Football 101: The Dallas Cowboys Uniforms Evolution

[Hostile]

In what I hope will be a fun thread I thought I'd take you through the evolution of the Dallas Cowboys uniform. I'll try to note year to year changes for you. The thread is long and I know some people won't like that. I am sorry. This idea is spurred by the talk of the Nike jerseys and what they may look like.

To illustrate this thread I am going to use a website that I think you might enjoy bookmarking. It is called Gridiron Uniform Database. Not only will they show you the year by year uniforms for the Cowboys but their record and where they finished each year. They do this for all teams through History so it is kind of fun to look at.

First of all let's look at 1960 through 1963.

http://img839.*************/img839/5356/1960dallasb.pnghttp://img839.*************/img839/5356/1960dallasb.png
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http://img703.*************/img703/6474/1961dallasb.pnghttp://img703.*************/img703/6474/1961dallasb.png
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http://img860.*************/img860/4971/1962dallasb.pnghttp://img860.*************/img860/4971/1962dallasb.png
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http://img163.*************/img163/1255/1963dallasb.pnghttp://img163.*************/img163/1255/1963dallasb.png
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As you can see, and probably already know the Dallas Cowboys original helmets were solid white with 2 wide blue stripes down the middle surrounding a white stripe. The logo was a solid blue star. The jerseys wear Blue with white shoulders with blue stars for home, and white with blue shoulders and white stars for away games. The shoulder patch also contained the uniform number that was the same color as the star. These numbers were originally called "TV numbers." This was because TV viewers could see who the player was if they were turned sideways to their point of view. The pants had 2 blue stripes down the sides. The shoes were black and the socks had a blue top and then 2 blue stripes.

Our first evolution occurred in 1964 and lasted through 1965. In 1964 the Cowboys began wearing white jerseys at home. They were the first NFL team to do this and truthfully it was a marketing genius move by Tex Schramm. Tex theorized that fans liked to see the opposing team's colors. His theory was that if they didn't then every home game was Blue vs. White. With the other team wearing their dark jerseys the colors of the opposing team could be Blue, Burgundy, Green, Red, or any other primary team color. It made the Cowboys unique and it gave each game an identity.

In order not to be too confusing I am not going to call the Blue Jerseys our Away Jerseys. Since not all away games are or were played in our Blue Jerseys I am simply going to call them our Blue Jerseys.

http://img155.*************/img155/1056/1964dallasb.pnghttp://img155.*************/img155/1056/1964dallasb.png

http://img696.*************/img696/2910/1965dallasb.pnghttp://img696.*************/img696/2910/1965dallasb.png

The first obvious change to be noted has to be the star logo. A white border surrounded the blue star. Also important to notice was that the helmet evolved from white to Metallic Silver Blue. The 2 blue stripes surrounding the white stripe down the middle was kept. The home jerseys became the solid white with three blue stripes on the sleeve. The Blue jerseys were a solid navy blue with three white stripes on the sleeve. The TV Numbers were up on the top of the shoulder. The pants for both jerseys evolved to silver grey with 2 blue and 1 white stripe down the sides. The shoes remained black. The socks still had a blue top but changed from 2 blue stripes to 3 blue stripes.

Our second evolution occurred in 1966. It was a minor change to the Home Jersey and the helmet.

http://img545.*************/img545/766/1966dallasb.pnghttp://img545.*************/img545/766/1966dallasb.png

First the change to the helmet. You will now notice 2 bars on the face mask. This was the mandated minimum the team would allow. I believe we were the first team to require all players to wear at least 2 bars on the face mask. All NFL teams do now. I believe Scott Player of the Cardinals was the last player allowed to have a single bar face mask. The second change involved a post season change to the Home Jersey. We went from three blue stripes on the sleeve to two wider blue stripes with a small black border. The socks also changed from the solid blue top with three stripes to a solid blue top with two stripes. You will also notice that some of the socks for part of the season also had a silver stripe.

Our third Evolution was much bigger and began in 1967 and has been the base idea of the jersey ever since with a few changes I will note as the images progress.

http://img683.*************/img683/1470/1967dallasb.pnghttp://img683.*************/img683/1470/1967dallasb.png

A little known fact is that 1967 began with our Blue Jerseys and the helmet still had the single white border around the star. The Blue Jersey changed from the three white stripes to the wide two stripes and that change remained throughout the year. The socks changed from a blue top with three stripes to a blue top two stripes. However, the helmet added a blue border to the white border around the star and our current logo, in all its splendor and grandeur was born. The shoes remained black.

