The Philadelphia @Eagles had eight variations of their logo over the years before finally settling on the current backward-facing bird that secretly forms the letter “E”. pic.twitter.com/Kj7yKNofwE— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) February 8, 2023
Why Did the Eagles’ Uniforms Change? Explaining the Kelly Green Jerseys
Why did the Philadelphia Eagles decide to bring back the Kelly green jersey and helmet combo? When did they change the look originally?
Facebook
Twitter
ReddIt
Flip
Linkedin
Email
October 22, 2023 | 8:00 AM EDT
The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back a familiar look for the home showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. The team is wearing Kelly green jerseys that were worn in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Randall Cunningham and Reggie White were leading the Eagles.
Kelly green was the team’s primary color but was changed by Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie after the 1995 season.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 1996 that NFL Properties conducted a focus group survey to find out about the Eagles jerseys. Fans wanted a break from Kelly green because they viewed it as shopworn and cited it as looking too similar to the New York Jets.
Fans wanted a more modern look, and the Eagles switched to midnight green — the color they still wear in 2023.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule , we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Eagles Kelly Green Jerseys Decade in the Making
Lurie brought up the idea of bringing the Kelly green uniforms as a throwback option over a decade ago. At the time, the NFL had implemented a rule that teams could only wear one helmet during the season in an effort to improve player safety. This forced teams to use the current helmet with any alternate jerseys.
Greg Delimitros, vice president of equipment operations for the Eagles, told the team’s official website, “Wearing the Kelly green uniform with the current helmet just didn’t feel right. Collectively, as an organization, we all felt that if we were going to do it, it had to be authentic and true to our team’s history.”
Other teams, like the New England Patriots, made the same decision to not mix throwback jerseys with current helmets.
After the rule changed to allow for multiple helmets in a season, Lurie said in March 2022 that it would take two years to bring back the throwback jersey because Kelly green wasn’t in Nike’s color palette at the time. While waiting for the proper color match, Philadelphia wore black helmets to match black jerseys last season.
Philly Loves the Look
Eagles President Don Smolenski told the team’s website, “We recognize and appreciate the connection Eagles fans have to the Kelly green uniform. These uniforms not only honor our past and the many legends who have helped shape our franchise along the way; they also represent the passion of our incredible fans and the generations that have been authentically linked by them.”
Philadelphia received a positive fan reaction when the team announced on social media that the jerseys would be worn twice this season.
Eagles fans started lining up at 4 a.m. for a chance to purchase the throwback jersey when it was made available at the team’s shop, which opened at 9 a.m. on July 31.
Philadelphia will also wear Kelly green jerseys in a November home game against the Buffalo Bills.
Kelly Green vs. Midnight Green? Philadelphia Eagles fans declare which is best
Philadelphia Eagles fans love their Eagles green — but what, exactly, is the shade they prefer?
For decades the Philadelphia Eagles’ primary color was Kelly Green. It’s bright, in-your-face and unmistakably green. But in 1996, a new color was introduced and the Eagles jerseys became Midnight Green. It’s a darker shade with hints of cyan, and far closer to a teal than its predecessor.
Ever since it was relegated to vintage wear, fans have been lobbying for a return of the old school Kelly Green, even if its just as an alternate uniform. The color’s popularity is high enough that when Carson Wentz went to a press conference wearing a Kelly Green blazer it was enough to make headlines.
We asked Eagles fans tailgating ahead of the game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 23 to share their opinion on the Eagles green debate. You can see their responses in the video at the top of this article.
- Can’t see the video? Click here.
It was a close call, as you can see — but Kelly Green emerged the favorite from our very informal poll.
Which Eagles green do you like best? Let us know in the comments.
And, in case you’ve been noticing, we’ve been making a habit of asking fans questions at tailgates. We’ve asked what it’ll take for the Eagles to be back-to-back Super Bowl champs and who the best Philadelphia Eagles player of all time. Got a question you think we should ask? Let us know in the comments.
Stay up-to-date with all of PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage by clicking here. Want more stories about Philly in general? Click here for all our coverage of the City of Brotherly Love.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Disclaimer
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 7/1/2023).
Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
© 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.
1936 – 1941
Just three seasons into their life as a professional football team, the Eagles made the first of what would become many changes to their logo. The year was 1936 and the franchise took the decision to revamp the logo. Aside from a general redrawing of the contours of the Eagle, the color palette was also changed from blue to green. Aside from those two major alterations, one can still notice there were other minor changes as well including the angle of the bird, and the ball which was made to be rounder.
In what was a rather forward thinking look for its time, the logo was once again re-imagined in 1942. This time, the symbol was given a silhouette and the detail of the design was reduced.
1948 – 1968
Again, there was a subtle but noticeable move towards a more modern look with yet another set of changes in 1948. Aside from a degree of detail which was added, the most significant change was perhaps the use of a slightly different green. The Eagles at the time definitely boasted a logo that looked more realistic than those in the sporting world in general.
Perhaps, what could be considered the last of the “old” Eagles designs came in 1969. The color palette was left untouched and the eagles clutching the football were left in place, however, the contours of the logo itself became squares shapes with right angles, which gave it a more contemporary look.
The Philadelphia @Eagles had eight variations of their logo over the years before finally settling on the current backward-facing bird that secretly forms the letter “E”. pic.twitter.com/Kj7yKNofwE
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) February 8, 2023
1973 – 1986
It might just be, that the 1973 alteration is by far the most iconic for Eagles fans. Simplicity seemed to be the order of the day, as the franchise made a handful of small alterations to the helmet design and a legend was born.
The franchise seemed to return to its roots in 1987, with a redesigned image that definitely paid homage to some of its older iterations during the past. Once again, fans were given the eagles holding a football, while the use of orange and brown appears to add highlights to the design of the birds themselves. Another change, was the direction of the eagles, which now looked left.
