Back in mid-June, we got a big hint that the Cowboys were adding a second helmet color this season. The widespread assumption was that they’d be bringing back their white throwback helmet, and they made that official today by announcing that they’ll be wearing the white lid, along with navy throwback jerseys and white pants (as shown at the top of this page), for this year’s Thanksgiving Day game against the Giants.
The Cowboys made their NFL debut wearing white helmets in 1960 and continued wearing them through the 1964 preseason before switching to their now-familiar silver for the ’64 regular season. They then revived the white helmet as part of a throwback for their Thanksgiving game in 2005 and continued to wear it at least once per season (usually but not always on Thanksgiving) from then through 2012. The one-shell rule put an end to that streak in 2013.
I’m all in favor of the white helmet’s return on Turkey Day. Is there anyone out there who’s opposed to it?
The Cowboys are the ninth NFL team so far to add a second helmet color for 2022. The other eight are the Eagles (black alternate), Falcons (red throwback), Patriots (white throwback), Saints (black alternate), Commanders (black alternate), Texans (red alternate), Panthers (black alternate), and Giants (navy throwback). In addition, we know the Bengals will be unveiling a white alternate soon.
Update: Reader Kenny Kaplan notes that the last time the Giants wore white in Dallas, as they’ll do on Thanksgiving, was Dec. 1, 1963. This November’s game will look very much like that one did.
It’s a good look! Ideally the Giants would mix and match their new throwback helmet/socks with the rest of the CR white uni (or new pants) for this game.
This is the uniform matchup I’d prefer to see.
link^5
And to answer your question, although I miss the one shell rule, yes I am in favor of the Cowboys white helmet on Thanksgiving.
Lee
OK, that ^ messed up the link.
Wish we could just drop images.
Anyways, the link is supposed to show the Giants 1961 away uniforms, against the Cowboys 1961 home uniforms.
Lee
So the Giants will be in white for both of the Cowboys games
Now that the teams are adding alternate helmets, will it be long before we have a rule where teams must wear contrasting helmets?
I mean, it might help QBs in some way, as you don’t get to see the jerseys when you are throwing, you mainly see the helmets
Perfectly fine. I still say the Cowboys should have gone with 2 silver helmets. One in blue silver with royal trim for their white jerseys and one in metallic silver and navy to match their navy jerseys. The helmets and pants could finally match! The opportunity presented itself to have the blues and silvers match in their uniforms but I have come to accept that is not the Cowboys’ way.
Is there any reason they can’t still do that? I’m pretty sure the NFL doesn’t allow home/away helmets, but I always read that rule to mean different color shells. Changing the striping and graphic doesn’t seem to really break that rule. Of course I could be talking out of my rear.
The lifting of the one shell rule said that teams could add an alternate helmet that can only be worn with throwback, alternate or CR uniforms. From nfl.com:
The revised policy allows teams to utilize a second (alternate color) approved helmet to pair with their Alternate, Classic and/or Color Rush uniforms. All uses of alternate helmets must follow the set forth parameters:
Clubs must obtain an entire new set of alternate color helmets for all players
Alternate color helmets must be the same make, model and size as the applicable player’s primary helmet
Alternate color helmets must be made available to all players at the start of training camp and should be fit at the same time as the primary helmet
Alternate color helmets must be worn in practice at a minimum during the week leading up to the game in which they will be used
Apparently, so much for the NFL’s own rule “teams could add an alternate helmet that can only be worn with throwback, alternate or CR uniforms”.
It already appears two teams won’t be adhering to that policy.
Lee
Of course this would not be an issue if the Cowboys would just make the uniform change I would love to see. Back to a bit of tradition. Back to one shade of blue and one shade of silver with both the white and blue jerseys.
link
The uniform world is dynamic and ever changing. Interesting to see the NFL introducing all these alternate helmets during a time while the CFL is still utilizing the one-shell rule right now.