In 1968 the Home and Blue Jerseys remained the same as they had been in 1967 after the initial Blue Jersey was replaced.

http://img585.*************/img585/8171/1968dallasb.pnghttp://img585.*************/img585/8171/1968dallasb.png

In 1969 the NFL 50th Anniversary logo was added to the sleeve of the jerseys.

http://img88.*************/img88/3883/1969dallasb.pnghttp://img88.*************/img88/3883/1969dallasb.png

In 1970 three major changes happened. Names were added to the backs of the jerseys, the TV numbers moved from the top of the shoulder to the sleeve, and the sleeve was shortened to just below the 2nd stripe. This variation of our Jersey remained intact through 1973.

http://img263.*************/img263/8656/1970dallasb.pnghttp://img263.*************/img263/8656/1970dallasb.png

http://img13.*************/img13/1361/1971dallasb.pnghttp://img13.*************/img13/1361/1971dallasb.png

http://img806.*************/img806/8163/1972dallasb.pnghttp://img806.*************/img806/8163/1972dallasb.png

http://img35.*************/img35/1794/1973dallasb.pnghttp://img35.*************/img35/1794/1973dallasb.png

In 1974 another major evolution happened. The blue changed from Navy to a more Royal blue. The blue star on the helmet remained Navy. The pants changed to a more true Silver color from the silver grey of the previous 11 years. In a strange twist the TV numbers on the white jerseys moved back to the top of the shoulder, but remained on the sleeve for the blue jerseys. And the shoes went from black to white. Bob Lilly hated that shoe color change.

http://img846.*************/img846/9596/1974dallasb.pnghttp://img846.*************/img846/9596/1974dallasb.png

In 1975 the jersey had only one change until we advanced to Super Bowl X against the Steelers. That game was played in 1976 and in honor of our nation's Bicentennial the NFL added a patch to the sleeve of the jersey. You see the patch and location in the image below. Prior to the Su0per Bowl the only change to the jersey was the sleeve stripes which added a silver stripe in the middle on the White Jersey and a black stripe in the middle on the Blue Jersey.

http://img90.*************/img90/1092/1975cowboys.pnghttp://img90.*************/img90/1092/1975cowboys.png

In 1976 in honor of the Bicentennial the Cowboys changed the blue stripe on the right side of the center of the helmet to red. Thus giving our team a red, white, and blue stripe down the center of the helmet in honor of our 200th birthday as a nation. It is the only year this variation of the helmet was used.

http://img219.*************/img219/3839/1976dallasb.pnghttp://img219.*************/img219/3839/1976dallasb.png

In 1977 the jersey was effectively the same as 1975. You will notice the face mask has more bars but I think that is the website much more than any NFL or Cowboys change.

http://img855.*************/img855/4472/1977dallasb.pnghttp://img855.*************/img855/4472/1977dallasb.png

In 1978 the pants color changed slightly again to a different shade of silver.
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http://img710.*************/img710/9232/1978dallasb.pnghttp://img710.*************/img710/9232/1978dallasb.png
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In 1979 and 1980 the TV numbers for the Blue Jersey moved from the sleeve back to the top of the shoulder just like the White Jersey. The collars on the blue jersey were also changed to white.

http://img849.*************/img849/4218/1979dallasb.pnghttp://img849.*************/img849/4218/1979dallasb.png

http://img33.*************/img33/9741/1980dallasb.pnghttp://img33.*************/img33/9741/1980dallasb.png

In 1981 there were several notable changes. First of all the Blue Jersey returned to the darker blue and the collar once again was blue instead of white. You will note in the image below that the colors of the star are different for each version of the jersey. The pants for the Blue Jerseys went back to the previous shade of silver, but the White Jerseys remained unchanged. The stripes on the sleeve went from white to silver. The numbers on the chest and back also showed a silver border. The same silver border was on TV numbers too. The socks had silver and blue stripes above the white of the socks. The silver stripes on the sleeves and the socks had tiny white stripes as borders. And on the pants stripe there was an added jersey number in a blue ellipse on the hip. This hip number did not appear on the White Jersey.

