Here is a throwback throwback. Back in 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated the 75th anniversary of the franchise by exhuming uniforms that they hadn't worn since 1962. The response to the uniforms was positive enough that the Steelers broke out the uniforms again in 2008 in a game against the New York Giants.
It was an elite clash to say the least, as the reigning NFL champion Giants took on the team that would win the Super Bowl that year. New York won the battle of the best in a score of 21-14. But who won the uniform battle? Did the Steelers duds really deserve a second year of run or were they the hideous beyond all human comprehension? The shocking answer lies after the jump...
The old jerseys were pretty different from the current ones. The biggest problem with the '62 outfit is that there's a little too much black and yellow -- in the later iterations, the team was wise to infuse some white into the shirt colors. Also, the yellow helmet is bit strong. The team did keep the stripe though.
The 1960's were exactly a bright spot for the Steelers, who failed to play in a single postseason game in the decade. In fact, the Steelers used to be one of the most inept franchises in the NFL; from 1933 to the beginning of the Super Bowl era, the Steelers made just one playoff appearance and usually finished near the bottom of the league. When they hired Chuck Noll in 1969, things started getting a hell of a lot better. Now the time has flipped their perception on its side and is regarded as one of the best franchises in the league.
One cool thing about the city of Pittsburgh is that all its sports teams share the same color scheme: black and gold. Even the University of Pittsburgh follows the trend. There aren't many cities in the country that can hold that claim, and it may be the only one that can that has three major sports teams.
Pittsburgh would win their sixth Super Bowl in 2008, setting an NFL-high. New York very likely would have met them in the big game if not for the stupidity of star receiver Plaxico Burress, who accidentally shot himself in the leg and ended his season. Here we see Steelers wideout Nate Washington attempt to make a catch.
Overall:
Most people seem to find these uniforms rather ugly. While I agree that they don't hold a candle to the modern jerseys, far worse things have been worn from the 1950's. Yellow helmets and yellow numbers are hard to pull off, and they're certainly tolerable to look at for a few games. And hey, if the uniform was really so atrocious, the team wouldn't have brought it back for a second year, now would they?
Final Grades:
Classic Steelers home uniform: C
Photos taken by Rick Stewart, Getty Images