Broncos Planning to Switch to Orange Jerseys Full Time

[-Akronite-]

My only issue with their old uniforms (as in pre-1997) is that they are so ordinary. Nothing about that uniform, other than orange being a primary color, makes that uniform any different from all the other traditional sets.

[tBBP]

Worse than that, the Broncos "modern" unis also helped usher in the "monochrome" madness of the last decade with teams wearing matching tops and bottoms, leading to many many "pajama" sets.

I'm not sure it was the Broncos who started this. Their super bowl years, in my memory, never had the monochrome.

I fear it was actually the Seahawks who may have started it, by mistake, when their new white pants didn't fit right and the team wore the blue on blue and the look stuck.

Actually, the blue pants were shown as part of the set at the 1997 press conference unveiling the new Broncos uniforms. The 1997 team even wore them in a preseason game in New England, oddly enough. I remember hearing at one time that the 1997 team voted on wearing the blue pants and only one person voted 'no' - John Elway - and so the team never wore them until well after he retired in 2003.

Sportlogos.com has the Saints being the first monochrome team (2001) with the Bills, Patriots, Eagles, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, Dolphins, and Seahawks jumping on the bandwagon in 2002 / 2003.

I very distinctly remember that Broncos preseason game in all navy. Oddly enough, a picture from that game (of John Elway, no less) made it onto the cover of a team publication that year.

As for the regular season? The Philadelphia Eagles beat 'em all to the punch...

These are from the 1997 season. I remember watching this game and going "what the f***?" when the Eagles first took the field. Didn't quite know what to make of it then. If we only knew...

[TheOldRoman]

Worse than that, the Broncos "modern" unis also helped usher in the "monochrome" madness of the last decade with teams wearing matching tops and bottoms, leading to many many "pajama" sets.

I'm not sure it was the Broncos who started this. Their super bowl years, in my memory, never had the monochrome.

I fear it was actually the Seahawks who may have started it, by mistake, when their new white pants didn't fit right and the team wore the blue on blue and the look stuck.

Actually, the blue pants were shown as part of the set at the 1997 press conference unveiling the new Broncos uniforms. The 1997 team even wore them in a preseason game in New England, oddly enough. I remember hearing at one time that the 1997 team voted on wearing the blue pants and only one person voted 'no' - John Elway - and so the team never wore them until well after he retired in 2003.

Sportlogos.com has the Saints being the first monochrome team (2001) with the Bills, Patriots, Eagles, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, Dolphins, and Seahawks jumping on the bandwagon in 2002 / 2003.

Did they just premier the home jersey with white and navy pants at the press conference? I know they paid other teams to wear white at home during the preseason so they could have a big premier of the road jerseys in Seattle for the first road game of the regular season.

[BBTV]

Love it or hate it, the Broncos '97 Nike uniform marked the most important uniform change in the past 20+ years. It opened the door for non-traditional "concepts" to actually get used. Also, while it certainly didn't mark the beginning of templating, it marked the instant identification of it, as many other amateur teams adopted the same look. I don't know if many (if any) other teams would have gone to the unique templates that they use had it not been for the Broncos OKing this switch and paving the way.

[IceCap]

Love it or hate it, the Broncos '97 Nike uniform marked the most important uniform change in the past 20+ years. It opened the door for non-traditional "concepts" to actually get used. Also, while it certainly didn't mark the beginning of templating, it marked the instant identification of it, as many other amateur teams adopted the same look. I don't know if many (if any) other teams would have gone to the unique templates that they use had it not been for the Broncos OKing this switch and paving the way.

Despite the fact that the Broncos' new uniforms opened the door for the current generation of clown suits, I actually do not mind them by themselves. Yes, they attempt to line panelling up with pants stripes, use wacky pants and helmet stripes, and all of that, but I don't mind them in comparison to, say, the Vikings, Bengals, Bills, Jaguars, Falcons, or Cardinals' looks. The Broncos' look, by modern standards, is clean. Unlike the Jaguars' new look it didn't become obsolete eight games in.

The only problem I have with the look itself is the navy home jerseys. The Broncos have aways been an orange team; of the traditional AFL/AFC West teams blue as the primary was the exclusive domain of the Chargers. If they make the switch to orange full time at home then they'll be fine.

[TruColor]

Here are all of the various Oranges the Broncos have used over the years (at least, in print):

The first one is an estimate of mine based on photographic evidence (which as we all know, sometimes can't be trusted). The second one (1965 through 1976) is also an estimate, but is extremely accurate due to measurements performed by me (!) on some official logosheets. The third one (1977 through 1998) was used both in the last "D" logo set, and was carried through for the first two seasons of the redesign.

Personally, I think the Red-Orange (Burnt Orange) from the 1965 through 1976 seasons would be a nice color to utilize moving forward. It would be unique in the league, and would also be a nod to the past.

I can also post the various shades of Blue if anyone cares...

