In 2004, the Bengals made their first major change in more than two decades. The franchise’s new excavations were part of a successful era in Cincinnati, which included three divisions and seven playoff games from 2005-15. Cincinnati certainly hopes that their new uniforms – which were launched on Monday – will usher in a similar success.
And out of sight, it starts well.
They even borrow a famous Hall of Fame diagonal from Deion Sanders.
The first uniform of the Bengals, formed in 1968, was similar to Paul Brown, the founder of Cincinnati’s first team: the Cleveland Browns. The Bengals made a drastic uniform change in 1981, with the addition of stripes being the biggest addition. Cincinnati clearly likes their new uniforms as the franchise made it to the first Super Bowl ever that season. And although the original jerseys were relatively flimsy, the Bengals’ striped helmets set them apart from other team helmets.
“My dad said he wanted a helmet that would only take one look to recognize us from the top seat in the stadium,” said Bengals owner Mike Brown. “I think our helmet has stood the test of time. It has established our identity, our brand, if you will, and that is important to our fans.”
The Bengals’ jerseys were largely unchanged until 2004, when Cincinnati changed its stripes and number styling. They also added more uniform options that included the entire black, white-out and ‘Halloween’ wear of the team.
New uniforms are not the only thing the Bengals are revealing this season. The team recently announced the formation of a Ring of Honor whose initial class will take on Paul Brown and Hall of Fame attack Anthony Munoz. Holders of season tickets will vote on the two other members of the team’s first Ring of Honor class.
While they plan to honor their past, the Bengals are also optimistic about their future. Before quarterback Joe Burrow was injured, he was one of the frontrunners to win the offensive Rookie of the Year. The Bengal Burrow is expected to get a lineout or a receiver with the overall number 5 in the draft. The top two candidates are former Oregon attacking midfielder Penei Sewell and former LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who enjoyed a successful partnership with Burrow during their time with the Tigers. Chase recently said he spoke to Burrow about the chance to join forces on the next level.
“I would not mind going back with Joe,” Chase said via Sports Illustrated. “If we go together again, we’ll try to get our chemistry back and have more fun.”