Can Changing a Team's Uniform Get Them To a Super Bowl?

When a pro sports team decides to redesign their uniforms, the fans tend to be very wary of the changes. Some iconic uniforms, like the Broncos' Orange Crush uniforms or the Buccaneers' creamsicle uniforms, are symbols of the franchises that will forever be etched into sports history.

However, since 1993, NFL teams that have drastically changed their uniforms have started a rather interesting trend.

Every NFL team since 1993 that has made major uniform changes have appeared and/or won Super Bowls within five years of changing their uniforms.

The New England Patriots

We start with the New England Patriots.

Under Bill Parcells, the Pats changed their iconic “Pat Patriot” uniforms to a silver and royal blue combo with a new logo. It was a shocking change for the fans, as the team didn’t look quite right anymore.

However, in 1997, the Patriots landed in Super Bowl XXXI, losing to the Green Bay Packers.

They made another change to their uniforms in 2000, substituting navy blue for the royal blue, and began their three-of-four Super Bowl championship run.

The Baltimore Ravens

In 1996, Art Modell moved the beloved Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore to become the Ravens. It was a controversial move, similar to the Colts leaving Baltimore in the middle of the night to go to Indy.

The move proved successful as, five years later, the Ravens accomplished what the Browns couldn’t: they won a Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been he laughingstock of the NFL since their winless expansion season of 1976.

It took them 21 years to finally drop the slight eyesore that was the “Buccaneer Bruce” orange-creamsicle uniforms, and it paid off big time. Five years later, in 2002, the Bucs were a joke no more, beating the Oakland Raiders to win the Super Bowl.

The Denver Broncos

Another team that ditched the old threads in favor of more modern schemes in 1997 was the Denver Broncos.

Gone were the Orange Crush uniforms of the '80s, replaced by a sleeker, 21st-century design. It only took one season to pay off, as John Elway ended his career with two-straight Super Bowl championships.

The Seattle Seahawks

In 2002, to coincide with the opening of their new stadium, the Seattle Seahawks revamped their look with a very Pacific Northwest color scheme. The change took some warming up to, and the Super Bowl XL appearance in 2006 helped out greatly.

The Arizona Cardinals

Sometimes it just takes a much fiercer logo to get you to the Super Bowl.

In 2007, the Arizona Cardinals revealed a meaner-looking cardinal head on their helmets, along with a more modernized uniform pattern. After a surprising season in 2009, they ended up in Super Bowl XLIII.

Will the Trend Continue?

If history speaks for this trend, teams like the Buffalo Bills—who adopted a modern take on their 1970s-era uniforms starting this season—have a really good chance of ending up in the Super Bowl in the next five years.

While other teams have made subtle changes to their uniforms (like the Bengals), time will tell if being subtle pays off, or if changing a team’s look completely is the way to go.