Super Bowl uniforms: Colts Edition

Today's column comes from SDB regular and guest columnist Marc Swanson. Marc is best known for his witty comments, love of all things Cleveland and a true love and appreciation of sports design. Marc thought it would be good to take a look at the other side of the ball today and give his thoughts on the Super Bowl uniform match-up from the Colts' perspective.

By Marc Swanson

 
The Colts are back in the Super Bowl. Big surprise (wink). This will mark the fourth time the franchise has appeared in the Super Bowl, their second as the Indianapolis Colts (it only hurts a little less now, eh Ravens fans?)

The team has had one constant through their Super Bowl appearances -- from 1969’s Super Bowl III to next Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV -- and that is their uniform. A simple two-color scheme, the Colts’ blue and white goes back to the very beginning of the franchise when they rose from the ashes of the last NFL team to go out of business, the Dallas Texans (not to be confused with Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL) in 1953.

The Colts’ logo has it’s origins in Baltimore. Home of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown, Baltimore has deep roots in horse racing and breeding. Displayed prominently on their helmet, the Colts’ horseshoe is an excellent representation of this tradition… and now they’re in Indianapolis. C’est la vie.

The Colts have managed to maintain their style over the years and have made only minor alterations since the 1950s. Changing the facemask color from grey to white (and back again) and varying the arrangement of the sock stripes are about the only adjustments the Colts have made to their timeless uniforms. The Colts have definitely learned that you don’t fix what ain’t broke.

There is one thing that I do think they broke. The Colts -- like most NFL teams –- have had to make adjustments for the cut of today’s jersey style. Unfortunately, sometimes these changes are not for the better, for instance the shoulder striping that appears on most NFL jerseys. Players today prefer a tighter cut around the shoulder and uniform designers have altered the cut of the jersey while trying to maintain the team’s identity. Compare Unitas’ shoulder stripe to Manning’s. The older style, though it doesn’t wrap completely around the arm, looks much better, IMHO, than the new style. The current jersey looks as though the stripes were an after-thought and were just kinda plopped onto the shoulders at the last minute. I don’t know why the designers had to abbreviate the stripes, but judging from the shot of Manning, it appears they could have gone the same route as the designers of Unitas’ jersey without much difficulty. Every time I see that half-stripe it irks me. I dunno… what do you think? Is it a concession to the constraints of the cut or a dumb oversight? Personally, I miss the days of the longer sleeve jersey. I like that it gave the opponent something to grab onto making it somehow feel more tangible for the fan. Maybe it’s just me…

As an aside, I have to say that as a fan of a smaller market team (Go Browns!), I absolutely LOVE the fact that Super Bowl XLIV will be a matchup/parity-fest of the two top seeds in the NFL… from the 14th and 59th largest cities in America. In your face, MLB!

Comments

[Hoolie67]

Great review Marc.

Just a few things. You forgot the forgettable blue facemask years when Manning was in his infancy. Also the deplorable grey stripe years when it was in between the blue stripes on both the jersey and pants. And, of course there were the white cleat years—YUCK!

I like the current cut of the jersey so the shoulder stripes don't bother me, although I will grant you the fantastic look of the old school throwback 3/4 sleeve. If teams wanted to go back to that, I'd have no problem with that. The current grey color of the facemask is a bit light for my taste.

Thanks for the logo history lesson! Great info.

Colts win in a blow-out both in unis and in the final score.

[marc]

Thanks Hoolie! I COMPLETELY forgot about the forgettable (and regrettable) blue facemask AND the cringe-worthy blue pants. Yikes. I agree about the current grey facemask.... needs to be a tad darker.

[Daniel J Leonard]

Marc,

Great information regarding the Colts, their traditional uniforms, and insight with the horse racing ties.
Those chopped stripes are a result of the alterations the players have demanded as a way of getting away from being easily held or tackled. Additionally, they can show off the muscle they work so hard to gain. Don't think they are ever going back to the 3/4 length sleeve. Why should they? Even in the outdoor stadiums of today, none of the players ever have to suffer the cold endured by the fans with all their heated benches, hand warmers etc... Enough to make Bud Grant sick.
One difference that can't be seen in the pictures of Johnny U and Peyton, toughness.
Back when Unitas was the greatest clutch performer, the quarterback could actually be tackled, savagely, with no repercussions. Peyton's less than stellar games happen occasionally, when a defense really gets to him, like the WHO DAT Saints will. (See Colts vs Steelers, 2006 playoffs). No comparison.
Kind of like Jim Brown vs any other back, ever!

Daniel J Leonard
Tucson, Arizona

[Alex P.]

I've always had the feeling that if a team relocates, the colors and nickname should remain until that city can get their team back. It makes no sense to call Utah the "Jazz", Los Angeles the "Lakers" and in this case, Indianapolis the "Colts". It's like having your wife divorce you, then remarrying, and deciding to keep your last name. Doesn't make much sense. When the Cleveland Browns folded and moved to Baltimore, the organization did the right thing in rebranding the team. Though in a perfect world, they would have brought the Colts back to Baltimore as opposed to becoming the Ravens.

[marc]

Alex said "When the Cleveland Browns folded and moved to Baltimore, the organization did the right thing in rebranding the team." If you recall, the team had nothing to do with the re-branding. The city of Cleveland sued to retain the rights to the name, colors and legacy of the team. Art Modell would have named them the "Baltimore Browns" if he'd had his druthers.

Hopefully, the precedent's been set -- the OKC Thunder apparently left the colors and the Sonics name (and all variations thereof) in Seattle. I don't know if they were legally bound to do so or just realized OKC SuperSonics didn't make a whole lot of sense... kinda like the whole idea of trying to make a logo for a team called "Thunder."

[Alex]

Good insight, Marc. In that case, the city of Cleveland did the right thing. It's a shame the city of Baltimore didn't take the same action.