The New York Jets and Their NFL Uniforms (1960-Present)

From their beginnings in 1960 as the New York Titans, the New York Jets have soldiered on, first as a member of the American Football League and Super Bowl III champions, and then since 1970 as part of the National Football League.

They have also had a storied uniform history. Here is a short look back at some of their many green-and-white looks from more than 50 seasons of professional football in both New York and New Jersey, from their bare bones beginnings at the long-gone Polo Grounds, to their current trappings at the new MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands...

New York Titans (1960-1962)

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

As most fans know, the Jets actually didn't start out as the Jets. Back in 1960, they debuted at the Polo Grounds as part of the new AFL, and played their first three seasons as the Titans of New York.

The Titans sported a blue-and-gold color scheme. They wore blue helmets with a single gold stripe down the middle but no logo on the sides.

A modern throwback Titans uniform was introduced in 2007 and has been worn by the team several times since then, with both blue and white jerseys having been alternately used with the gold pants.

Jets First Helmet (1963)

Jets Helmet (1963)

The Titans were re-christened as the "Jets" by their new ownership group, led by Sonny Werblin.

The color scheme became green and white, and the team now wore white helmets with a green plane logo, marked with the word "JETS" on the sides, as shown at HelmetHut. This helmet design, which also featured a single green stripe down the middle, only lasted for one season.

Jets Home Uniform (1963-1977)

RB Matt Snell (1964-1972)

The original Jets home uniform featured green jerseys with green stripes. The sleeves were white on top and contained green numbers, while single green stripes were set above and below the sleeve numbers.

The sleeves (at first) were green from just above the elbow down to the wrist. Player numbers on the front and back of the jersey, as well as player names on the back, were in white.

The pants were white, with two green stripes down the leg that were separated by a white stripe. Socks were white with green at the top, and alternating green/white stripes below.

Jets Road Uniform (1963-1977)

Don Maynard's Jersey, Pro Football Hall of Fame

The classic Jets uniforms appeared in their first season under their new name. The road uniform featured both white jerseys and white pants with green stripes. The sleeves were green and contained white numbers, while a single green stripe was set higher up on the shoulders. The front and back had green numbers, while player names were also lettered in green.

The pants were white, with two green stripes down the leg that were separated by a white stripe. Socks were white and had alternating green and white stripes, although they were predominantly green at the top.

Classic Logo First Appears on Helmet (1964)

The classic Jets logo made its first appearance on the sides of the helmet this season, the year that the team moved into the new Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY. The new logo was predominantly white with green highlights, although that scheme would be reversed the following year.

This helmet also featured two green stripes down the middle, sandwiching a white stripe, for the first time in team history. Otherwise, the home and road uniforms remained unchanged, and would for roughly the next 15 years.

Traditional Jets Helmet Debuts (1965)

The traditional Jets helmet with a green logo containing "NY JETS" in white, with a football inside a green pointed oval, was introduced in 1965, as shown here. This design would remain for the rest of the Jets' AFL tenure, and until the conclusion of the 1977 NFL season.

Super Bowl III

Jets QB Joe Namath (1965-1976)

Wearing their white uniforms, the Jets became the first AFL team to win a world championship when they bested the NFL's Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami on Jan. 12, 1969.

Matt Snell rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown for the Jets, and Joe Namath completed 17-of-28 passes for 206 yards to earn MVP accolades for the win that he famously guaranteed.

The two leagues merged a year later, following another AFL victory (by Kansas City) in Super Bowl IV.

New York Jets: Shades of Green (1978-1990)

The Jets made a radical change to their uniforms in 1978, highlighted by the addition of a new Kelly green helmet with a white facemask. A new logo also debuted, with the trademark "JETS" written in an italic white font, and a supersonic jet extending forwards from the letter "J".

Green Home Uniforms (1978-1989)

RB Freeman McNeil (1981-1992)
Rick Stewart/Getty Images

The home jersey of the new Jets uniform was green with white numbers on the front, back and shoulders, and player names on the back in white. The collar was white, while the sleeves had two white stripes separated by a green stripe. Pants were white with a single green stripe down the legs, while socks were white with green at the top.

The Jets also played their final game ever at Shea Stadium in 1983. The following year they made their move across the Hudson River, joining the rival Giants at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ where they remain to this day.

White Road Uniforms (1978-1989)

DE Mark Gastineau (1979-1988)
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The road jersey of the new Jets uniform was white with green numbers on the front, back and shoulders, and player names on the back in green. The collar was green, while the sleeves had two green stripes separated by a white stripe. Pants were white with a single green stripe down the legs, while socks were white with green at the top.

