The Patriots became a dynasty wearing their blue, red and silver uniforms, but they didn’t always wear those colors. New England’s primary uniform color used to be red.
NFL fans will get a glimpse of those good old days twice during the NFL regular season. That includes the team’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Dolphins in Week 2.
The Patriots didn’t enjoy much success in their red uniforms with blue and white trim. They did, however, set the table for the team’s uniforms, which have become among the most recognizable in the league as the team has won six Super Bowls since the turn of the millennium.
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Here’s what to know about the Patriots’ red uniforms and how the team fought for an NFL rule change that allows them to wear their classic “Pat the Patriot” helmets as part of the throwback ensemble.
How the Patriots fought to change NFL’s helmet rule
The Patriots went about a decade without wearing their alternate red jerseys. The reason for that? The NFL’s one-helmet rule prevented them from pairing their old-school uniforms with anything but their new-school helmets.
“There was a sort of understanding here that, no, we’re not going to wear the silver helmets with the red throwbacks, right? That would be a different alternate uniform,” Ali Towle, Vice President of Customer Marketing & Brand for Kraft Sports + Entertainment, told Alexandra Francisco of Patriots.com.
As such, the Patriots were among the teams that spearheaded the changing of that rule. It took them years to achieve their goal but ultimately, the league agreed to allow teams to adopt alternate helmets.
“We wanted to stay pure to that original throwback, and so that’s why we waited and kept lobbying the league to change it back,” Towle said. “We fought the good fight.”
That allowed the Patriots’ alternate jerseys to make a triumphant return against the Lions in 2022. New England is now set to wear the uniforms twice during the 2023 NFL season — against the Dolphins in Week 2 and against the Chargers in Week 13.
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Patriots throwback jerseys, explained
The uniforms themselves are a simple iteration of the Patriots’ classic look. However, a lot of work went into making sure the design was both historically accurate and also matched the modern uniforms the Patriots were wearing, as Towle explained.
“There are fans out there that are total uniform hawks,” Towle said. “People notice.”
Chief among the issues was deciding whether to roll with a white face mask or a red face mask on the alternate helmets and what size to make the “Pat the Patriot” logo.
Ultimately, the white face mask won out and the team was able to decide how big to make the Patriots’ classic logo. Below is a look at what the Patriots settled on and what they will wear against the Dolphins and Chargers this season:
Red is the new blue. pic.twitter.com/sC7T0kLXFn
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 13, 2023
Practice Pat. pic.twitter.com/7qdymPZK0S
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 13, 2023
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What is Pat the Patriot?
“Pat the Patriot” is the name of both the Patriots’ throwback logo, which was used from 1960 through 1992, and the team’s mascot, which was introduced in the mid-1990s. In particular, the logo — designed by Worcester Telegram cartoonist Phil Bissell — has been beloved by Patriots fans during the franchise’s existence.
The team originally considered replacing Pat the Patriot in 1979. However, a fan vote revealed that the public overwhelmingly preferred to keep it in place. As such, he remained there through the 1992 season before being replaced by the modern “Flying Elvis” for the 1993 season, per ESPN.
Even though the Flying Elvis has been around for 30 years and the team has won six Super Bowls with it as the primary logo, fans still are smitten with the Pat the Patriot design.
“There are teams and fans that are clamoring to have something come back, and there are also markets that really try to push the boundaries,” Jonathan Wright, the NFL’s Senior Director of Uniforms & On-Field Products, said. “For years, the Patriots fans and club have really wanted Pat to come back for a long time. I’m personally proud of being a part of making that happen.”
Thus, don’t be surprised to see numerous excited Patriots fans decked out in red uniforms and tricorner hats against the Dolphins and Chargers.
