TBT: Lions uniforms through the years
View photos of Detroit Lions uniforms throughout the team's history.
The first uniform donned by the Detroit Lions included a blue jersey with gleaming silver numerals, silver pants and a silver helmet. The shoes were black. The shade of blue used for the jersey became known as 'Honolulu' blue.
Alvin 'Bo' McMillin joined the Lions after having success as a college coach at Indiana University. Soon after his arrival, McMillin changed the colors of the Lions' uniforms with the new colors resembling those of his Hoosier teams. The organization retained Honolulu blue and silver as their official colors.
The team had a second, all-black uniform, which would be worn only for certain important games that McMillin particularly wished to win. The jersey was black with white numbers and the pants were black with a thin scarlet stripe between two thin white stripes.
The Lions returned to wearing their Honolulu blue and silver uniforms at home but continued to wear combinations of the scarlet and white uniforms and the all-black uniforms on the road. The team changed the color of their helmet to blue and some players went back to wearing plastic helmets after the NFL lifted the ban on plastic headgear from the previous season.
For most of the 1950 season the team wore blue helmets but went back to wearing silver helmets for the 1951 season. During the early 50's, the NFL did not allow the Lions to wear silver helmets for night games because of their resemblance to the white ball under the night lights. They spray-painted their helmets blue for night games.
Also, in 1951, the Lions wore the Detroit 250th Anniversary patch on their left sleeve. The patch was also worn by the Red Wings and Tigers.
This was the first season that the Lions added their uniform numbers to the arm sleeves. Some players, like Lions Hall of Fame LT LouCreekmur, were unhappy with the change – claiming that it made it harder to get away with holding.
The Lions began wearing separate colored uniforms on the road on a permanent basis in 1957. The jersey was white with three blue stripes, one thick between two thin stripes, on the sleeves. The numbers were blue and the helmet and pants remained silver.
In 1961, William Clay Ford's first season as the team's president, there were some significant uniform changes. The helmet remained silver with a grey facemask but now had the leaping-lion logo as well as two vertical blue stripes running from the back to the front. The pants also had two vertical blue stripes. Three silver stripes, one thick between two thin, were added to the arm sleeves of the home jersey. The away jersey remained the same.
1968 was the first year the Lions had a white stripe between the two blue stripes on the helmet.
The Lions and the rest of the league wore the NFL 50th Anniversary patch on their left shoulder in 1969.
White trim was added to the Leaping Lion logo on the helmet in 1970.
Last names were added to the back of the players' jerseys in silver lettering.
The Honolulu blue home jersey had white trim on the silver numerals and the white jerseys had silver trim on blue numerals for the first time in 1972. It was also the first year that there was a white, vertical stripe between the two blue stripes on the pants.
The Lions tweaked the striping on the armsleeves for that season as well. The home jerseys had the one thick silver stripe between two thin white stripes and the away jersey had the one thick blue stripe between to thin silver stripes.
Detroit changed back to the three silver stripes, one thick between two thin, on the sleeves of the Honolulu blue home jersey except now they had white trim.
The away white jersey had three blue stripes, one thick between two thin, and they had silver trim.
For the 1974 season, the Lions wore a black band, which was sewn over the thick stripe on the left sleeve of their home and away jerseys, in honor of Head Coach Don McCafferty who died of a heart attack during training camp.
In 1976, the players' numbers were added to the back of the helmet.
The Lions changed the dull silver stripes and trimming on their uniforms to a shimmering silver glitter. This only lasted two seasons because of complaints by other teams about the glare.
The Lions changed the color of the numbers on their home jerseys, making them white with silver trim.
The Lions wore a 50th Anniversary patch on their left shoulder. The Lions changed their facemask from silver/grey to Honolulu blue.
The team wore a patch honoring Russ Thomas, a former player and General Manager for the Lions, who had recently passed away. The small NFL shield was added to the 'V' of the neck.
