The Pittsburgh Steelers are going retro. On their throwback uniforms. Occasionally.
Monday morning, the team revealed its new − or old, depending on your perspective − uniforms, a nod to the Steelers’ inaugural team in 1933, when they were known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Steelers last sported a version of this look in 1994, when the NFL celebrated its 75th season and clubs throughout the league delved into a throwback experience that became common in later years.
Monday’s announcement touted the 1933 unis for igniting a “legacy that would come to define grit, resilience and the soul of Steel City football. Steeped in heritage, this uniform celebrates both the origins of the city and Steelers football.”
Like the 1994 editions, the ‘new’ throwbacks feature the Pittsburgh city crest, though it will now reside on the shoulder, instead of the chest, with the (white) numbers in their customary position. The predominantly gold jersey has horizontal black stripes, including one shaped like a V around the collar. The pants are beige. And this time, the Steelers will wear matte gold helmets adorned with their logo and a gray facemask after using the black ones insignia-free in 1994.
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‘The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped because we haven’t worn a jersey like that in a while as a team,’ linebacker Alex Highsmith said in a team news release. ‘It’s all so cool. I would say the helmet is my favorite part of it. That yellow matte helmet is just sick. I think it’s a cool new look.
‘And then with the jersey, I love that. I am just really excited to wear it.’
Pittsburgh will initially break out the new/old uniform October 26, a ‘Sunday Night Football’ date at Acrisure Stadium with the Green Bay Packers. If the Steelers are fortunate, Aaron Rodgers will also recapture his classic form as he attempts to defeat his original squad and become only the fifth quarterback in league history to notch a win against all 32 of its teams.
The Steelers have long sported one of the NFL’s iconic looks, their largely unchanged black and gold uniforms topped with a helmet utilizing the logo exclusively on the right side – the familiar Steelmark symbol used by the American Iron and Steel Institute with the trio of hypocycloids identifiable to both the team and city. The “Color Rush,” aka Dark Knight, version used in recent years features basic black aside from the gold numbers and stripes on the sleeves and pants.
But the team’s throwback attempts have been something of a mixed bag.
From 2007 to 2011, the team would periodically wear jerseys similar to the Dark Knight option along with white pants and a gold helmet. During subsequent years, when the NFL forced teams to use just one helmet shell, the Steelers tried a throwback getup from 2012 to 2016 that included socks and jerseys featuring horizontal black and gold striping, notoriously referred to as the team’s bumblebee phase. The Dark Knight Color Rush version replaced it in 2017.
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Keen NFL fashion observers will have also noted the recurring return of the ‘Steel Curtain’ look associated with the team’s 1970s dynasty, though it basically only requires the addition of a gray facemask and an altered jersey number font.
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The Steelers, along with every other team, will be permitted to wear alternate and/or throwback uniforms a combined total of four times this season, up from three in previous years.