PHILADELPHIA − For years, fans have clamored for the Eagles to bring back the kelly green uniforms that the team wore up until the mid 1990s.
They’ll finally get their wish as the Eagles announced that they’ll wear the uniforms, with a matching kelly green helmet, as an alternate this season.
Fans were so excited that many lined up outside of Lincoln Financial Field before the sun came up in order to get into the team store when it opened at 9 a.m. to purchase the uniforms worn by Eagles greats like Randall Cunningham and Reggie White.
The line snaked around the stadium when the gates opened at 8 a.m.
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The team announced that they’ll wear the kelly green uniforms in two games this season − against Miami on Oct. 22, a Sunday night game, and against Buffalo on Nov. 26.
The Eagles announced last Friday that the uniform reveal would come Monday morning. But after someone leaked pictures on social media on Saturday, the team’s website then showed some pictures that night and added more on Sunday.
Eagles fans aren’t the only ones excited about the uniforms
The fans aren’t the only ones excited about the new uniforms. The players and coaches are, too.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown wore a kelly green Mike Quick No. 82 jersey after a game late last season after Brown passed Quick’s franchise record for receiving yards in a season. Quick had 1,409 yards receiving in 1983 before Brown set the new record with 1,496 yards last season.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also wore a Quick jersey to his postgame press conference after a Week 3 game last season against Washington. Sirianni said at the time he did it because Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin said earlier that week that Washington legend Art Monk, who also played in that era, was the best receiver at that time.
Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie had said that he wanted to match the color scheme to what the team wore in the 1980s and early ’90s. Some legendary Eagles players back then included Quick, Cunningham, White, Jerome Brown and Seth Joyner.
“We are thrilled to bring back the Kelly Green uniform and helmet this season, and are equally excited to celebrate our team’s history with Eagles fans everywhere,” Lurie said in a statement. “This is something we have wanted to do for a long time, and from the feedback we have gotten from our fans, we knew they felt the same way.
“It was always important to us that we align the Kelly Green helmet with the classic throwback uniform of this era. The league’s recent rule change around alternate helmets allows us to do that now.”
Lurie changed the uniform color to the current midnight green in 1996, shortly after he purchased the team. That is the main uniform scheme to this day.
“I think they look pretty cool,” Sirianni said about the kelly green uniforms. “My wife will buy my kids jerseys, and I’m sure that they’ll have kelly green ones when they have an opportunity to buy them.”
Added running back D’Andre Swift, who grew up in Philadelphia, but wasn’t born until after the Eagles switched to midnight green. “They look nice. I mean, you look good, you feel good, you play better.”
Why are teams allowed to wear alternate helmets again?
The Eagles last wore kelly green in the 2010 season opener to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1960 championship. But the NFL banned second helmets after that, citing a safety issue.
The Eagles could have worn the kelly green uniforms after that, but they would have had to stay with the midnight green helmets. Lurie didn’t want a mismatched helmet, and he lobbied the NFL to change the rule.
It wasn’t until 2021 when the NFL announced it would allow second helmets for use in 2022, agreeing that a second helmet could be made to fit the league’s safety specifications.
Technically, the Eagles could have worn the kelly green jerseys and helmets last season. But in the spring of 2022, Lurie said Nike needed until 2023 to make the jerseys according to the desired color scheme.
The Eagles wore black as their alternate jersey and helmet in 2022.
NFL teams are only allowed one alternate helmet, so if the Eagles do wear black jerseys this season, it’ll have to be with the regular midnight green helmet. The Eagles did that for two games in 2021.
Where and when can fans get kelly green jerseys?
The jerseys went on sale Monday at 9 a.m. at all three Eagles Pro Shop locations in the region − Lincoln Financial Field, where gates to the Pepsi Plaza opened at 8 a.m., with live entertainment from Swoop and cheerleaders; in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
