural Seahawks and an application of the helmet stripe to the rest of the uniform to make a guess at what could have been.

 

1976 Thowback: Royal-y

In my opinion, the only uniform in the Seahawks catalog that looks decent, the original Seahawks look was royal blue, green, gray, and white with enormous, tall numbers.  And then the 2000's happened...  And then Nike happened...

Now why can't the Seahawks go back to this? This was good enough for an identity.... GDI Nike.

 

[Chromatic]

30 minutes ago, heavybassX said:

Now why can't the Seahawks go back to this? This was good enough for an identity.... GDI Nike.

 

While I agree it’s a nice look, I think there are enough silver helmet/blue jersey/silver pants teams in the league.

[rattyrattera]

While I like the later Hawks uniforms with the seahawk head on the sleeves, the originals look gorgeous

[packerfan21396]

Denver Broncos:

 

1960 Throwback: The Denver Bruins

Joining the wacky uniforms of the AFL, the Broncos started off wearing original Bruins colors and had distinct vertically striped socks.  Broncos ended up throwing back to this uniform in 2009 for the 50th anniversary of the AFL, but the socks were twisting a bit on some players causing barber shop pole legs.  So, hopefully if this uniform gets revisited again, the players wearing the white shorter socks over, and hopefully not twist them.

 

1965 Throwback: That's... A Horse?

When the Broncos started using their familiar orange and blue, they sported this spaghettified horse on their lids for a short while before using their classic D logo.  This was yet another uniform the Broncos threw back to before, this time in 1994 for NFL's 75th.  Since the Broncos' current Color Rush uniforms hint at the Orange Crush uniforms, I decided to not go any more modern than this.

[heavybass]

"looks at the horse" Wait is that supposed to be a Horse?

[packerfan21396]

7 hours ago, heavybassX said:

"looks at the horse" Wait is that supposed to be a Horse?

The altitude must've got it haha

[j'villejags]

It's so... majestic. And fierce. Never seen a slack-jawed horse before. 

[packerfan21396]

Carolina Panthers Vapor Untouchable and 25th Season Patch Update:

 

The Panthers updated to the Vapor Untouchable uniform this season leaving only my Packers left in Reebok jerseys.  Also, their 25th Season logo patch got added; as a result, throwbacks get updated.

 

Los Angeles Chargers:

 

1960 Throwback: The Last Time "Home"

The Chargers started out in LA for a single season in 1960, wearing these uniforms that would become the base of 60 years of tweaking essentially the same uniform.  Logo comes from the mothership and shoulder striping on the Vapor Untouchable jersey gets better with the new iteration the Panthers rolled out.

1963 Throwback: Good Ol' Vitamins

The only league championship for the Chargers came in 1963, where the Chargers were all on Dianabol and destroyed everyone in their path as a result.  A solid throwback that's been done before, albeit with a lighter powder blue, this jersey is the reason the Chargers should stick to powder blue and gold for good past this season.

[qckgnc]

19 hours ago, packerfan21396 said:

Carolina Panthers Vapor Untouchable and 25th Season Patch Update:

 

The Panthers updated to the Vapor Untouchable uniform this season leaving only my Packers left in Reebok jerseys.  Also, their 25th Season logo patch got added; as a result, throwbacks get updated.

 

Los Angeles Chargers:

 

1960 Throwback: The Last Time "Home"

The Chargers started out in LA for a single season in 1960, wearing these uniforms that would become the base of 60 years of tweaking essentially the same uniform.  Logo comes from the mothership and shoulder striping on the Vapor Untouchable jersey gets better with the new iteration the Panthers rolled out.

1963 Throwback: Good Ol' Vitamins

The only league championship for the Chargers came in 1963, where the Chargers were all on Dianabol and destroyed everyone in their path as a result.  A solid throwback that's been done before, albeit with a lighter powder blue, this jersey is the reason the Chargers should stick to powder blue and gold for good past this season.

 

I'd love to see the Panthers wear a Hornets throwback, it would be a cool way to commemorate Charlotte's only other pro football history. I think the prototype uniform for the Panthers looked pretty bad in reality and looks a lot better here.

[TBGKon]

I really like Chargers Option 1 with the blue bolts on the shoulders.  I think it overall could use some more gold, but i cant really think where it would be best utilized without being too garish.