Why Cowboys?

[TruColor]

...and here's what their colors SHOULD be (IMO):

Solid Colors:

Textile Colors:

[rebelx]

Oh yeah, and get rid of the hideous green-silver pants and use the silver-gray ones; those at least are the same color as the helmet (I believe).

Nope. They're different too.

My god, this team has split-personality disorder or something. There's no other pro team out there that uses three friggin' shades of a color!

These unis just piss me off to no end. Guh...

[The_Admiral]

IT LOOKS GOOD. JESUS.

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

[rebelx]

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

So you're basically implying that every other team in the league looks lifeless because they all stick with one shade of a color? Or if you're not, what makes the Cowboys different from anybody else?

BTW, Pantone, I would love to see a color guide to all teams in the league (if possible, of course). I'd be curious to know the name designations that franchises give to their colors.

[TruColor]

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

So you're basically implying that every other team in the league looks lifeless because they all stick with one shade of a color? Or if you're not, what makes the Cowboys different from anybody else?

BTW, Pantone, I would love to see a color guide to all teams in the league (if possible, of course). I'd be curious to know the name designations that franchises give to their colors.

Here you go...I've been maintaining these for a few years now:

Official Professional Franchise Team Color Designations

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

i wouldn't mind a switch to these, maybe if they made a full uniform out of it

[JQK]

Cowboys look fine, gentlemen... leave them alone.

We still have the Bills, Seahawks, and Bengals out there.

We have much bigger fish to fry.

[andrewharrington]

IT LOOKS GOOD. JESUS.

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

Upon further review, [and this is the only time I will ever say this] your opinion is wrong. It actually doesn't look good. At all. This is the most ridiculous set of statements I've ever seen/heard.

[The_Admiral]

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

So you're basically implying that every other team in the league looks lifeless because they all stick with one shade of a color? Or if you're not, what makes the Cowboys different from anybody else?

The Cowboys just ARE different from everybody else. You may not like it, but it's true. They just are. They're the Dallas Cowboys. I don't know how else to say it. We're used to the various blues and silvers all happening at once in the white uniform; to strip it down to one blue and one grey just doesn't look right. Forced blue uniforms, I don't so much care what they do, because they rarely get used. But the primary outfit shouldn't be tampered with by simplifying it to MAKE IT SO MUCH MORE CLEAN! Every time someone does a rendering of The Way It Ought To Be, it never looks right to me.

[Krona]

But the primary outfit shouldn't be tampered with by simplifying it to MAKE IT SO MUCH MORE CLEAN! Every time someone does a rendering of The Way It Ought To Be, it never looks right to me.

i'll agree, but disagree. i honestly dont mind the mismatch. its been that way so long, i dont even notice to be honest. however, i do like the old look, with all royal blue and the western-ish numbers. i wouldnt mind that, but i'd hate to see a white set that matches the blue one. it's look like a cheap bootleg. i see those concepts and all i think of are those youth halloween costumes.

[rebelx]

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

So you're basically implying that every other team in the league looks lifeless because they all stick with one shade of a color? Or if you're not, what makes the Cowboys different from anybody else?

BTW, Pantone, I would love to see a color guide to all teams in the league (if possible, of course). I'd be curious to know the name designations that franchises give to their colors.

Here you go...I've been maintaining these for a few years now:

Official Professional Franchise Team Color Designations

Thanks a lot, man. Funny I never saw that before. It's very useful.

[IceCap]

Cowboys look fine, gentlemen... leave them alone.

We still have the Bills, Seahawks, and Bengals out there.

We have much bigger fish to fry.

Don't get me wrong, the Bengals and Bills are numbers 1 and 2on the list of worst NFL uniforms (does it even matter who's #1?). Still, at least their shades match. The orange on the Bengals helmets matches the orange on the pants and jerseys. The Cowboys have so much potential to be great uniform wise, but fall short by so much because of all the mismaches.

IT LOOKS GOOD. JESUS.

