-
Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants are going retro for a couple of games this season. Very retro.
The Giants dug deep into the past, back to their formative days, to create a special “Century Red” uniform to celebrate their 100th season.
New York will wear the special throwbacks up to two times this season to honor the team’s past. The specific games and dates have not been announced.
The centennial uniform consists of a modernized version of the 1933 jersey, 1925 pants and socks and the 1938 helmet. The new look tells the storied history of one of the oldest NFL teams by highlighting key milestones: the team’s founding in 1925, their first appearance in the NFL championship game in 1933, and their early championship win in 1938.
“The Century Red uniform puts a modern twist on some of our earliest uniforms and is worn to honor the players who laid the foundation of Giants football,” Giants director of creative services Doug Murphy said. “Having previously brought back a lot of our more recent uniform combinations, we meticulously researched past Giants uniforms to ensure historical accuracy. We are proud that this uniform is a part of our 100th season celebration.”
The uniform was designed by Nike in collaboration with the Giants to combine memorable components of the team’s past with a modern feel. For instance, the 1933 jerseys had long sleeves whereas the modernized version does not. The tan pants, red socks with a blue horizontal stripe, the squarish cut of the numbers, blue collar and shoulder and shape of the wings on the back of the helmet were all taken into careful consideration for replication purposes.
The uniform provides the latest reminder that Big Blue could easily have been Big Red. Red was a bigger part of the Giants’ color scheme for most of the first three decades, until they went primarily with blue and white.
The primary red resurfaced when an alternative jersey was introduced in 2004. As owner John Mara has jokingly bemoaned in the past, the Giants haven’t had a good record in those throwbacks, going 1-3 from 2004 to 2007.
The Century Red uniforms mark the second time in three years the Giants have introduced a refashioned vintage jersey. They brought back a version of their classic 1980s and 1990s uniforms during the 2022 season.
The Giants are expected to wear that legacy uniform introduced in 2022 for a game this season, in addition to the new centennial edition, as a part of their 100th season celebration this fall. They unveiled their 100th season patch earlier this week that will be on all their jerseys.
Much like the new uniforms, the attention is in the details with the patch, which has a shield shaped like the Polo Grounds, their very first home. The zeros in “100 seasons” are shaped like the old Giants Stadium, where they won multiple championships. It also has eight laces to represent each of the franchise’s titles and the central figure in a throwing motion is inspired by the classic Giants skyline logo.
“Our planning for the 100th season started close to two years ago and we are excited to celebrate this milestone with our fans, alumni and partners,” Giants senior vice president, marketing and brand strategy Nilay Shah said. “This season will be a time to reflect on the players, moments and championship teams that have defined the first 100 seasons of Giants football. We will celebrate through featured content, events and special activations all season long.”
The activations include: An unveiling of the Top 100 players in franchise history, a 100th season day at Yankee Stadium complete with an Eli Manning bobblehead in pinstripes, “The Duke” documentary to honor longtime owner Wellington Mara and 10 grants for $100,000 each being presented by The Giants Foundation to committed partners, among other things.
Now, they add the centennial uniform to the mix.
The Giants open their season on Sept. 8 against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium.
