Who Are The Trendsetters?

[Silent Wind of Doom]

Everyone has fond memories of the 90's. At least, those but the staunchest of purists. I've been working on my own alternate universe project, but in thinking of what would happen if certain small changes too place, I've been wondering about where certain trends start.

The 90's were dominated by teal, purple, black, and a number of other uniform features. For these, and for any other trends you may be wondering about, where did they start? Did teal and purple start with the Marlins and Rockies? Did the Mariners go teal first? Were the Hornets the catalyst? Did it start in the minor-leagues?

Would teams have those schemes if the others didn't start it? The Diamondbacks took on colors representative of their home, but would they have used them if they weren't already present in the sport?

I thought this would be an interesting hypothetical to discuss. Feel free to bring up any trends you'd like to know about. Vests? Plack piping? Go for it.

[Raysfan12]

BFBS in baseball was started by the Mets, I think.

[csura999]

The Denver Broncos started the side paneling trend, correct?

[CrazyAnna]

Atlanta Falcons started a lot of the "black" trend when the team switched helmets and uniforms with the combination of Deon Sanders and MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit campaign.

[Trapper John]

People loved when the White Sox went black in like 1990 or whatever, although that wasn't BFBS it did show how popular black was and I think pushed a lot of people in that direction....

Although now that I think about it the LA Kings going to silver and black might have been the first.

[wonderbread]

People loved when the White Sox went black in like 1990 or whatever, although that wasn't BFBS it did show how popular black was and I think pushed a lot of people in that direction....

Although now that I think about it the LA Kings going to silver and black might have been the first.

i think it was the kings and the NWA "straight outta compton" music video that made black popular.

[cappital92]

I believe the first team to wear teal and start the trend were the Hornets in '88. I know the Dolphins had been wearing aqua for 20+ years before that, but when Charlotte debuted, that's when teal really started to gain popularity.

[wonderbread]

I believe the first team to wear teal and start the trend were the Hornets in '88. I know the Dolphins had been wearing aqua for 20+ years before that, but when Charlotte debuted, that's when teal really started to gain popularity.

ya and dolphins aqua is different than teal

[PhlyBoy]

Oregon is the one who made lots of crazy uniform combinations cool in football. It now has gotten ridiculous with teams doing all the helmets and jerseys, but Oregon continues to look good 98% of the time and continues to set trends (chrome, different patterns like that diamond plated steel look and wings).

[wonderbread]

Oregon is the one who made lots of crazy uniform combinations cool in football. It now has gotten ridiculous with teams doing all the helmets and jerseys, but Oregon continues to look good 98% of the time and continues to set trends (chrome, different patterns like that diamond plated steel look and wings).

and carbon

[BJ Sands]

The Denver Broncos started the side paneling trend, correct?

An argument can be made that is the single most influential uniform in football history. Before that, how many uniforms had inter-connected elements that ran from the jersey to the pants?

[14er]

Duke. Black alternates.

[Discrim]

Cowboys' 94 doublestars

started a short-lived trend of large shoulder logos in football (most notable offshoots: Patriots, Toronto Argos, 95 Wisconsin for one game). This set also introduced a more lasting trend: that of a small team script over the front numbers.

1995-99 Patriots

Was part of the aforementioned short-lived shoulder logo trend, and the shadow stripes employed on the torso was basically limited to just them in football (though it'd been taken from soccer, and similar ideas would be used by the Orlando Magic and Columbus Blue Jackets). Hell, seeing as the Cowboys' script was more of a logo with a tiny script, I could argue the script-over-numbers trend truly started in Foxboro. Anyway, this uni's lasting legacy is having been the first NFL team besides the Bears to wear non-block numbers since the early 60s, a move the Eagles, Ravens, Broncos and Jaguars would make soon after, as well as Miami and UCLA in the college ranks. Nowadays...name the last NFL team to overhaul their uniforms without a custom font. Hell, even the blocky fonts (current Pats, Jaguars) don't look exactly like traditional block like the Packers or Raiders use.

edit: I'd forgotten to put "since the sixties," though now I have.

Eagles logo, 96-present

Some might say the Pats' Flying Elvis could've been the beginning, but the current Eagles logo was the trendsetter. First of all, I wouldn't even begin to try counting how many high schools and colleges' teams either use the eagle head recolored, or adopted a logo very obviously based on it. More to the point, it seemed like there were a lot of head logos that came out in the years afterwards.

[wonderbread]

Cowboys' 94 doublestars

started a short-lived trend of large shoulder logos in football (most notable offshoots: Patriots, Toronto Argos, 95 Wisconsin for one game). This set also introduced a more lasting trend: that of a small team script over the front numbers.