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

Upon further review, [and this is the only time I will ever say this] your opinion is wrong. It actually doesn't look good. At all. This is the most ridiculous set of statements I've ever seen/heard.

I agree 100%.

[TruColor]

Any concept that strips the Cowboys to one blue and one grey just looks like the life was taken out of it.

So you're basically implying that every other team in the league looks lifeless because they all stick with one shade of a color? Or if you're not, what makes the Cowboys different from anybody else?

BTW, Pantone, I would love to see a color guide to all teams in the league (if possible, of course). I'd be curious to know the name designations that franchises give to their colors.

Here you go...I've been maintaining these for a few years now:

Official Professional Franchise Team Color Designations

Thanks a lot, man. Funny I never saw that before. It's very useful.

You're welcome.

I just got done with literally 100 or so updates to the Minor League Baseball franchises...I'll try to generate updated baseball lists later today...

New update on my end: I did a query the other day of the total number of confirmed Pantones in my database...actual REAL Pantone values for teams...

Over 22,000.

And that's just professional teams.

(I need help.)

[slats7]

Once upon a time, Dallas colors DID kinda match.

Early 70s: royal blue (like today)

Mid-late70s: navy blue (which matched the helmet colors and stripes on the pants)

[TruColor]

Once upon a time, Dallas colors DID kinda match.

Oh sure - absolutely, it did.

This mess all started back in the 1981 season, when the Cowboys had the idea to come up with a road (read: dark) uniform that actually LOOKED good. The problem with the old ones was with the shade of Royal Blue not looking all that great with the Metallic Blue (that's what it was called back then) pants. Not enough contrast. So, they came up with a completely different color scheme for those uniforms.

I was a freshman at North Texas when they unveiled those new road unis...my very FIRST thought was - "uh oh...two sets of colors, two different sets of pants, and the road pants don't match the helmet. A recipe for disaster." I swear I thought that in the first few seconds after reading about it in the Dallas Morning News that day. Although I LIKED the overall style of those initial road uniforms, I knew the color-thing was going to be a problem.

What has also happened is that until around 1991 or so, the Cowboys used a special metallic ink mix to represent their Silver-Blue color. There was no Pantone Metallic equivalent for it. Then, Pantone introduced the "blended" metallics (metallic colors that are a combination of a base metallic or metallics and/or a solid color), and then the Cowboys were handed a blended metallic that matched their custom ink almost exactly. However for some reason, they started using a completely different blended metallic for their home pants color. I don't know if this was because of a limitation in the available fabric colors at the time or what, but this split happened somewhere around the same time (1991).

The "Royal" Blue and the "Navy" Blues seem to change like the wind. Not sure why about that either, but I can count three different Royal Blues since 1980, and two different Navy Blues. Oh, and the road (Silver Gray) pants have changed a couple of times as well.

And then, there's the superfluous Black stripes on the White jerseys, and the flippin' Gray facemasks...

[slats7]

This mess all started back in the 1981 season, when the Cowboys had the idea to come up with a road (read: dark) uniform that actually LOOKED good.

Correct. Here it is:

The problem with the old ones was with the shade of Royal Blue not looking all that great with the Metallic Blue (that's what it was called back then) pants.  Not enough contrast.

You mean these:

Although I LIKED the overall style of those initial road uniforms, I knew the color-thing was going to be a problem.

As a Dallas fan, the dramatically different unis never bothered me. I was much more pissed when they tinkered with the home whites (changing the fonts, non-cotton pants, etc.)

What has also happened is that until around 1991 or so, the Cowboys used a special metallic ink mix to represent their Silver-Blue color.  There was no Pantone Metallic equivalent for it.  Then, Pantone introduced the "blended" metallics (metallic colors that are a combination of a base metallic or metallics and/or a solid color), and then the Cowboys were handed a blended metallic that matched their custom ink almost exactly.  However for some reason, they started using a completely different blended metallic for their home pants color.  I don't know if this was because of a limitation in the available fabric colors at the time or what, but this split happened somewhere around the same time (1991).

