1960 AFL Photos Thread

[BlueSky]

Based on the plain bolt, chances are that's a practice jersey.

I hope.

[Gothamite]

Seems awfully ornate for a practice jersey, especially for a team in a cash-poor league.

Maybe a prototype?

[In 5..4..3..2..1]

Notice the powder blue sock in the bottom lefthand corner. Much lighter than the jersey.

[John in KY]

Based on the plain bolt, chances are that's a practice jersey.

I hope.

No that was the real 1967 jersey - it's even that way on the images you posted from the Chargers site back on page 3.

I did a quick Getty Images search for the Chargers in the 1960s and there are game shots of that 1967 uniform in action (sorry, I don't have an account so I can't download the Getty images).

They do look really cheap - was the team undergoing an ownership change in 1967?

[BlueSky]

Based on the plain bolt, chances are that's a practice jersey.

I hope.

No that was the real 1967 jersey - it's even that way on the images you posted from the Chargers site back on page 3.

I did a quick Getty Images search for the Chargers in the 1960s and there are game shots of that 1967 uniform in action (sorry, I don't have an account so I can't download the Getty images).

They do look really cheap - was the team undergoing an ownership change in 1967?

You're absolutely right. Those look like a bad high school knockoff of the real Chargers uni.

[John in KY]

Based on the plain bolt, chances are that's a practice jersey.

I hope.

No that was the real 1967 jersey - it's even that way on the images you posted from the Chargers site back on page 3.

I did a quick Getty Images search for the Chargers in the 1960s and there are game shots of that 1967 uniform in action (sorry, I don't have an account so I can't download the Getty images).

They do look really cheap - was the team undergoing an ownership change in 1967?

You're absolutely right. Those look like a bad high school knockoff of the real Chargers uni.

That they do - the no TV numbers is also really strange. 1967 was really a "one-and-done" year with the Broncos wearing the no-logo blue helmets as well.

[bulldogbarks55]

How confident are we in descriptions like "Pacific Blue" v. "Collegiate Blue," "Columbia Blue" or even "Powder Blue", anyway? They're just names.

The SSUR has the Chargers in one shade of blue throughout their AFL days. It appears to be a little lighter than the blue of their throwbacks, but not the slate shade of your graphic.

In the 1960s the LA/SD Chargers uniforms were made by Spanjian Sportswear at 535 N. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena. Their color was the SGMA (Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association)-accepted shade officially called "Air Force Blue." FYI-The Detroit Lions shade that they call "Honolulu Blue" is actually Air Force Blue. Air Force Blue is darker that the old Columbia Blue of that era but lighter than Royal Blue of the same period. We were a Spanjian dealer in Rochester in those days and I know this to be correct! Remember, teams in those days took whatever colors the manufacturer had as part of his normal selection. There wasn't any league "Uniform Colors Czar" to nit-pick at the shade of a particular team's uniforms. Please try and understand that the clubs took what was available. It wasn't that big of a deal in the early 1960s. Gentlemen, it's not rocket science. Listen to someone (me) who knows what he's talking about, OK? I've been there.

And the 1960 Bills uniforms closely resembled the Lions because Ralph Wilson was once a minority owner of them, was (still is) from Detroit, and Royal Blue and Silver just happened to be the team colors of the 1946-49 Buffalo Bisons/Bills of the All-America Football Conference, the league that the Browns, '49ers and original Baltimore Colts came from. The White "1963" shirt the Bills will wear has totally wrong sleeve stripes. The stripes that the Bills actually used were Royal with a Red feather-edge in the "Utah" pattern that Rawlings offered. I can't understand how today's "wunderkind" manufacturer, Reebok, could screw up something as simple as those stripes. But maybe the Bills requested them the way they came out. If that's the case it's typical of what we've come to expect from this bush-league organization. At least they're wearing the correct White helmets, not the Red ones with a White bison like in '92.

[bulldogbarks55]

These photos are from the 9-9-60 game between the Broncos and the Patriots. The distinction being that this was the first official AFL football game.

Well circulated photo of Mingo weaving through traffic

Gavin in pursuit

Filchock leaves bench after final gun, victorious in the first AFL game.

