"Champion" style numbers

[VitaminD]

I know Champion no longer makes the authentic on-field game jerseys for the NFL. But back in the day, quite a few teams used Champion, both in the NFL and a few major college programs.

Reebok makes all the jerseys for the NFL now, including designs that were done by other companies before Reebok took over (obvious example: Steelers [by Nike]; something similar happened with the Patriots and adidas IIRC). Since the number font transferred seamlessly from Nike to Reebok in the case of the Steelers, clearly one company can use another company's existing style. So would it be possible for Reebok to reintroduce the old "Champion" style numbers (Bengals of the Boomer Esiason Era, Bills of the Jim Kelly Era)? I always liked how they looked and stood out from the bland Block Varsity numbers so many teams wore. Could they come back, or would it be a trademark infringement? Or could they approximate the design and just look reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally similar?

[Discrim]

i'd love to see it back on Notre Dame, its usage seems to have died out after ND changed to the generic varsity block. the current numbers still don't seem quite right to me, frankly.

[The_Admiral]

What's the difference

[VitaminD]

What's the difference

Why'd you post a response?

It's just a question, and with the rise in all things retro, Champion-style numbers may be a way to add a throwback (to the '80s, anyway) feel to some uniforms. Also, some companies market "authentic throwback" jerseys with numbers that are glaringly wrong.

EDIT: TCR, I apologize; if what you were asking was to enumerate the difference between Champion-style fonts and Block Varsity fonts, then I mistook your response, which I had originally read as "why are you asking, what's the point of this". My bad.

[hormone]

What's the difference

Why'd you post a response?

It's just a question, and with the rise in all things retro, Champion-style numbers may be a way to add a throwback (to the '80s, anyway) feel to some uniforms. Also, some companies market "authentic throwback" jerseys with numbers that are glaringly wrong.

Maybe he meant what's the difference in #'s????? Well, if you did, the 2's were more like a Z style and the 7s were kinda rounded. I'm font illiterate, so I'm sure someone could offer a better description/picture.

[Discrim]

What's the difference

wanna see the difference? okay...courtesy of CollegeJersey.com

generic block:

2001 home jersey #37

2001 Gold team jersey #77(ND Gold & Blue scrimmage)

2001 away jersey #56

Champion block:

1999 home jersey #57

1999 home Jeff Faine #52

2000 away jersey #37

[VitaminD]

Maybe he meant what's the difference in #'s?????

You're probably right. I'm editing my previous post [see above... sorry again, TCR] on the likelihood that you read what he meant better than I did.

Champion also used a rounded-letter font, closer to Helvetica, for its name, at a time when most teams used more squared-off or straight-line letters.

I'll look for pictures this weekend to clarify the difference.

[sacker12]

BC had the "Champion" block on their throwbacks made by Reebok last year. However, I think that they were made in the old Champion plant in upstate NY.

[CFSize24]

Here is a pic of an Ohio State jersey before they went to Nike. The last yera they used these were in 1995.

[The_Admiral]

Sorry for my wording. I had jsut meant to say I wanted to see the two sets side-by-side. Thanks for showing me, sorry that I was unclear

[BBTV]

I used to HATE seeing people wearing Champion brand replica Eagles jerseys (Cunningham 12 of course) to school back in the day. That font agrivated me as a teenager for some reason. A lot.

Ever notice how it was mostly (if not exclusively) AFC teams that used the font? Bills, Jets, Bengals, and Colts all wore it at some time. The Jags had mock-ups done in the Champion font, but I don't think they ever wore them.

The Saints are the only NFC team I can think of that ever used that font. It's dead, and I say keep it dead and burried.

[sj32]

I used to HATE seeing people wearing Champion brand replica Eagles jerseys (Cunningham 12 of course) to school back in the day. That font agrivated me as a teenager for some reason. A lot.

Ever notice how it was mostly (if not exclusively) AFC teams that used the font? Bills, Jets, Bengals, and Colts all wore it at some time. The Jags had mock-ups done in the Champion font, but I don't think they ever wore them.

The Saints are the only NFC team I can think of that ever used that font. It's dead, and I say keep it dead and burried.

The Giants also used the "Champion" font in the 70's through about 1984 and the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Lions wore them briefly (late 60's, early 70's). I think the Bears were the only NFL team to wear Champion jerseys that did not have the Champion numbers.

[VitaminD]

This side-by-side comparison may illustrate the Champion style even better. They're both Boomer Esiason (whose M&N Bengals jersey DOES have the proper font; my Esiason replica growing up didn't, but those were the days when the replicas were really T-shirts with screen-printed graphics; they screwed up my Dan Marino "jersey" also). You can see the difference in the font really well with the #7 - if you can find old Jets pictures of Joe Klecko, it's pretty noticeable. Anyway, without further ado:

And I was with BBTV, thinking they were AFC numbers only. But I do remember the Saints and Giants using them for a couple years. I can't confirm the Cardinals, but it wouldn't surprise me. I don't think a team wearing "Champion" numbers was ever crowned Champion of the NFL. Which is ironic.

[BBTV]

That was the Bills problem! They jinxed themselves by using that font.

I really hated the 7's in that style. I just don't understand how a font-set that is all angular allows for a curved line like in the 7. Whenever I'd see Bruce Smith highlights, it upset me. Yes, it's lame that a number font upset me, but it did.

