GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Green Bay Packers introduced a new, history-inspired third uniform Thursday morning.
The new 50s Classic Uniform uniforms were inspired by the team’s uniforms from 1950-1953, which was the second time the team wore green and gold in its history. The Packers first wore green in the mid-to-late 1930s.
The uniforms, which will debut at Lambeau Field on Oct. 24 against Washington, are all green, with gold numbers and stripes similar to the jerseys worn in the 1950s. In those days, the green was a Kelly green and the team alternated between wearing it with green or gold pants. The 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.
“The 1950s were one of the most interesting times in our organization’s rich history, creating the bridge between two of the greatest eras in pro football,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. “With the NFL growing rapidly, this time period set the stage for the construction of Lambeau Field and for the team’s success in the 1960s and beyond. We hope our fans enjoy celebrating our history with this new alternate uniform.”
The 50s Classic Collection is available for fans to purchase in the Packers Pro Shop. It includes the 50s Classic Jersey along with assorted apparel including t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, caps, knit hats, helmets, coolers, pins, decals, coffee mugs, tumblers, pints and shot glasses.
While the early 1950s were not a particularly successful time for the Packers on the field, it was the dawn of an extraordinarily eventful decade off the field, a decade that began with the departure of the team’s founder Curly Lambeau and ended with the arrival of Vince Lombardi. In the 1950s, the NFL was growing quickly and gaining nationwide interest through television exposure. The Packers organization was at a turning point and a franchise-saving stock sale helped lay the groundwork for the eventual construction of Lambeau Field and set up the team to stay in Green Bay through modern times.
The NFL’s third jersey program permits teams to have a third jersey that they can wear for up to three games per season (no more than two home games) over a five-year period. The Packers in recent years have had two third jerseys, one of which was worn during the 2010-11 and 2013-14 seasons and celebrated the team’s 1929 season, the year of Green Bay’s first world championship. The more recent third jersey, worn from 2015-19, was a re-creation of the team’s uniform in the 1940s.
