Dallas Cowboys uniforms

 

First and foremost, the site Gridiron Uniforms has the official uniform design drawings for each season. It's a great resource to see what the Cowboys (and every other team) have worn (including special patches) in every season. Here is a link to their site, I  highly recommend a visit.

http://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/cowboys.shtml

This is an effort to gather photos of all the Dallas Cowboys uniform designs into one place. Many of the photos taken before 1990 are difficult to place as to whether or not they were taken in a specific year, aside from the team photos. Unfortunately, those team photos are not the best for uniform research because all players are standing behind another player except for the front row, which is sitting down. Also, the helmets are not seen in team photos and every player is directly facing the camera, so it doesn't give a great perspective.

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The Cowboys original uniforms went unchanged from the inaugural season of 1960 through the 1964 season. They introduced the silver helmet and gray pants in the 1964 season but these were only worn for preseason games.

1960 Team photo

 

1960 Uniform (White Jersey)

 

1960 Uniform (Blue Jersey)

1961 Team Photo

 

1962 Team Photo

 

1963 Team Photo

 

 

This is the first, and really only major change the Cowboys uniforms have had. For the 1964 preseason the Cowboys wore the same uniforms they always had. For the regular season however, instead of the standard uniform being the blue jersey, white pant and white helmet, the uniform standard was changed to a white jersey, gray pant and silver helmet. The star on the helmet had a short period of transition as well. With the white helmets, there was a simple blue star. When they first changed over to the silver helmet, they added a narrow white border to the star for 1965 and 1966. In 1967 a blue border was added outside the white border and the star has officially been that design ever since.

 

1964 Team Photo

 

1965 Team Photo

 

1966 Team Photo

 

1965-1966 Helmet (Star Logo Design)

 

1965-1966 Uniform (Blue Jersey)
 

1965-1966 Uniform (White Jersey)

 

 

 

In 1967 the Cowboys changed the uniform slightly, going to shorter, looser fitting sleeves and using only two wider stripes on the sleeves instead of three narrow stripes. The only significant change the team made to the uniform between 1967 and 1977 was to start putting the players last name on the back of the jersey, beginning in 1970. In 1976 the Cowboys did change one of the two blue stripes on the helmet to a red stripe in honor of the nations bicentennial. In 1974 the Cowboys did make one slight alteration to their uniforms. They changed the pants from gray to a more bluish gray.

 

1967 Team Photo

 

1976 Uniform (White Jersey - Ice Bowl Photo)

 

1968 Team Photo

 

1969 Team Photo

 

1970 Team Photo

 

1970 Uniform (Blue Jersey)  (Note the addition of the last name)

{Also note the extremely poor tackling technique and the extremely poor running technique of using the top of the head as a battering ram.)

 

1971 Team Photo

 

1972 Team Photo

 

1973 Team Photo

 

1973 Uniform (White Jersey)

 

1974 Team Photo (Note the bluish pants)

 

1974 Uniform (Blue Jersey - Bluish Pants)

 

1975 Team Photo

 

1976 Team Photo

 

1976 Uniform (White Jersey - Bluish Pants - Note the red stripe)

 

1977 Team Photo
 
1977 Uniform (White Jersey)
 

 

1978 Team Photo

 

1979 Team Photo

 

 

1980 Team Photo
 

 
1980 Uniorm (Blue Jersey - Blue Pant)

 

In 1981 the Cowboys again altered their uniform in the form of changing the pants. They now used the light blue pants when wearing the white jersey and a darker, more silver/gray pant with the blue jersey. They also added the players number to the pants on the darker pants only. The number was added to both styles of uniform pants in 1982 and those uniforms were used until 1988. The numbers were removed from both styles of pants for the 1989-1993 seasons.

 

1981 Team Photo

 

1981 Uniform (White Jersey - Light Blue Pant)

 

1981 Uniform (Blue Jersey - Silver/Gray Pant) (Note the # on pants)

 

 

1982 Team Photo

 

1983 Team Photo

 

1984 Team Photo

 

1986 Team Photo

 

1987 Team Photo

 

1988 Team Photo

The only change to the uniforms for 1989 was the removal of the numbers from the pants. The uniforms continued, unchanged until 1994, when they introduced an alternate uniform and a throwback uniform.

 

1989 Team Photo

 

1990 Team Photo

 

1991 Team Photo

 

1992 Team Photo

 

1993 Team Photo

 

In 1994, maybe to celebrate (take advantage of) their back-to-back Super Bowl Championships, the Cowboys two main uniform styles remained almost unchanged but they introduced, and wore, three new uniforms. For a team that has worn only one uniform for every game of a season in multiple years, this is quite a change. The only change to the standard uniform was again the pants, which were now more silver, finally losing almost all of the blue tint they have had for almost two decades. They introduced a throwback uniform and two alternative uniforms, one with white pants and one with gray pants (there was also a Cowboys symbol on the jersey that was placed either on the front of the jersey, over the right shoulder or it was placed in the center of the jersey, just below the point of the neckline).

 

1994 Team Photo

 

1994 Uniform (Blue Jersey)

 

1994 Uniform (White Jersey)

 

1994 Uniform (Throwback)

 

1994 Uniform (Alternate - White Pant - Cowboy Symbol Right Shoulder)

1994 Uniform (Alternate White Jersey - Gray Pant - Cowboys Symbol Center)
 

 

In 1995 the Cowboys had the two standard uniforms, which were unchanged, and two alternates, one white and one blue, but both were paired with a light gray pant.

 

1995 Team Photo

 

1995 Uniform (Blue Alternate - Light Gray Pant)

 

1995 Uniform (White Alternate - Light Gray Pant)

 

In 1996 the Cowboys dropped the alternates, leaving them with just the white and blue standards. The white uniforms were unchanged but the blue uniforms now used a single gray stripe and Star on the sleeve as well as a white neck band and were paired with a silver pant.