I think the funky color change pre-dates 1991. Here's a pair of Danny White pants from 1988. They almost look aqua-ish:

And then, there's the superfluous Black stripes on the White jerseys, and the flippin' Gray facemasks...

The black stripes are very thin though. No biggie. And gray facemasks make sense with gray-silver helmets.

[KCScout76]

The Cowboys white unis are solid - clean and "All-American" looking. I love 'em!

However, their dark unis suck pond water.

Talk about two contrasting looks - the dark is not even nice looking, they plain "suck".

I would have to say, the Vikings, Packers, Patriots, & Jets are some teams that look great in either their darks or their whites. I am sure there are others, but not the Cowboys.

[TruColor]

The black stripes are very thin though. No biggie. And gray facemasks make sense with gray-silver helmets.

The Black stripes just don't make any sense, and the Gray facemasks clash with the Silver-Blue helmets.

[TruColor]

I think the funky color change pre-dates 1991. Here's a pair of Danny White pants from 1988. They almost look aqua-ish:

Could be, could be.

I've noticed that what's "official" (especially for the Cowboys), isn't always what's actually being done.

[John in KY]

This mess all started back in the 1981 season, when the Cowboys had the idea to come up with a road (read: dark) uniform that actually LOOKED good.

Correct. Here it is:

The problem with the old ones was with the shade of Royal Blue not looking all that great with the Metallic Blue (that's what it was called back then) pants.  Not enough contrast.

You mean these:

Although I LIKED the overall style of those initial road uniforms, I knew the color-thing was going to be a problem.

As a Dallas fan, the dramatically different unis never bothered me. I was much more pissed when they tinkered with the home whites (changing the fonts, non-cotton pants, etc.)

What has also happened is that until around 1991 or so, the Cowboys used a special metallic ink mix to represent their Silver-Blue color.  There was no Pantone Metallic equivalent for it.  Then, Pantone introduced the "blended" metallics (metallic colors that are a combination of a base metallic or metallics and/or a solid color), and then the Cowboys were handed a blended metallic that matched their custom ink almost exactly.  However for some reason, they started using a completely different blended metallic for their home pants color.  I don't know if this was because of a limitation in the available fabric colors at the time or what, but this split happened somewhere around the same time (1991).

I think the funky color change pre-dates 1991. Here's a pair of Danny White pants from 1988. They almost look aqua-ish:

And then, there's the superfluous Black stripes on the White jerseys, and the flippin' Gray facemasks...

The black stripes are very thin though. No biggie. And gray facemasks make sense with gray-silver helmets.

Also dating myself here, I was a sophomore in college when the Cowboys changed to the navy/silver dark uniform, and I really liked it at the time (although I thought they should use blue facemasks with them). That design really came together the following season when they moved from the thick white outline on the silver numbers to the thinner white/blue space outline. My only complaint at the time was the "TV" numbers on the pants; I've always thought numbers or logos look awful on the pants' stripe.

However, over the years since this style was introduced so many teams have used pure silver, and so many have adopted navy blue (look at the Patriots current home set, for example) that I miss the "uniqueness" of the old metallic silver blue/dark royal set, even if there wasn't enough contrast between the jersey and the pants. It was only worn a couple of times per year (pretty much under duress), so the lack of contrast didn't bother me that much.

However, what has really undone the pants worn with the white jersey over the past 25 years is the advent of the metallic fabrics - most years in the 1970s the old style pants looked pretty good (once they went back to the bluer shade after their 1970/71 Super Bowl runs - the exception being the "faded to almost purple" worn in 1977). Once the metallic fabrics came in, the color has gotten really odd, finally culminating in this strange "metallic silver green" shade worn for the past few years.

I like Pantone's color pallet - a nice, deep "silver blue" and a nice navy. Howerver, what style would be used? The "classic" two sleeve stripe design or the "modern" single-stripe/overlay star design?