Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins jersey has had a fairly simple history despite the football team’s lengthy one. Founded in 1966, the Dolphins wore the same jerseys for 30 years. The home version was aqua with short sleeves. Large, white numbers with coral outlining decorated both the front and the back of the jersey, and the player’s name was printed in white block lettering above the number on the back. At the top of each sleeve rested smaller numbers that were identical in style to those on the front and back. Each sleeve ended in five alternating white and coral stripes.

The away jerseys from 1966 were white with short sleeves. They sported large, aqua numbers with a coral outline on the front and back, along with the player’s number in aqua block lettering above the number on the back. At the top of each sleeve rested smaller numbers that were identical in style to the larger front and back numbers. Each sleeve ended in five alternating aqua and coral stripes. Dan Marino jerseys, Bob Griese jerseys, and Larry Csonka jerseys are classic examples of this original jersey design.

1997 marked the one and only change ever made to the Miami Dolphins jersey. Nearly identical to the original home jersey, the new design featured a dark blue drop-shadow around all of the numbers. The sleeve numbers were moved to on top of the shoulder, and in their place a circular Dolphins’ logo was added. Above the numbers on the front was added a small, white, cursive “Dolphins” insignia. The stripe pattern on the sleeve was also adjusted from five white and coral stripes to three, and the name on the back was given a coral border.

The away version of the Miami Dolphins jersey also underwent minor changes in 1997. The same dark blue drop-shadow seen on the home jerseys was added to all of the numbers on this one. The circular Dolphins logo was added to the sleeve in place of the original sleeve numbers, which moved to the top of the shoulder, and a small, aqua, cursive “Dolphins” was added above the numbers on the front of the jersey. The stripe pattern on the sleeve was removed, and a solid aqua band was added to the end of the sleeve. The collar was also changed from white to aqua, and the name on the back was given a coral border. Ronnie Brown jerseys are a perfect example of this updated design.

Notably, in 1972 the Dolphins chose to wear their white away jerseys during their daytime home games. In that year the team was undefeated, which motivated them to make it a tradition to wear their whites when the sun was shining at home. This forced their opponents to sport their dark jerseys in the Miami heat, giving the Dolphins a slight climatic advantage.