NEW BLUE, OLD BLUE
By John Oehser - Colts.com
Colts Return to Former Color Scheme Beginning in 2004
INDIANAPOLIS – Almost imperceptibly, the change happened. Whereas once the Colts’ uniform featured a deep, royal blue there was still blue . . .
But it wasn’t quite the same.
That’s no longer true.
On Friday, the Colts unveiled a series of uniform changes at a press conference at Galyan’s at Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis. Among the changes were a return to black shoes and striped, horizontal socks and a change to a gray face mask.
But most notable was a change in uniform color.
A subtle change, but an important one, Colts President Bill Polian said Friday.
“”The changes in the jersey came about because over the years – long predating (Head Coach) Tony Dungy’s and my time with the team, the manufacturer had gone further and further away from the original color,” Polian said at Galyan’s Friday morning.
“We ended up with a color somewhere between the original and the San Diego Chargers’ original.”
The Colts’ original scheme featured a deep blue and the Chargers’ original scheme was a pale – almost sky – blue.
The blue in the Colts’ color schemes in recent years wasn’t pale, but it was far lighter than originally designed, Polian said.
Pete Ward, the Colts’ Senior Executive Vice President, worked with officials from the league office to identify the proper colors.
“He had the manufacturers put together a jersey and uniform that more approximates the original, and in fact, that is right in sync with the original,” Polian said.
Colts linebacker David Thornton, the team’s leading tackler last season, modeled the new uniform, and Indianapolis resident Rupert Boneham – who recently won $1 million on the television reality show “Survivor” – also attended the unveiling.
“It’s exciting for us,” Dungy said. “I’m kind of an old school guy, so I was very, very happy to go along with this. They asked me what my thoughts were on it. I think it brings us a little bit back closer to our roots. We’re excited about that.”
The Colts in recent seasons had worn white shoes, and the face masks had been blue since the mid-1990s.
“I can see the difference in what we’re wearing and what we had worn,” Dungy said. “It will be a little bit of an adjustment for people, but I think it gets us back closer to what we originally wore.
“I guess my feeling was, ‘As long as we have the same players, we can change uniforms.’ I think we’ll set a new standard, new tradition and it’s something we can be excited about.
“Hopefully, the look will be sharp and the play will be just as sharp.”
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