https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-2019-only-and-heres-what-it-might-look-like/
Bears getting set to unveil new 'classic' uniform for 2019 only, and here's what it might look like
The
New York Jets aren't
the only NFL team getting a new uniform this year. The
Chicago Bears will also be getting a new look in 2019, but there's one slight difference: The Bears' new uniform will only be worn for the upcoming season.
The Bears
announced this week that they'll be unveiling a new uniform in June that will commemorate their 100th season in the
NFL. The 100th anniversary jersey will be one of four uniforms the Bears will end up wearing this year. Besides the special edition jersey, the team will also be wearing their traditional navy uniform and traditional white uniform, plus the Bears are also planning to wear their alternate orange jersey at some point in 2019.
The Bears' 100th anniversary uniform will be unveiled at an event on June 7. Although the team hasn't given any details on what the new jersey might look like, Bears coach Matt Nagy did make an interesting statement at the NFL's annual league meeting.
View: https://twitter.com/adamhoge/status/1110711837413138437?s=21
It's funny that Nagy should mention stripes, because if you're betting on what the new uniform might look like for 2019, that would seem to make the most sense.
When the team played its first season in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, the uniform was navy with vertical orange stripes, as you can see below.
This is the jersey the Bears wore during their first few seasons in the NFL. NFL Films
After moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears ended up keeping that look for multiple seasons.
In the 99 years since they put on the striped jerseys for the first time, the Bears have only gone back to that look one time, and that came in 1994 during the NFL's 75th anniversary season.
The Bears wore vertical stripes in 1994. Getty
If the Bears want to go with the stripes, but skip out on the navy look because they've already worn it, the Bears could also go with their white jerseys that they wore during the 1930s.
View: https://twitter.com/chicagoaudible/status/1113256607511498752?s=21
The reason a striped jersey makes sense for their 100th anniversary season is because the Bears don't really have many other options. Over the course of their history, the Bears uniforms haven't really undergone any major changes. Although the team did wear an orange jersey in the 1930s, they honored that era by introducing an orange alternate jersey in the 2000s, which will once again be worn in 2019.
The Bears also have their "Monsters of the Midway" uniforms that date back to the 1940s, but they've been honoring that era with a throwback uniform since 2010. Other than that, that Bears have basically been wearing their classic navy jersey with orange stripes on the sleeve for most of their history, which is why it wouldn't be surprising to see the 100th anniversary jersey look a lot like the 1920 jersey.