The Green Bay Packers, a team synonymous with tradition, are about to introduce a brand new alternate uniform combination, including a white helmet. This news sparks a perfect moment to delve into the history of Packers uniforms beyond their iconic traditional look. While the Packers are known for their classic uniforms worn consistently for over 60 years, they’ve also sported a variety of throwback and fauxback uniforms, showcasing the team’s diverse color palettes and evolving styles throughout history. Like many NFL teams, the Packers didn’t embrace throwback uniforms until 1994, coinciding with the NFL’s 75th anniversary. This season saw almost every team across the league dipping into their past for uniform inspiration, with varying degrees of success.
In 1994, the Green Bay Packers unveiled not one, but two throwback uniforms, drawing inspiration from their 1937-48 era kits.
Green Bay Packers 1994 Throwback Uniforms
While the Packers did wear white jerseys during the 1937-48 period, the 1994 throwback iteration, as seen above, was essentially a reimagined white jersey. As throwback uniforms were a league-wide trend that year, the Packers’ venture into their uniform history was somewhat understated. However, it did create a memorable uniform moment on Halloween against the Chicago Bears when Ken Ruettgers famously carved a pumpkin design into his throwback helmet.
The Packers revisited throwback uniforms for two Thanksgiving Day games against the Detroit Lions in 2001 and 2003. The 2001 uniform wasn’t a direct throwback but rather a “fauxback”. For this look, the team removed the decals from their standard gold helmets and paired them with a plain white jersey featuring forest green numbers and tan pants.
These uniforms echoed the style worn in 1938 and 1939, although those earlier versions featured numbers in a kelly green shade, a slightly brighter hue than the hunter green used in the 2001 fauxback.
The Packers opted for different throwback uniforms for their 2003 Thanksgiving Day matchup.
Green Bay Packers 2003 Throwback Uniforms
These 2003 uniforms bore a closer resemblance to their current primary uniforms but included jerseys with distinctive five alternating green and gold stripes on the sleeves and thinner stripes on the pants. By this time, the team had also transitioned to solid green undersocks. For this Thanksgiving game, they sported throwback socks adorned with gold, white, gold, white, and gold stripes. While not explicitly confirmed, this uniform design strongly resembled the uniforms the Packers wore against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.
In 2010 and 2011, the Packers embraced a more adventurous direction, introducing a new set of fauxback uniforms intended to evoke their 1929 uniforms.
While the jersey wasn’t an exact replica of the 1929 version, it incorporated the distinctive small, circular number on the jersey front. To meet NFL regulations regarding number size, the team added a larger gold circle with the number on a blue jersey. This was paired with brown helmets and tan pants, designed to mimic the leather helmets and canvas pants of the era.
This uniform combination was worn for two seasons but was shelved in 2012. In 2013, the NFL’s “one-shell” rule came into effect, posing a challenge to the Packers’ brown helmet throwback. They had to either discontinue the fauxback or pair it with their existing gold helmets.
Green Bay Packers 2013 Throwback Uniforms
Ultimately, they chose to adapt, resulting in a unique “franken-uni”. While the uniform remained a fauxback in its design, the gold helmet integration had the unexpected effect of creating a better visual harmony with the gold accents on the jersey. Interestingly, the team kept the green facemask, rather than switching to a gray one, for these iterations worn in both 2013 and 2014.
By 2015, the Packers’ enthusiasm for throwbacks led them to reintroduce another throwback uniform, essentially a revival of the 1994 design.
These uniforms closely mirrored the 1929 fauxback, but replaced the “circle/number” with full-sized gold numbers and added a prominent gold yoke on the shoulders. These proved popular with fans and became a mainstay for five seasons, from 2015 to 2019.
Finally, in 2021, and continuing through 2023, the Packers unveiled their current throwback uniform – an all-green jersey and pants combination reminiscent of the team’s uniforms from 1950 to 1953.
Green Bay Packers 2021 Throwback Uniforms
These uniforms utilize the Packers’ current gold helmet shell, but with the decals removed, and feature a gray facemask. The green jersey and pants are in a slightly lighter shade of green, while still recognizably “Green Bay green”. Despite being a throwback, the mono-green look from the neck down aligns with contemporary uniform trends.
Beyond these throwback and fauxback explorations, the only other significant departure from the Packers’ classic uniform occurred in 2016 with the introduction of white pants and socks as part of the NFL’s “Color Rush” program.
This all-white look is now being expanded upon with the Packers’ new white helmet, set to debut with their white pants and socks, marking another intriguing chapter in the Green Bay Packers’ uniform evolution. This journey through Packers Retro Uniforms reveals a team willing to honor its past while occasionally experimenting with fresh on-field aesthetics.