Edit:

Also, ever notice how you never saw twill Champion numbers? Only heat pressed.

[Cujo]

I wanna say teams using Champion numbers in Super Bowls went 0-5.

Bengals - XXIII

Bills - XXV

Bills - XXVI

Bills - XXVII

Bills - XXVIII

I don't think Cinci wore them in Super Bowl XVI, but if so, that'd make them 0 for 6.

[bulldogbarks55]

I seem to remember the Detroit Lions used Champion jerseys, complete with the number font, in the late '60s, early 70s. Also Champion made hockey jerseys and the first team to wear them was the Rochester Americans in 1970. The Boston Bruins had a set of Champion tricot mesh jerseys made for the playoffs in 1975.

As to the font, it's now the property of American Classic Outfitters which took over the Champion plant in Perry, NY (between Rochester and Buffalo). ACO is a contract manufacturer for Reebok, does about one-third of the NFL, the NBA and WNBA uniforms plus some NCAA uniforms. They also make a lot of NFL, NBA and MLB (knit) throwbacks for Mitchell & Ness in Philly.

ACO also makes a full line of team uniforms for high school and college teams under their own label. Most of the numbers used on the ACO line are in the Champion font.

The "squared off" style block numerals used by a lot of today's NFL teams are actually SandKnit's old font. Sand updated their fonts in the early '70s to the style currently used by the NFL. As for my personal, all-time favorite numeral font, it's the Pro Style Full Block made by Liebe's in St. Louis. They did all of Rawlings' lettering for years. My all-time unfavorite numbers are Stahls Pro Block and Varsity Block styles. They're so bad they actually make Champion's style look good.

I've worked in the team uniform business since 1967 and know a little bit about it. Over the years I've sold Powers, SandKnit, Spanjian (DeLong), Russell Athletic, Rawlings, Wilson, Zwickel (old Philly company, made the Flyers jerseys for years), Coane (another Philly company, made the Sixers uniforms), Betlin, Southland Athletic (made the Cowboys uniforms from 1960-early '80s), Stall & Dean and General Athletic (made the BEST pro hockey jerseys EVER. Now sadly out of business).

I've seen it all, boys.

[Sodboy13]

I really hated the 7's in that style. I just don't understand how a font-set that is all angular allows for a curved line like in the 7. Whenever I'd see Bruce Smith highlights, it upset me. Yes, it's lame that a number font upset me, but it did.

Edit:

Also, ever notice how you never saw twill Champion numbers? Only heat pressed.

Actually, in the last couple of years they used Champion, the Bungles did have tackle-twill.

And you're not alone. That 7 bugged the holy hell out of me too. For me, it will always be associated with "cheap replica jersey." At a time when Champion, Starter, LogoAthletic, and Wilson were all cranking out NFL replicas, only Champion's lacked dazzle sleeves and shoulders - and sleeve/shoulder numbers.

Oddly enough though, Champion was the only company that could ever get the Bears' number font right for consumers, using both correct styles (once they did start numbering the sleeves.) I remember LogoAthletic/Puma having serifs on the 1, Starter's being a completely different font altogether, and Reebok today still can't be bothered to use the proper style for the sleeve numbers, even on their alleged "authentics."

Champion also sewed in the bolts as separate strips of material on the Chargers' replicas, even on the home ones. Makes me miss my Natrone Means jersey.

[sacker12]

I really hated the 7's in that style. I just don't understand how a font-set that is all angular allows for a curved line like in the 7. Whenever I'd see Bruce Smith highlights, it upset me. Yes, it's lame that a number font upset me, but it did.

Edit:

Also, ever notice how you never saw twill Champion numbers? Only heat pressed.

Actually, in the last couple of years they used Champion, the Bungles did have tackle-twill.

And you're not alone. That 7 bugged the holy hell out of me too. For me, it will always be associated with "cheap replica jersey." At a time when Champion, Starter, LogoAthletic, and Wilson were all cranking out NFL replicas, only Champion's lacked dazzle sleeves and shoulders - and sleeve/shoulder numbers.

Oddly enough though, Champion was the only company that could ever get the Bears' number font right for consumers, using both correct styles (once they did start numbering the sleeves.) I remember LogoAthletic/Puma having serifs on the 1, Starter's being a completely different font altogether, and Reebok today still can't be bothered to use the proper style for the sleeve numbers, even on their alleged "authentics."

Champion also sewed in the bolts as separate strips of material on the Chargers' replicas, even on the home ones. Makes me miss my Natrone Means jersey.

Actually, I liked the curved "7" on the Champion jerseys. The "2" was also one of my favorites.

[Discrim]

I remember there was a Rashaan Salaam jersey Nike made around 97, and they couldn't be bothered enough to even try making the numbers in the Bears' font. the number font was freakin' Impact nowhere even close to right. I heard in another thread that Nike Eagles replicas from 97 had the same problem: they used Impact instead of their actual numbers.

I own two Bears replicas: a Walter Payton road throwback from Wilson and a Mike Singletary home replica from Logo 7. the latter is basically an 80s relic: the sleeve stripes take up the entire sleeves, the white is now more or less cream and crackin, and the numbers were plain block. the Payton jersey, I actually wear around despite the fact taht the front number's fading...that's the only Bears jersey I've seen in stores wehre the sleeve numbers are the right font (i.e. the thicker version, as opposed to the skinny torso numbers)