For their final seven games (5 regular season, 2 postseason), each player had a white circle decal with a blue number '60,' on the back right side of the helmet, in honor of RG Mike Utley. Utley suffered a spinal cord injury in a game against the Los Angeles Rams on November 17, 1991
Players wore a black circle decal with a white number '65,' on the back right side of the helmet, in honor of LG Eric Andolsek, who was killed a few months prior to the season
The Lions wore a 60th Anniversary patch on their left shoulder.
The Lions wore a 60th Anniversary patch on their left shoulder.
The Lions wore throwback jerseys for the 1994 season while the NFL was celebrating their 75th anniversary. This version of the uniform was intended to replicate the jersey worn by the Lions in 1935, which was the season that the team won their first world championship.
The Lions wore throwback jerseys for the 1994 season while the NFL was celebrating their 75th anniversary. This version of the uniform was intended to replicate the jersey worn by the Lions in 1935, which was the season that the team won their first world championship.
The Lions changed their look on the road, wearing blue pants with a white stripe between two silver stripes.
The Lions returned to wearing silver pants (with white stripe between two blue stripes) on the road.
In 2000, the Lions moved the numbers that were on the sleeves up to the shoulders.
In 2000, the Lions moved the numbers that were on the sleeves up to the shoulders.
The home jersey has a thick silver stripe between two thin blue stripes with white trim and two thin black stripes. The numbers are white with silver trim and outside black trim. The away jersey has a thick blue stripe between two thin silver stripes with white trim and two thin black stripes. The numbers on the away jersey are blue with silver trim and outside black trim.
The Lions introduced a new black alternate jersey featuring Honolulu Blue numbers with silver and white trim.
To commemorate the Detroit Lions 75th Season, the team wore a patch on the home and away jerseys.
To commemorate the Detroit Lions 75th Season, the team wore a patch on the home and away jerseys.
On April 20, 2009, the Detroit Lions unveiled a new comprehensive brand that includes a new logo and new uniforms: HOME HONOLULU BLUE JERSEYS-Numerals were customized specifically for the Lions uniform. They are Honolulu Blue, trimmed in silver and black.-Above the new numerals is the new Lions logotype.-On the collar, there are three trim lines of equal width, with two black trim lines outside a silver trim line.-The sleeves are a new knit sleeve that features a wide silver trim, inside two smaller white trims and those all inside two black trims of equal width as the white trim.*-Numerals remain on the shoulders but are now in the customized Lions jersey numerals.
On April 20, 2009, the Detroit Lions unveiled a new comprehensive brand that includes a new logo and new uniforms: ROAD WHITE JERSEYS-The road jerseys are the traditional "road whites," with blue numerals trimmed in silver and black.-On the road jerseys, the collar is in the same black and silver trim pattern as the home uniforms.*-Sleeves are of the same new knit-sleeve material that are on the new home uniforms. The trim on the sleeves includes a wide Honolulu bluetrim, inside two smaller silver trims and those are all inside two black trims of equal width as the white trim.
The NFL launched its new partenrship with Nike in April 2012, and now the Lions uniform not only features the NIKE logo but also features the new Nike Elite 51 technology. The collar changed from black and silver piping to a solid blue.
Designed and engineered from the inside out, the new Nike Elite 51 uniform focuses on creating a system where the baselayer, padding, jersey and pant work in concert. New innovations include integrating Nike Flywire Technology into the neckline to reduce weight and provide lockdown fit over pads, increasing sleeve articulation for better range of motion, and integrating new fourway stretch fabrication to provide a streamlined shrink-wrap fit.
Detroit Lions players wore a uniform patch during the 2014 and 2015 seasons honoring late team owner William Clay Ford. Mr. Ford, who passed away March 9, 2014, purchased the Lions in November 1963 and officially became sole owner of the team January 10, 1964.
The Lions introduced the patch beginning with the regular season opener on Monday Night Football at Ford Field when Detroit defeated the New York Giants, 35-14.
