Green Bay Packers Uniform Database

[Gothamite]

Hi gang,

I am in the process of updating The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database and wanted to solcit feedback and any information you guys have about the Packers' uniform history.

I'm adding images of the uniforms, so right now it's a little graphics-heavy (sorry, dialup users). Eventually, I will either be making a Flash version or using thumbnails to reduce loading time.

Would you guys mind taking a look?

A couple of specific questions I have:

1. Does anyone know when the Packers went to screen-print numbers and when they went back to tackle twill?

2. Does anyone know in what year the first manufacturer's logo appeared on the jersey? On the pants?

Those kinds of questions aren't exactly covered in the media guide, but are just the sort of geeky detail that will set my database apart. I really want to make it the authority on the Packers' uniform history.

Thanks!

[Discrim]

i probably wasn't born before the Pack went to screen print, so I couldn't give you the answer to question 1. As for question 2, I'll check later but I started noticing manufacturer's logos on a lot of jerseys around 93 or 94, probably much earlier

[sj32]

The NFL shield went on all uniforms in 1991. I think the manufacturers logo also went on the jerseys in '91 (don't know about the pants). I've seen Packers jerseys with the Pack's 75th Anniversary logo (1993) an screen-printed numbers. The next year was the NFL's 75th Anniversary and I can't recall if they had gone to tackle twill that year or the next year. They were definitely wearing twill numbers in 1996 when they won Super Bowl XXXI.

[Moser316]

One thing you are missing: In 1991, when the NFL shield started appearing on jerseys, everybody started putting their manufacturer's logos on the sleeves. The Packers uniforms were made my MacGregor during the 1991 season, hence their logo appeared over the striping (in the same place that the Starter logo appears on the 1992-96 uniforms). I'll try to find you a picture that backs this up, but I'm sure I've seen it...

[Moser316]

Here's a picture of the aformentioned MacGregor patch on the sleeves of the 1991 uniforms. The picture is from a 1992 preseason game against the Chiefs, but that was back when teams would recycle last year's uniforms for the preseason. If you want me to find another pic to back up my claim, I'll certainly try. If not, here it is:

[Gothamite]

That's great stuff - thanks!

Do you have a pic of the MacGregor so I can vectorize and include it?

Looking around, it appears that they added the manufaturer's logo in 1994. They definitely had it on the 1994 throwbacks, and based on this card, it doesn't appear that they had it in 1993. I'm pretty confident in this - I'll add it to the site.

Thanks again - really getting there! I've updated the site, including the infamous cover from the 2004 media guide, in which they got both the replica throwbacks wrong.

[Moser316]

Unfortunately, I don't know how to vectorize logos, but I did find the MacGregor script (just the "M" is used for the patch) on another website. I'll try to find it again when I'm done with work today...

[Gothamite]

I can vectorize it, if you have a scan or image.

Now I'm confused. I know that they had the Starter logo on the pants in 1994, but this card seems to show Brett in action with the 75th Anniversary patch on his jersey but no pants logo.

On the other hand, this could be a photo of preseason. They could be re-using old pants. This might actually strengthen the case for having added the logo in 1994.

[Moser316]

Hopefully this will be big enough for you to vectorize...

There were quite a few NFL teams in the 1980's that got their uniforms from MacGregor (or their previous company name, Medalist, located in Berlin, Wisconsin ) under the Sand-Knit name brand. Most of these jerseys that I've seen had silk-screened numbers, as opposed to the tackle twill numbers on today's NFL jerseys. I'm not sure when MacGregor got out of doing official NFL and NBA on-field uniforms, but the 1991 Packers jerseys were the last ones I remember being done by the company (which apparently now concentrates on golfing equipment/apparel/accessories)...

[Gothamite]

So the sleeve logo was a white square with the "M" inside it?

[andrewharrington]

one thing i dont have info on, but thought i should let you know.

im not sure if you want to go this deep, but it might be useful to look up when the pack (and the rest of football) started wearing five panel pants, as seen in the GB-KC photo above.

when i originally drew the template, i included five panel pants, but i dont know if they had them in, say, the years before the late 1980s/early 1990s.

if you want to look that far into it to delete the extra stich lines, then more power to you gothamite.

you have a wonderful website. it may inspire me to do it for the browns.

[Moser316]

So the sleeve logo was a white square with the "M" inside it?

Exactly

[andrewharrington]

one other thing. i know youre using a round, wide sans serif font for the nameplates, but the packers use a narrower, block sans serif. for the numbers, they look a little thin, they seem like they should be thicker, and maybe its just a matter of going in, selecting all the necessary nodes on the numbers, and moving them in with the arrow keys, at least thats what i do when i use "college" for my numbers. particularly, the ends of the 3s need to be moved more toward the center horizontal line of symmetry. the numbers also look a little wide. on the photo, see the negative space in reggies 9 is a rectangle, wherea it is almost square in bubbas 8 on your site.

reference

[Gothamite]

That's a good point - I forgot to put a disclaimer. I'm waiting for a crack at Nick 1733's numbers and letters.

[andrewharrington]

good call. just PM him and ask him to email it to you. ive asked him for an individual one, and its been no problem.