Green Bay Packers' alternate throwback uniforms through history: the good and the not so good
Possessing one of the more classic jerseys in pro-sports history, the Green Bay Packers don't often experiment with a good thing. But that doesn't mean they've skipped out on visiting the past in multiple variations, nor even a "color rush" here and there.
They announced July 24 that, for one game in the 2025 season, they'll wear blue-and-gold uniforms similar to those from 1923, the first year the team was publicly owned. They'll also wear helmets hand-painted to look like leather helmets.
Here's a look at Green Bay's past foray into alternate uniforms, what inspired the look and perhaps some judgment on how successful the look was:
1994: The 75th anniversary throwbacks and a muddy mess
Green Bay wore two throwback jerseys as part of the NFL's league-wide celebration of its 75th anniversary, and one wound up immortalized in the rainy disaster of a Halloween night game against the Chicago Bears, a 33-6 win on national television.
Those jerseys at least started as white tops with tan pants and yellow shoulder pads and helmet, a more mustardy gold than Packers fans were used to, before everything turned to mud.
Earlier in the season, the Packers wore a navy base with golden shoulders and helmet (plus a blue cage), along with the tan pants. Those jerseys were more common, running from 1937 though 1948. They debuted against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road when all teams engaged in the "Throwback Weekend" concept, then appeared the next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two weeks later in New England.
Both jerseys were reminiscent of what the Packers wore in 1937, picked out by Curly Lambeau himself after the Packers defeated Boston for the 1936 NFL Championship. The white jersey numbers were changed from a harder-to-read yellow to blue.
The Packers lost to the Eagles and Patriots but beat the Bears and Bucs in the throwbacks.
2001: The white (and blandly unsuccessful) Thanksgiving look
An all-white top with tan pants made it look like the Packers were wearing dress shirts when they competed in 2001 on Thanksgiving against the Lions. You'd be forgiven if, somewhere, a worried parent watched Brett Favre and Ahman Green devour turkey legs afterward, concerned that they might leave a stain.
The Packers prevailed, 29-27.
The all-white look with green numbering and gold helmet matches a look the team employed from 1938 through 1939.
2003: Another Thanksgiving look, and this time the outcome was unsuccessful
The 22-14 loss the Packers endured in these slightly altered throwbacks was the only setback in the final seven weeks of the season, a charmed conclusion that finished with the catch by Arizona's Nate Poole that eliminated the Minnesota Vikings, the famous Al Harris pick-six against Seattle in the playoffs and ... actually, nobody remembers what came next.
This was a more subtle throwback, a return to the jerseys Green Bay donned from 1959 through 1969 in road contests, most notably with the five alternating bands of green and gold on the sleeves — instead of three thicker bands — and a grey facemask. The pants also had a thinner stripe along the side, and the traditionally solid-colored socks were striped, as well.
2010 and 2011: Brown helmets? New look goes back to a more distant past
Harkening back to 1929, the Packers twice wore a navy uniform with an all-brown (!!) helmet, plus a unique twist to the numbers with navy outline inside a centered golden circle. The brown was meant to conjure the old leather helmet, and the circle of gold was much larger than it was in 1929 to make the numbers easier to read.
The jersey produced good results. The Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-16, on Dec. 5, part of a late-season showing that of course dovetailed into a Super Bowl run. In 2011, the Packers moved to 6-0 on the season with a 24-3 win over the St. Louis Rams wearing the look. The Packers started that season 13-0 before incurring their first loss.
2015-19: The 1937 throwbacks become a recurring feature
For five straight years, the Packers employed their historic 1937-1948 jerseys as the official "third jersey," with some mixed results.
- The Packers beat the San Diego Chargers, 27-20, on Oct. 18, 2015, capped when Damarious Randall made a diving play to knock away a potential game-tying touchdown with 20 seconds left. That moved the Packers to 6-0.
- Green Bay lost to the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 16, 2016, 30-16. That would be OK, since the Packers defeated the top-seeded Cowboys later that year in the playoffs on a late field goal by Mason Crosby.
- Against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 19, 2017, the Packers incurred a 23-0 shutout loss, one of two shutout losses on the season that ended with a 7-9 record.
- But the tables flipped on Sept. 30, 2018, when the Packers staged a shutout of their own in a 22-0 win while wearing the throwbacks against Buffalo.
- On Sept. 22, 2019, the Packers moved to 3-0 with a 27-16 win over the Denver Broncos, part of a 7-1 start to the year under new coach Matt LaFleur.
2016-2017, 2019, 2021: The all-white color rush
The Packers hadn't worn a white jersey at home since 1989 before employing the all-white "color rush" look in 2016, a game against the Bears on "Thursday Night Football." It was the second year of the color rush movement in the NFL, typically implemented for Thursday night games, and the first time the Packers had participated.
Green Bay wore the same outfit for the following year's contest against the Bears, also on Thursday, and won both games (26-10 on Oct. 20, 2016, and 35-14 on Sept. 28, 2017).
Although the official Nike Color Rush initiative was discontinued in 2018, it wasn't the last we saw of this uniform arrangement for the Packers. In 2019, the Packers again adopted the color rush look, this time for a Monday night clash at home against the Lions, a 23-22 win that came down to Crosby's field goal as time expired.
On Nov. 17, 2022, Green Bay went all-white again but lost to the Tennessee Titans, 27-17, in a Thursday night showdown.
2021-23: Going green for a new classic look
The Packers debuted something new for the first of three straight seasons in 2021, an all-green fit that conjured the team's uniforms from 1950 through 1953.
The "50s Classic Uniform" employed more of a kelly green for both the jersey and the pants, with matching green socks and gold stripes everywhere. The helmet was all gold.
The Packers defeated Washington on Oct. 24, 2021, 24-10, but lost to the Jets the following year Oct. 16, 2022, 27-10. In 2023, the Packers donned them again and won a thriller over the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 19, 23-20, with the Packers taking a lead at the 2:38 mark.
2024: Winter Warning goes all-white
The Packers wore all-white uniforms, including helmets, during a game against the Houston Texans in October, which the Packers won, 24-22.
The team also asked fans to wear white for the game at Lambeau Field to create a blizzard-like effect in the stadium. To support the effort, the team launched a Winter Warning Collection line of merchandise in the Packers Pro Shop, including white shirts, hats, caps and outwear, among other items.
Richard Ryman of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this story.