Steelers Throwback Uniforms: Pittsburgh Sporting Hideous Unis vs. Redskins

NFL teams have sported terrible throwback uniforms in the past, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have set a new standard for ugliness.

In the team’s Week 8 game against the Washington Redskins, it has chosen to wear retro jerseys based on the ones used by the franchise in 1934. The uniforms have have been brought out to celebrate the team’s 80th season. 

As Dan Gigler of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette notes, the jerseys were revealed at a press conference in April, with running back Isaac Redman showing off the hideous unis. While the stripes may not look so terrible on one of the more slender players on the Steelers, they certainly do not flatter the linemen.

As defensive tackle Casey Hampton said, “Sideways stripes don't do me no good,” via Gigler’s report. 

The numbers on the jerseys are encased in a black and white box that looks like a scoreboard. The reason for this is unclear, as are most of the decisions that went into designing the jersey. 

As NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano noted via Twitter, the overall aesthetic is much closer to a rugby uniform than one used for football.

"

The Steelers are wearing rugby uniforms. They should be playing in London, rather than against London Fletcher.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) October 28, 2012"

Teams across the league are using stylish new Nike uniforms this season for their normal game-day attire. The Steelers are now bucking the trend of looking good while playing in front of thousands of spectators.

The best part of these laughably awful uniforms is that the Steelers will wear them again this season. Gigler notes that the same jerseys will be used for a November 18 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. 

Hopefully the Steelers will win these games, as losing and looking terrible while doing so can be a deflating experience.