That is great attention to detail about the Cowboys. This is taught in brand management 101 how you define the exact color shades for use in your brand logos and color schemes. The Cowboys regularly trot out navy blue here, royal blue there, metallic blue here, metallic green-blue there, silver over here.
It makes a pretty good-looking uniform look terrible with all the mismatched colors.
Maybe the Giants will beat them like it was 1963 ..
Im curious how that logo would look if it had the same piping treatment as the silver helmet
Love the helmet…but wish they would wear a white throwback jersey with it. Just feels odd when the Cowboys wear blue at home (throwback or not)
Love the uniforms the Cowboys were born in…kudos for bringing those back on Thanksgiving!
From a superstition angle, I think the Cowboys view the blue jerseys as bad luck with the silver helmet. But the blue jersey with the white helmet harkens back to the early ’60s before the blue jerseys were considered bad luck. From what I’ve read, the Cowboys blue jersey jinx was launched in Super Bowl V when the blue jerseyed, silver helmetted Cowboys lost to the all-white Colts. I believe the SB rule at the time forced the NFC (first year that existed) to wear the dark color. Now the rule is home team gets choice of jersey color.
So blue jerseys of an earlier style were not bad luck. By the way, the early ’60s, expansion Cowboys who wore this style uniform were terrible.
I suppose it was reinforced, but the idea wasn’t originally that the Cowboys in blue was “bad luck”. In 1963 they wore blue at home for all games. In 1964 they wore white at home for all home games.
At least initially, the blue jerseys were simply their second choice top.
Lee
There was a Cowboys executive–name escapes me right now–that thought it would be more colorful to see the colors of the visiting teams for Cowboys home games. So the Cowboys would wear white at home–still ordinarily do to this day. But the legend of the blue jersey jinx is well documented. Home teams, especially in the NFC East, started wearing white jerseys to force the Cowboys to wear blue. Anything for a psychological edge. I’m pretty sure their road record in blue jerseys is worse than when they wear white jerseys on the road.
You still see teams wearing white at home against the Cowboys but nowadays I think it is mostly early season, hot weather games where the white jersey is worn to stay cooler.
“I’m pretty sure their road record in blue jerseys is worse than when they wear white jerseys on the road.”
Maybe one night when I am bored, I will try to determine the record when the Cowboys wear blue on the road versus when they wear white on the road. I suspect you’re correct, especially during the 70s.
Lee
You are correct about Super Bowl V. Dallas was the”home” team and had to wear blue. At some point in the 70s (not sure what year) the rule was changed. The first “home” team to wear white in a Super Bowl was Dallas (XIII-they still lost to Pittsburgh).
If the royal blue jerseys were bad luck, how come the Cowboys crushed the Rams in LA in the 78 NFC title game 28-0 wearing them?
I didn’t say the Cowboys never won wearing blue jerseys. They have. But teams to this day like to force the Cowboys to wear blue on the road. The Giants just announced they would wear their all-white uniforms at home the season. When? Against the Cowboys of course to make them wear blue.
If you don’t believe the Cowboys blue uniforms are bad luck, the rest of the NFL thinks that the Cowboys don’t like wearing blue at least.
Dallas brought these uniforms out for the first time on Thanksgiving Day 2004, not 2005
link
I really like that you can drop info all day now if you want to, or if something happens in the uni verse like Dallas breaking news like this.
I don’t get “throw back” feeling when someone mentions Dallas Cowboys….I get THROW-UP feeling!….(GIANTS FAN!)
In the 1980 NFC Championship game, the Eagles who always wore green at home, wore white just to make the Cowboys wear dark. When the Eagles announced it a few days before the game, the Cowboys were pissed over it. The next season, the Cowboys redesigned their dark jerseys.
One note, the original uniforms worn by the Cowboys 1960-64 were actually Royal Blue, not navy.
A great alt uniform suggestion, wear existing home uniforms, but reverse the jersey colors (Royal Blue with white trim). Similar to their old road uniforms they wore prior to 1980.