49ers New Unis Look Back To The Future

The 49ers really reached with one of their picks in the NFL Draft on Saturday. They reached all the way back to the late 70's and early 80's, unveiling new 2009 uniforms that look almost exactly like their 1979 uniforms.

Maybe they're trying to get us to forget the York era ever started.

The 49ers debuted their new 2009 uniforms to the Faithful public at Saturday's official team draft party at the Santa Clara Convention Center.  Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, and a handful of other current and former Niners with the afternoon to spare modeled the new uniforms in a ceremony not unlike some kind of Pink Floyd laser show, complete with wild futuristic lighting effects and movies being projected onto waterfalls.

If you hated those 3-D, "block shadow" numerals on the previous 49er uniforms, then this new-old look is right up your alley. They're just plain, white player numerals on the jerseys, exactly like in the old days. The away jerseys are now "cherry red" as opposed to "cabernet", a distinction most men could probably make only if they have a wife who forces them to shop for home improvement furnishings on a way-too frequent basis. 

The three stripes on the side of the sleeve are now plain, without the little SF logo on there. There is now a little 49ers logo below the neckline. The stripes on the side of the pants will be red and white, as opposed to the current red and black.

And here's the best part, if you're a nostalgia person -- we're going back to the grey facemasks. We'll be the only team in the league wearing those old, obsolete-looking grey facemasks on our helmets.

There are several other tiny details which could be explained in regard to these uniforms. But let's jusy make it easy -- if you were born before 1976, you've seen these before.

Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who couldn't explain the difference between "cherry red" and "cabernet" if his Frank Gore jersey depended on it.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us