Green Home Uniform (1990-1997)

Ray Lucas (1997-2000)

The Jets uniforms received some minor changes in 1990. Black facemasks were added to the green helmet, and the "JETS" logo was also outlined in black. White stripes on the jersey were also trimmed in black, including on the sleeves and collar, as were the white numbers and letters.

The green stripes on the pants were also outlined in black on either side. Socks remained white on the bottom, but were now green with two white stripes on the top.

Road Uniforms (1990-1997)

CB Aaron Glenn (1994-2001)
Rick Stewart/Getty Images

The change to the Jets road uniforms during this time mostly saw black trim added to the green stripes on both the jersey and pants. Player numbers and names on the jersey were also outlined in black.

The Jets wore green pants with the white road jerseys from 1990 to 1996. They also wore white pants on the road until the end of 1997, their final season with the green helmets.

Throwback Helmets (1993)

QB Boomer Esiason (1993-1995)

The Jets wore a special throwback helmet for a 17-12 win over Cincinnati in 1993. The helmet was in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Jets' Super Bowl III title.

The classic Jet logo was placed on the side of the standard green helmet, although there were no stripes of any kind down the middle.

The jerseys were reminiscent of the Jets' original 1963 white jerseys, and also had a commemorative Jets patch on the front, below the left shoulder. 

Throwback Helmets (1994)

QB Boomer Esiason (1993-1995)
Simon Bruty/Getty Images

Two white stripes and a green stripe were added to the green helmet with the classic Jets logo for games the following season, as the Jets celebrated the NFL's 75th anniversary.

The jerseys hearkened back to the Jets' original 1963 green jerseys, and also had a commemorative NFL 75th anniversary patch added in front below the left shoulder. 

Return to White Helmets (1998)

Bill Parcells took over the Jets in 1997, and one of the things he initiated after his first season at the helm was to bring back the traditional white Jets helmet, albeit with a slightly modernized, more rounded logo and a new green facemask.

The green was a darker forest green than the original Kelly green utilized in the 1960s and 1970s. The Jets have retained this helmet design ever since.

Green Home Uniform (1998-Present)

WR Wayne Chrebet (1995-2005)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Jets "new" home uniform featured green jerseys with green stripes. They were similar to the 1960s and 1970s uniforms, but with a darker shade of green.

The sleeves were white and contained green numbers, while a single green stripe was set higher up on the shoulders, separated from the rest of the jersey by a wider white stripe. A classic Jets helmet logo was also featured on the front of the jersey, just below the left shoulder. Other numbers and letters were white in color.

The pants were white, with two green stripes down the leg that were separated by a white stripe. Socks were white with green at the top.

White Road Uniform (1998-Present)

QB Vinny Testaverde (1998-2003, 2005)
Rick Stewart/Getty Images

The Jets "new" road uniform featured white jerseys and white pants, both with green stripes. They were similar to the 1960s/1970s uniforms, but with a darker shade of green.

The sleeves were green and contained white numbers, while a single green stripe was set higher up on the shoulders. A Jets helmet logo was also featured on the front of the jersey, just below the left shoulder. Other numbers and letters were green in color.

The pants were white, with two green stripes down the leg that were separated by a white stripe. Socks were white with green at the top.

White Road Uniform (2002-Present)

RB Thomas Jones (2007-2009)
J. Meric/Getty Images

The first change to the Jets revised white road uniform came in 2002, when the socks were altered. They went from white with green at the top, to white with two green stripes.

Alternate Home Uniforms (2002-Present)

DB Darrelle Revis (2007- )
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

The Jets added the option of green pants to their home ensemble in 2002. The green jerseys remained the same, but the green pants featured two white stripes separated by a green stripe.

Socks started the same as the regular home socks—white with green at the top—but later became white with two green stripes.

Alternate Road Uniforms (2003-Present)

QB Mark Sanchez (2009- )
Jim Rogash/Getty Images

The Jets added the option of green pants to their road ensemble in 2003. The white jerseys remained the same, but the green pants featured two white stripes separated by a green stripe.

Socks remained the same as the regular road socks, and were predominantly white with a pair of green stripes.

The Past

Various New York Jets displays at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio pay tribute to several of the club's looks over their more than five decades of play in both the AFL and NFL.

The Future (Perhaps)

A Jets proposal for the NFL Nike Pro Combat Uniform set to debut in 2012. (Not believed to be a final design.)