http://img4.*************/img4/185/1981dallasb.pnghttp://img4.*************/img4/185/1981dallasb.png

In 1982 and 1983 the White Jerseys added the ellipse with the jersey number at the hip. You also see for the first time the more open collar look whereas previous versions had a much higher, tighter collar. The color of the star in the helmet returned to the darker blue and matched the Blue Jersey version. The socks also had a much larger blue top area and it extended to down over the calves. Another noted change was the font of the player names. It went from a block letter to having serif ends at the tips of the letters.

http://img192.*************/img192/4813/1982dallasb.pnghttp://img192.*************/img192/4813/1982dallasb.png

http://img849.*************/img849/5638/1983dallasb.pnghttp://img849.*************/img849/5638/1983dallasb.png

In 1984, in honor of our 25th season in the NFL, our Silver Anniversary, the Cowboys added a commemorative patch to the left breast area of each jersey.

http://img191.*************/img191/8476/1984dallasb.pnghttp://img191.*************/img191/8476/1984dallasb.png

The 1985 jersey was essentially the same as the 1982 and 1983 versions.

http://img146.*************/img146/9854/1985dallasb.pnghttp://img146.*************/img146/9854/1985dallasb.png

In 1986 the big change was the pants color for the White Jerseys. The controversial silver green metallic color was adopted. This version of the jersey remained in 1987 and 1988.

http://img813.*************/img813/1505/1986dallasb2.pnghttp://img813.*************/img813/1505/1986dallasb2.png

http://img818.*************/img818/9813/1987dallasb2.pnghttp://img818.*************/img818/9813/1987dallasb2.png

http://img98.*************/img98/7977/1988dallasb2.pnghttp://img98.*************/img98/7977/1988dallasb2.png

In 1989 the hip number disappeared. This version of the jersey lasted through 1990.

http://img51.*************/img51/2834/1989dallasb.pnghttp://img51.*************/img51/2834/1989dallasb.png

http://img802.*************/img802/7986/1990dallasb.pnghttp://img802.*************/img802/7986/1990dallasb.png

In 1991 the Blue Jersey became slightly darker and the sleeves of both jerseys showed the stripes moving up slightly and not ending at the bottom stripe and added a hemmed area. You will also see a tiny NFL logo at the point of the neck on each jersey and on the left lap area on the pants.

http://img838.*************/img838/4636/1991dallasb.pnghttp://img838.*************/img838/4636/1991dallasb.png

In 1992 Russell Athletic took over making Cowboys jerseys and they added their R logo to the right lap area of the pants and on the sleeves on the jerseys. You will note that on the Blue Jersey this logo is on the stripe, but on the White Jersey it is above the stripes.

http://img707.*************/img707/7218/1992dallasb.pnghttp://img707.*************/img707/7218/1992dallasb.png

In 1993 Apex made our jerseys and they put their logo on the pants in the same place Russell Athletic had, but they added their logo to the sleeves above the stripes for both versions of the jersey.

http://img7.*************/img7/3459/1993dallasb.pnghttp://img7.*************/img7/3459/1993dallasb.png

1994 was the 75th Anniversary of the NFL and they added a tribute patch to the left breast are of the jerseys. Dallas also used a Throwback jersey for the first time on Thanksgiving, resorting back to the 1960 to 1963 version of the jersey but adding the player names in a block patch. Remember there were no player names on these jerseys originally. They kept the silver helmet for this throwback game. They also kept white shoes. Finally the Cowboys introduced the Double Star jersey for the post season. It was reminiscent of the throwback jersey but had a more solid blue sleeve that incorporated the shape of the star in the design and removing the stripes. The TV numbers moved back to the sleeve area. In addition the pants returned to the Silver color used on the Blue Jerseys. There was no blocked area for the player names as had been evident on the Throwback jersey. At the base of the neckline on the collar and opposite the 75 patch of the NFL the word Cowboys was added in a logo. I believe it started on the right breast and moved to the Center of the neck line.

http://img51.*************/img51/6550/1994dallasb.pnghttp://img51.*************/img51/6550/1994dallasb.png