Those Gold & Brown Denver Broncos jerseys were made by Southland Athletic of Terrell, Texas. That was Southland's number font. Southland also made the original Dallas Cowboys uniforms from 1960 until the NFL went to a single manufacturer in the early 1980s. The Cowboys first mesh jerseys had sleeves made of Nylon/Durene Cotton knit because of their striping pattern. Only the shirt body and shoulders were mesh. I sold a lot of Southland uniforms back in the day.

[John in KY]

The White "1963" shirt the Bills will wear has totally wrong sleeve stripes. The stripes that the Bills actually used were Royal with a Red feather-edge in the "Utah" pattern that Rawlings offered. I can't understand how today's "wunderkind" manufacturer, Reebok, could screw up something as simple as those stripes. But maybe the Bills requested them the way they came out. If that's the case it's typical of what we've come to expect from this bush-league organization. At least they're wearing the correct White helmets, not the Red ones with a White bison like in '92.

Bulldog - I'm with you on this; the Bills' white throwbacks are so poorly executed it's beyond words. What is even more perplexing is that Reebok is actually doing the blue jerseys correctly - or at lease as correctly as they can with current fabrics, jersey cuts, etc. At least the stripes are close in size and are white with the thin red border (which thanks to your post I now know is called "feathering").

I think some of the confusion with Buffalo comes from their early 1970s jerseys where for some reason they changed the stripes on the white jersey from blue with red feathering to red with blue feathering. These would be the Champion jerseys as worn at least in 1973 (OJ's 2003 yard season) and 1974 (the first year of the blue rushing buffalo logo) if not for a year or two earlier than that. There are quite a few photos of OJ and the Bills wearing these white jerseys in 1973/74 on Getty Images.

It's still no excuse - if you can get the blue jersey pretty much right, then why can't you get the white jersey right?

[Gothamite]

And I might be mis-remembering, but didn't they get them right for the first prototypes to see a photo shoot?

[BlueSky]

Wow...after all the discussion...the Chargers' throwbacks looked way darker on MNF than I expected. DOH! Could have been the lighting though. The lighting in the Raiders' stadium looked like something from a low-budget football movie, not quite as bright as most NFL stadiums. What with that and the dirt infield, it was the perfect setting for a throwback game.

[Gothamite]

Great looking game, too. I freaking love the silver numbers.

[BlueSky]

Great looking game, too. I freaking love the silver numbers.

As do I. I always thought they should have stuck with the silver, though I remember the number outline being thinner (like below) and I think it looked a lot better than the thick outline. Not that I'm picky.

BTW, the Chargers' throwback helmets with the numbers are arguably one of the best designs ever. The new ones would be great (I could live without the numbers) if not for the silly powder blue outline they added to the bolts.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Watching the Raiders last night made me think the silver numbers would be a good look for the Cowboys. Although they'd never do it, it would be a nice distraction if they fixed the blue at the same time. (Of course, they'd need to pick the right silver... oh, never mind.)

There is still something about those Chargers throwbacks that the modernization just doesn't duplicate. Maybe it's just 1994 nostalgia.

[jojotarantino]

Great looking game, too. I freaking love the silver numbers.

As do I. I always thought they should have stuck with the silver, though I remember the number outline being thinner (like below) and I think it looked a lot better than the thick outline. Not that I'm picky.

BTW, the Chargers' throwback helmets with the numbers are arguably one of the best designs ever. The new ones would be great (I could live without the numbers) if not for the silly powder blue outline they added to the bolts.

The thick black outline is correct for 1963,which these were supposed to be.

[Old School Fool]

This is actually the first time the Raiders wore an accurate throwback uniform. 1994 was awesome, but that was inaccurate, the logo and the silver numbers were wrong. They NAILED IT this year. It's funny because I thought ever since I saw the 1994 throwbacks and NEVER saw a pic from 1963, I always thought the old shield was white, but since the AFL 50th Anniversary, it's been revealed to be silver. Strange.

[BlueSky]

Great looking game, too. I freaking love the silver numbers.

As do I. I always thought they should have stuck with the silver, though I remember the number outline being thinner (like below) and I think it looked a lot better than the thick outline. Not that I'm picky.

BTW, the Chargers' throwback helmets with the numbers are arguably one of the best designs ever. The new ones would be great (I could live without the numbers) if not for the silly powder blue outline they added to the bolts.

The thick black outline is correct for 1963,which these were supposed to be.

Yes, they are. My point was that the thinner outline looks better, that's all.