1995-99 Patriots

Was part of the aforementioned short-lived shoulder logo trend, and the shadow stripes employed on the torso was basically limited to just them in football (though it'd been taken from soccer, and similar ideas would be used by the Orlando Magic and Columbus Blue Jackets). Hell, seeing as the Cowboys' script was more of a logo with a tiny script, I could argue the script-over-numbers trend truly started in Foxboro. Anyway, this uni's lasting legacy is having been the first NFL team besides the Bears to wear non-block numbers, a move the Eagles, Ravens, Broncos and Jaguars would make soon after, as well as Miami and UCLA in the college ranks. Nowadays...name the last NFL team to overhaul their uniforms without a custom font. Hell, even the blocky fonts (current Pats, Jaguars) don't look like traditional block like the Packers or Raiders use.

Eagles logo, 96-present

Some might say the Pats' Flying Elvis could've been the beginning, but the current Eagles logo was the trendsetter. First of all, I wouldn't even begin to try counting how many high schools and colleges' teams either use the eagle head recolored, or adopted a logo very obviously based on it. More to the point, it seemed like there were a lot of head logos that came out in the years afterwards.

jaguars and panthers came out with their logos before the eagles came up with this didn't they? and wasn't really anything revolutionary because rams, vikes, ravens, cards, and pats (as you mentioned) had their head logos long before the eagles did

[zpqmaowl]

Dropping a good modern set for Original Six dress-up: Phoenix Coyotes, 2003.

[Brave-Bird 08]

Eagles were first NFL team to drop lighter colors for darker colors. A lot of teams followed.

[Discogod]

As well as popularizing purple & teal, the Hornets were also responsible for pinstriped basketball unis. Sure, the Hawks had used pinstripes 25+ years previously, but that was a short-lived thing. The Hornets were the first team to make the stripes a part of the body of the uniform, rather than relegating it to trim.

The Magic followed suit the next season, and the Bulls, Pacers & Cats eventually all used pinstripes.

[pittsburghsports16]

An argument could be made that the Pittsburgh Pirates were the catalysts for the awful 70s pullover trend in baseball as they were the first team team to introduce pullover jerseys.

"When the Pittsburgh Pirates moved from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium in the middle of the 1970 baseball season, the club adopted brand new uniforms. The Pirates’ new outfits were made of a blend of cotton and nylon, and featured pull-over buttonless jerseys with beltless pants … all ground-breaking innovations for big league baseball. The bold changes proved quite a success, with nearly ever major league club soon following suit. The new look for the major leagues lasted until 1993, when the Cincinnati Reds became the last team to abandon pullover jerseys and beltless pants."

Link: http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/timeline_1970.htm

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Let's not forget the camo trend that has seemed to invade the MLB. Started by the Padres:

Used for 2013 Memorial Day/Sep. 11th events:

Continued with the Reds and Mets:

[Hat Boy]

Oregon continues to look good 98% of the time and continues to set trends (chrome, different patterns like that diamond plated steel look and wings).

Ther second part of your statement contradicts the first part of your statement.

[WSU151]

Cowboys' 94 doublestars

started a short-lived trend of large shoulder logos in football (most notable offshoots: Patriots, Toronto Argos, 95 Wisconsin for one game). This set also introduced a more lasting trend: that of a small team script over the front numbers.

1995-99 Patriots

Was part of the aforementioned short-lived shoulder logo trend, and the shadow stripes employed on the torso was basically limited to just them in football (though it'd been taken from soccer, and similar ideas would be used by the Orlando Magic and Columbus Blue Jackets). Hell, seeing as the Cowboys' script was more of a logo with a tiny script, I could argue the script-over-numbers trend truly started in Foxboro. Anyway, this uni's lasting legacy is having been the first NFL team besides the Bears to wear non-block numbers, a move the Eagles, Ravens, Broncos and Jaguars would make soon after, as well as Miami and UCLA in the college ranks. Nowadays...name the last NFL team to overhaul their uniforms without a custom font. Hell, even the blocky fonts (current Pats, Jaguars) don't look like traditional block like the Packers or Raiders use.

Eagles logo, 96-present

Some might say the Pats' Flying Elvis could've been the beginning, but the current Eagles logo was the trendsetter. First of all, I wouldn't even begin to try counting how many high schools and colleges' teams either use the eagle head recolored, or adopted a logo very obviously based on it. More to the point, it seemed like there were a lot of head logos that came out in the years afterwards.

jaguars and panthers came out with their logos before the eagles came up with this didn't they? and wasn't really anything revolutionary because rams, vikes, ravens, cards, and pats (as you mentioned) had their head logos long before the eagles did

Yeah the Jags and Panthers had new modern head logos in 1995, before the Eagles set debuted in 1996. The Ravens head logo didn't materialize until 1999 (they had the winged shield until the lawsuit), and that was three years after the Eagles introduced their new logo. The Rams, Cards, and Vikes didn't have a modern head logo, though the Cardinals' old logo was probably the closest to what the Patriots, Eagles, and Broncos tried to copy and/or modernize.