In 1995 the socks of both jerseys became a solid blue top with no stripes. The Blue Jersey was a version of the double star and it had a solid white sleeve with a white star incorporated into the design. The Blue Double Star kept the Cowboys logo at the neckline, but the White version did not use it. The TV Numbers were on the sleeve. The Greenish tint pants returned for the White Jersey. An almost unnoticed change is that the belt in the pants changed from a color matching the pants to blue and that change continues to this day.

http://img819.*************/img819/9176/1995dallasb.pnghttp://img819.*************/img819/9176/1995dallasb.png
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In 1996 Nike made our uniforms. The Nike logo was on the right lap area of the pants and on each sleeve above the stripes. On the Blue Jersey there was one silver stripe and it had a Blue Star on the sleeve. On the White Jersey there were two blue stripes and no star on the sleeve. The TV Numbers moved back to the top of the shoulders. The word Cowboys appeared below the neckline and the previous version with the star was replaced by just the name. This version of the jersey was used through 1998.

http://img715.*************/img715/5255/1996dallasb.pnghttp://img715.*************/img715/5255/1996dallasb.png

http://img715.*************/img715/544/1997dallasb.pnghttp://img715.*************/img715/544/1997dallasb.png

http://img42.*************/img42/5046/1998dallasb.pnghttp://img42.*************/img42/5046/1998dallasb.png

In 1999 the word Cowboys disappeared from the neck line of the White Jersey.

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On February 12, 2000, Tom Landry passed away. In 2000 the Cowboys added a logo of Landry's famous fedora on the left breast of the jerseys and the stripes on the sleeves stopped at a point instead of completely encircling the sleeves.

http://img97.*************/img97/7349/2000dallasb.pnghttp://img97.*************/img97/7349/2000dallasb.png

In 2001 Reebok took over manufacturing our Jerseys. The stripes on the sleeves encircled the sleeve again and the Reebok logo was placed on the right lap and sleeves area. The sleeves were also much shorter than in previous years. The Cowboys also brought back the Blue Double Star for Thanksgiving. The current silver helmet was used. This same jersey was used in 2002 and 2003.

http://img846.*************/img846/3446/2001dallasb.pnghttp://img846.*************/img846/3446/2001dallasb.png

http://img812.*************/img812/5039/2002dallasb.pnghttp://img812.*************/img812/5039/2002dallasb.png

http://img195.*************/img195/6460/2003dallasb.pnghttp://img195.*************/img195/6460/2003dallasb.png

In 2004 the Thanksgiving game was played with a more traditional Throwback. They used the white helmet and the original jersey complete with white pants. The only variations were the player names on the back and white shoes. The socks also had 2 white stripes in the middle of the blue area. This version was used through 2007.

http://img204.*************/img204/8816/2004dallasb.pnghttp://img204.*************/img204/8816/2004dallasb.png

http://img828.*************/img828/2040/2005dallasb.pnghttp://img828.*************/img828/2040/2005dallasb.png

http://img37.*************/img37/5015/2006dallasb.pnghttp://img37.*************/img37/5015/2006dallasb.png

http://img862.*************/img862/7382/2007dallasb.pnghttp://img862.*************/img862/7382/2007dallasb.png

In 2008 there were two different patches worn on the uniforms. In week 11 the Cowboys, wearing blue, had a patch on the left breast of the jersey in honor of the passing of NFLPA director and Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman, Gene Upshaw. The patch was black with a GU and his number 62 at the bottom. It was a tribute that all NFL teams paid that week. In case anyone is wondering, we beat the Browns. I bring that up because the other tribute patch was the final game played at Texas Stadium. As our fans have noted we have not done well in tribute games in recent years. The Upshaw tribute was an exception. Then again it was the Browns. The remainder of the games the jersey was worn exactly as it had been in the previous seasons dating back to 2004.

http://img190.*************/img190/9990/2008dallasb.pnghttp://img190.*************/img190/9990/2008dallasb.png

In 2009 the same format dating back to 2004 was used with the exception of the first game played at Cowboys Stadium. That jersey sported a logo on the left breast.

http://img694.*************/img694/3307/2009dallasb.pnghttp://img694.*************/img694/3307/2009dallasb.png

In 2010 a strange thing happened. Dallas had no games scheduled in their Blue Jerseys. The lone exception was the Thanksgiving throwback which harkens back to 2004 as the tradition. The only other change was one I absolutely cannot stand. A 50th year Anniversary patch of the team was added to the left breast of the jerseys. My issue with it is that it was added in year 51, not year 50 as the Silver Anniversary had been in 1984. Why not 2009 as I believe it should have been? Because we were celebrating a new stadium over tradition. Needless to say, I hate that patch with a purple passion.

