Falcons join uniform change craze, something Raiders haven’t done in 50 years

Falcons join uniform change craze, something Raiders haven’t done in 50 years

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Or rather, the more NFL teams change their logos, the more the Raiders stay the same.

On Tuesday, the Tamp Bay Buccaneers are announced their third uniform change in 23 years. A short time later, the Falcons teased that they will be unveiling their new uniforms — a change from the ones they have used the past 17 years.

There appear to be some leaks of what the uniforms will look like out there as well. And it doesn’t look promising.

The Browns and Colts are reportedly going to be putting out new uniforms too.

And while these teams keep tinkering, either to correct a mistake (Bucs) or ruin a good thing (Falcons), the Raiders stick with their iconic uniforms which have remained unchanged for at least 50 years.

When Al Davis took over the team in 1963, he quickly changed the Raiders color scheme from black and gold to Silver & Black. He set their uniforms to home black jerseys with silver numbers and silver pants and away white jerseys with black numbers and silver trim.

In 1970, they changed the away whites to make them silver numbers with black trim. That lasted one season. The broadcast team was having trouble making out the numbers, so they changed them back. And have stuck with that ever since.

There have been a few times over the years when they have broken out those 1970 style uniforms as a throwback or in recent years as their version of the Color Rush uniforms. And that’s just the whites.

Nov 7, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Benson Mayowa (91) gets around the block of Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Trent Scott (78) during the fourth quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

They used their throwbacks for their 60th anniversary last season in their home match-up with their old AFC West rival Chargers who wore their powder blues.

Not even at home would they mess with their timeless black jerseys and silver pants. That has remained untouchable, even for special instances.

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