 

1996 Team Photo

 

1996 Uniform (Blue Jersey - Silver Pant)

 

1996 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant)

 

From 1997 to 1999 the Cowboys had their two standard uniforms and they were unchanged for those years.

 

1997 Team Photo

 

1998 Team Photo

1999 Team Photo
 

 

In 2000, the Cowboys uniforms were basically unchanged. Still only the white and blue jersey, but the blue color was back in the pants.

 

 

2000 Team Photo

 
2000 Uniform (White Jersey - Light Gray/Blue Pant)
 

 

From 2001-2003 the Cowboys had the two standard uniforms and one alternate.

 

 

2001 Team Photo

 

2001 Uniform (Blue Jersey)

 

2001 Uniform (White Jersey)

 

2001 Uniform (Alternate Jersey)

 

2003 Team Photo

 

In 2004 the Cowboys kept the two standard jerseys but changed their alternate, it was a throwback as much as it was an alternate. These three jerseys were in use from 2004-2009. The only change in these years was in 2007 when the pants were changed again, back to the more silver color for the 2007-2009 seasons. This is the point when the pants really began to get the reputation by some people that the Cowboys pants are green. (It is my opinion that the silver color they began using this year is very susceptible to some reflection of the colors around it, especially the green turf the players are standing on. In certain situations the pants look silvery/blue and in other situations they seem very blue/green. The material/color that he Cowboys are using is definitely the most varied, color-shifting style that they have used).

2004 Team Photo

2005 Team Photo

2005 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant)

2006 Team Photo

 

2007 Team Photo

 

2007 Uniform (Alternate)

 

2007 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant)

2008 Team Photo

 

2008 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant)
(Note that the blues are different from helmet to uniform)

2008 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant) (Notice the green tint of the pants)

 

2009 Team Photo

 

 

In 2010 the Cowboys went back to two official uniforms, the standard white uniform that's mostly unchanged since the 70's and the standard blue was dropped in favor of the alternate used since 2004, though they only wore the white uniforms for all 16 games. (On a side note, it is also difficult to find good quality team photos after 2009, if any at all. Not sure if the team is more protective of them now or if they just don't do the team photo anymore.)

 

2010 Team Photo

 

2010 Uniform (White Jersey - Bluish Pants)

 

In 2011 and 2012 the Cowboys went back to three official uniforms, the standard white, the standard since 1996 blue, and the "throwback" blue alternate.

2011 Team Photo

 

2011 Uniform (Blue Jersey - Gray Pant)

 

2011 Uniform (Throwback Blue Alternate)

2011 Uniform (White Jersey - Silver/Blue Pant)
(Note that the blue of the helmet is different from the rest of the blue on these uniforms)

 

 For the 2013 and 2014 seasons the Cowboys went back to just the two standard uniforms.
2013 Uniform (White Jersey - Bluish Pants)
(Note that the blue on the helmet and uniform are closer to the same color, but still different.)

2013 Uniform (Blue Jersey - Gray Pant)

in 2015 the Cowboys added one alternate uniform to the standard two uniforms. The alternate uniform is essentially the same as one of the alternates worn in the 1995 and 1995 seasons and was worn for the game against the Carolina Panthers that took place on Thanksgiving. The main reason for this was the fact that Thursday night football games featured what the NFL termed "Color Rush" game, in which both teams had to wear their team colors via matching jerseys and pants.
 
2015 Uniform ("Color Rush" White Jersey - White Pant)


When all is said and done, the Cowboys have stayed very true to their earliest designs and their uniforms have been very similar throughout their entire team history.

As far as a personal ranking would be concerned, my favorite Cowboys uniform is the original white uniform. Below, you can see how I rank the uniforms. If I could, I would make sure the Cowboys used some mix of the first 6 uniforms to have only 4 looks. The first two here are basically perfect as is and would be my standard look. My alternate uniforms would both use the pants form #3, though I would add the jersey number in the style of #5. The blue jersey would be the jersey from #3 and #4, but without an outline on the number, while the white jersey would be the same as it always has been, but I would make sure the numbers and stripes were the same color as the stripes on the helmet.
#1  Simple, clean look. All colors match.

#2  Simple, clean look. All colors match.

#3  All colors match. The best silver pants the team has ever had.
                                          The star on the sleeve looks great. Outline on numbers looks bulky.
#4  All colors match besides the silver helmet and light gray pants,
                                                         but it looks good together. Outline on numbers is bulky.

#5  All colors match. The numbers on the pants are a great look and
                                                        the only reason these uniforms rank this high. Outline on numbers
                                                        on the jersey looks bulky.

#6  Clean and simple. Gray pants don't exactly match the silver helmet but it
                                         looks good together. Numbers are a little thin.
#7  The best of the modern looks. Colors are all very close. Simple.
#8  Very clean look. All colors match. The light gray stripe on the
                                                          pants is a nice touch. The outline on the numbers is bulky.

#9  The look I've seen most of my life. Blue on helmet is always darker than
                                          the blue on the jersey and pants. Numbers on the shoulder are a bit large.
                                          The pants are too reflective and seem to change color depending on light.

#10  The blues don't quite match. The star on the shoulder lost
                                                         on the white background. Outline on the number is properly thin.

#11  The jersey is simple and cool. The colors of the helmet and jersey don't
                                               quite match. The pants are blue, but not the right shade of blue to match
                                               either the helmet or the jersey.
#12  The blue on the helmet and the rest of the uniform do not match.
                                                          The pants are neither silver, or gray, or blue, and may look green.




 

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