http://img822.*************/img822/6590/2010dallas.pnghttp://img822.*************/img822/6590/2010dallas.png

Which brings us to 2011. The format of the uniforms remained the same as dating back to 2004 with one exception. On the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a ribbon was worn on the left breast of every jersey in the NFL.

http://img819.*************/img819/7039/2011dallas.pnghttp://img819.*************/img819/7039/2011dallas.png

Please note...If there are mistakes in this summary I will not mind you pointing them out. In fact, I will consider it a great benefit. I want this to be as accurate as I can for the fans here.

I hope you enjoyed this. Whew.​

 

[The Emperor]

What an awesome thread, Hostile. Thank you! This will be a great read when I hit the sack here in a couple hours.

I have a question. It's been my understanding that the 1995 uniforms were supplied by Nike, but there were some legal disputes and we couldn't have their logo. To me, that seems consistent because the fonts for the letters and numbers were the same in '95 as they were in '96. Can you confirm that? I don't have my reference books with me to look it up myself.

 

[Hostile]

What an awesome thread, Hostile. Thank you! This will be a great read when I hit the sack here in a couple hours.

I have a question. It's been my understanding that the 1995 uniforms were supplied by Nike, but there were some legal disputes and we couldn't have their logo. To me, that seems consistent because the fonts for the letters and numbers were the same in '95 as they were in '96. Can you confirm that? I don't have my reference books with me to look it up myself.

I believe that is true. I am going by memory there. It seems to me Apex and Nike were embroiled in a legal battle over rights. Nike made the jerseys but did not have its logo on them.

 

[Hoofbite]

That pre-91 blue is nice.

95 double star also nice.

 

[CowboyMike]

Good thread. I love uniform information like this.

I believe we beat the Browns wearing the GU patch in the season opener, not the Commanders.

 

[Hostile]

Good thread. I love uniform information like this.

I believe we beat the Browns wearing the GU patch in the season opener, not the Commanders.

Thank you, fixed. I clicked on the wrong season.

 

[JPostSam]

outstanding, hos!

:clap2:

my favorites have always been the 1982-1985 jerseys.

second place for me would have to be the jerseys that nike made in the second half of the 90s.

 

[JPostSam]

Thank you, fixed. I clicked on the wrong season.

it's never a bad thing to recall beating the Commanders.

 

[BAT]

Not quite uniform related, but discussing Cowboys history would not be the same without a mention of Cowboy Joe.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116895

 

[Doomsay]

Great thread, thanks. It was really interesting to see the various league logo changes. For uniforms that didn't change a lot, those logos were good time stamps - especially that bicentennial one ..grrrr.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

5 Stars.

 

[THUMPER]

Great stuff Hos!

I don't like the navy blue and wish we would go back to the lighter shade we had in the early years.

The green tinged pants need to go as well. uke:

 

[JPostSam]

Great stuff Hos!

I don't like the navy blue and wish we would go back to the lighter shade we had in the early years.

The green tinged pants need to go as well. uke:

yes and yes

 

[casmith07]

Great thread. Looking forward to today's reveal. I hope we do away with green pants.

 

[Hostile]

Well, by my initial observation I am only seeing 3 changes to the 2012 uniform.

1. Reebok's logo is gone and Nike's swoosh is there.

2. The sleeves are slightly shorter and the stripes do not encircle the sleeves.

3. The belt is back to the pants color.

 

[casmith07]

The collars are different too...wider, flat collars. Looks like guys won't have to have the zip ties holding the neck of the collar down anymore.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Good thread. I love uniform information like this.

I believe we beat the Browns wearing the GU patch in the season opener, not the Commanders.

Yep.

 

[Hostile]

Yep.

Acknowledged and fixed 16 hours ago.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Acknowledged and fixed 16 hours ago.

I was facepalming at Jerry, not your mistake. In case that's what you thought.

 

[Biggems]

I love the late 80s blues.....and I like the number on the pants stripe.....but I also love the stars on the sleeves of the current blues.

I wish they would bring back the 85-90 blues, but with the sleeve design from the current blues.