[TalktoChuck]

Here are all of the various Oranges the Broncos have used over the years (at least, in print):

The first one is an estimate of mine based on photographic evidence (which as we all know, sometimes can't be trusted). The second one (1965 through 1976) is also an estimate, but is extremely accurate due to measurements performed by me (!) on some official logosheets. The third one (1977 through 1998) was used both in the last "D" logo set, and was carried through for the first two seasons of the redesign.

Personally, I think the Red-Orange (Burnt Orange) from the 1965 through 1976 seasons would be a nice color to utilize moving forward. It would be unique in the league, and would also be a nod to the past.

I can also post the various shades of Blue if anyone cares...

I would love to see the blues they've used.

[TruColor]

OK...here are the Blues:

Again, the first one is an estimate...may or may not be accurate. The second and third ones are identical; they just had different color descriptions attached to them (Royal Blue and then Academy Blue). The fifth and sixth ones are almost identical.

[infrared41]

My biggest issue with the Broncos current look is the idiotic stripes. The Broncos current look just screams 1997. While it may have been innovative at the time, today their look is hopelessly outdated.

I think the colors they use now are much better than the old ones. Fix the stripes on the uniforms and the helmet and you'd have a real winner. The logo is fine the way it is.

[illini1]

I'm not sure it was the Broncos who started this. Their super bowl years, in my memory, never had the monochrome.

I fear it was actually the Seahawks who may have started it, by mistake, when their new white pants didn't fit right and the team wore the blue on blue and the look stuck.

Beginning with the first year of the uniforms, they were supposed to wear monochrome uniforms full time. They wore monochrome uniforms once in the preseason, against New England I believe. Elway hated the monochrome look and Nike had to scramble and create the white pants with the orange stripe. That's the story I've been told at least.

[illini1]

OK...here are the Blues:

Again, the first one is an estimate...may or may not be accurate. The second and third ones are identical; they just had different color descriptions attached to them (Royal Blue and then Academy Blue). The fifth and sixth ones are almost identical.

It seems like the blue they used on the helmets with the Orange Crush uniforms was way lighter than than any of these. It was almost a sky blue.

[Cujo]

OK...here are the Blues:

Again, the first one is an estimate...may or may not be accurate. The second and third ones are identical; they just had different color descriptions attached to them (Royal Blue and then Academy Blue). The fifth and sixth ones are almost identical.

The Broncos used navy before 1997?

[denishurley]

Presumably it's a typo, 1997 rather than 1977

[Red Wolf]

OK...here are the Blues:

Again, the first one is an estimate...may or may not be accurate. The second and third ones are identical; they just had different color descriptions attached to them (Royal Blue and then Academy Blue). The fifth and sixth ones are almost identical.

It seems like the blue they used on the helmets with the Orange Crush uniforms was way lighter than than any of these. It was almost a sky blue.

Has to do with helmets only being available in certain colors back then, so they just did their best. It's also why the Rams and Giants had navy helmets.

Also, I really hope the Broncos redesign rather than simply use the current alternates when they switch to orange. The navy helmets over orange jerseys doesn't work that well in my opinion. The lighter blue or even orange helmets would work much better.

[dennisbergan]

Hey I've got an idea...

Uhh, no.

That idea ran out of relevence about 1981 and was mercifully put out of its misery in 1997.

Since nobody else wears a orange jersey as their primary home set, this makes all the sense in the world for the Bruncos to change. They can still wear navy three times a year (counting pre-season) as their alt.

[andrewharrington]

Worse than that, the Broncos "modern" unis also helped usher in the "monochrome" madness of the last decade with teams wearing matching tops and bottoms, leading to many many "pajama" sets.

I'm not sure it was the Broncos who started this. Their super bowl years, in my memory, never had the monochrome.

I fear it was actually the Seahawks who may have started it, by mistake, when their new white pants didn't fit right and the team wore the blue on blue and the look stuck.

Actually, the blue pants were shown as part of the set at the 1997 press conference unveiling the new Broncos uniforms. The 1997 team even wore them in a preseason game in New England, oddly enough. I remember hearing at one time that the 1997 team voted on wearing the blue pants and only one person voted 'no' - John Elway - and so the team never wore them until well after he retired in 2003.

Sportlogos.com has the Saints being the first monochrome team (2001) with the Bills, Patriots, Eagles, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, Dolphins, and Seahawks jumping on the bandwagon in 2002 / 2003.

Teams have worn monochrome since colored pants became commonplace in the 1930s. They just stopped doing it for a while between the 1960s and 1990s.

[The Fonz]

NICE! the orange jerseys are the best

[rmackman]

Fatheads provide great photos to get a clear picture of the uniforms:

[seahawk9]

Fatheads provide great photos to get a clear picture of the uniforms:

With such a long advance notice to the league, sounds like a major revamp rather than mearly a simple primary jersey color change. Are they going to change logos again or go back to the classic "D" with the horse. You know, the Orange jerseys go better with the old light royal blue helmets rather than the Navy ones.

[Cujo]

Fatheads provide great photos to get a clear picture of the uniforms:

In that exact order, best to worst IMO.