Packers Go Green: Alternate Uniforms Turn Back Clock to 1950s
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers on Thursday morning unveiled a 1950s-style jersey as their alternate third uniform for the upcoming season.
They will wear them for their game against Washington on Sunday, Oct. 24. That is when Hall of Famer Bobby Dillon, who had 52 interceptions from 1952 through 1959, will have his name added on the Lambeau Field facade along with the team's other Hall of Famers. Dillon was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 7.
As described at Packers.com, "The uniforms are all green, with gold numbers and stripes similar to the jerseys worn in the 1950s. This alternate jersey, which is the Packers' traditional green color, with gold numbers and stripes, will be worn with matching green pants with gold stripes, and matching green socks"
Photos from PackersProShop.com
The team mostly wore blue and gold uniforms – the team’s previous throwbacks – throughout the Curly Lambeau era. It wasn’t until Gene Ronzani was hired as coach in 1950 that green became the primary color. As Ronzani put it, “We are the Green Bay Packers.”
That would be Ronzani's one and only solid contribution to the franchise. He went 14-31-1 in four seasons. His best season was 1952, when Green Bay went merely 6-6.
The Packers wore the blue-and-gold throwbacks from 2015 through 2019. They did not wear a throwback uniform last season. Prior to that, they wore blue uniforms with blue numerals inside a gold circle, outfits based on the jerseys worn in 1929, when they won their first NFL championship.
“I like them. I definitely like them," Aaron Rodgers said on Adam Schein’s SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show. "I’ve always enjoyed the throwback uniforms. I think we’ve only lost once in all the years. I never disliked them; I think they got a little bit better over the years. These are really good. The other ones, we’ve worn are blue and a brown (from the) 1920s. These are pretty sweet.”
The Packers Pro Shop started selling the uniforms before the team held the official unveiling.
“The throwback and alternate jersey have become very popular with our fans (and our players love playing in them), and they help highlight our tremendous history,” Murphy wrote in his monthly column at Packers.com.
That uniform history was outlined by Packers.com historian Cliff Christl.
“When Gene Ronzani replaced Curly Lambeau as Packers coach in 1950,” Christl wrote, “he introduced two new sets of uniforms. One was a Kelly green jersey with large gold numbers and matching pants with a one-inch gold stripe down the side. The other was a gold jersey with green numbers and green stripes. What's more, the two uniforms were worn interchangeably.”
Coach Matt LaFleur got his first look at the uniforms from vice president of communications Jason Wahlers just before his Thursday morning news conference.
“If [the players are] fired up about them, which he said they were, then I’m fired up about it,” LaFleur said.
