Throwback uniform

One-time or limited-time retro uniforms are sometimes produced to be worn by teams in games, on special occasions such as anniversaries of significant events.

Throwback uniforms have proven popular in all major pro and college sports in North America, not only with fans, but with the teams' merchandising departments.

Because the "authentic" uniforms (accurate reproductions) and less-authentic "replicas" had been so popular at retail, the professional leagues institutionalized throwbacks as "third jerseys".

"[6] The NFL imposed a new rule for the 2013 season prohibiting the use of alternate colored helmets, eliminating many of the historically accurate throwback uniforms that had been in use up to that point.

[9] The Texas Longhorns college football team wore throwback uniforms for a single game during their 2005 national championship season as a way of honoring the past.

[10][11][12] The University of Illinois football team wore throwback uniforms in a single game on September 6, 2008, in honor of the re-dedication of the renovated Memorial Stadium.

In addition, for the 2009 playing of the "Holy War" rivalry against the University of Utah Utes (and also in the Las Vegas Bowl), the BYU Cougars donned royal blue throwback uniforms to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their 1984 National Championship season.

These throwbacks, along with another alternate royal blue uniform, have been employed occasionally in subsequent seasons; since in 2014, they have been worn for the team's homecoming game each year.

[citation needed] The previous season, 2006–07, United introduced a similar 1950s-style uniform to celebrate 50 years of the Busby Babes' first league championship.

[28] After their Champions League victory in 2008, United introduced another retro-style kit for 2008–09, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first European Cup win.

[29] In 1999, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its foundation, A.C. Milan introduced a retro kit that was worn on several official matches by its players across the 1999–2000 season.

[30] More authentic reproductions of kits from the past have become popular fashion items, especially jerseys linked to successful or memorable teams.

Germany clearly based their 2018 World Cup design, featuring an unusual angular stripe pattern across the chest, on the shirt they wore while winning the trophy in 1990,[31] although they failed to attain the same level of performance.

[33] Tottenham Hotspur celebrated their 125th anniversary during the 2007–08 season by launching a special kit in the club's early colours, sky blue and white, which were originally worn in 1885.

[35] During the later stages of the 2011–12 season, financially troubled Scottish club Rangers wore their normal blue shirts on the pitch, but began selling and encouraging fans to wear throwback red and black striped scarves, the traditional colours of the burgh of Govan (where Ibrox Stadium is located) in an attempt to raise money.

The club would be placed in administration, face liquidation and then sold to a new ownership group, and forced to re-apply for entry to the fourth (lowest) tier of the senior Scottish football system for the 2012–13 season.

[36][37] English club West Bromwich Albion wore a replica of their 1968 FA Cup Final kit, in their Premier League game against Leicester City on April 11, 2015.

[38] It was worn to honour the match-winning goalscorer in the 1968 Cup Final, Jeff Astle, who died in 2002 due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of heading the heavy leather footballs through his career.

In December 2023, German supplier Adidas released its Originals/Lifestyle collection line consisting of now classic 1970s, 1980s and 1990s national team kits.

[43] The Tampa Bay Rays have staged a "Turn Back the Clock" promotion with a retro theme and throwback uniforms almost every season of their existence.

For the 100th anniversary of the rivalry between Johns Hopkins and Maryland in men's lacrosse, both teams wore special retro jerseys.

[47] During the 35th anniversary of women's field hockey at Dartmouth College, the Big Green are wearing a special harlequin-design throwback uniform.

It wasn't until the 2008 CFL season that the league started to truly embrace throwback uniforms when they announced that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts would play two games (September 12 in Toronto and October 10 in Winnipeg) to celebrate and recognize the 1950s and in particular, the 1950 Mud Bowl Grey Cup game.

In 2013, the Toronto Argonauts wore 1980s throwback uniforms on August 23, 2013, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 71st Grey Cup championship.

The Los Angeles Kings took their original colours of forum blue and gold, and applied it to their 1990s style of jerseys which were only in black and silver.