UPDATED: Throwbacks Revealed. Yup, They’re Orange.

July 31, 2009 at 12:12pm by Scott   •  4 Comments »

Huh. You know, the Bucs played so often in their whites in the old days that I never really thought of them playing the throwback game in orange jerseys. Seeing the current guys in the 1976 version of the orange jerseys it’s… well, it’s cool, but it’s a little less so than I thought it would be.

That version of the orange is a little lighter than it was in 1996 when they wore it for the last time. Here’s the 1996 version.

See the difference? The 1990s version is a little darker and bolder whereas the 1976 version looks more pastel-y and a little less, umm, manly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for the game and I’m really looking forward to seeing the players on the field in the throwbacks. And they should definitely keep doing it every year. I always thought the Glazers‘ tactic of ignoring the past for so long was a bad idea. But maybe next year darken it up to the Hardy Nickerson shade that looks a little more aggressive and a little less… you know. Don’t make me say the word.

UPDATE:After looking at a couple other pictures from the press conference, it seems that the angle and lighting have a lot to do with how the jerseys look. They may not be as fey as the picture on Buccaneers.com makes them look. I don’t care anymore, I’m psyched.

Oh, also…

Glazer said Raymond James Stadium will be refurbished Nov. 8 to reflect an orange motif, and players from the ’76 expansion club are expected to be in attendance.

You know some of the bums that were on that squad who really sucked are burning up the phone lines to One Buc trying to score a couple free tickets to the game in exchange for strolling out on the field and waving their hands. Or maybe they’re just looking for shelter at this point. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Pete Rajecki!” “Umm, Mr. Rajecki, it’s impolite to ask the other players on the field for spare change.”

“We’re now hitting two generations of youngsters who have never seen these orange jerseys,” said Glazer, who indicated the Bucs will use their throwback jerseys for two games in 2010.

We’ve been telling them for years to bring back the orange, and now that the response has been so big, they’ve finally caught on that they might be able to make some extra money at this. Throwbacks = merchandising.

“People thought we were trying to lock our history away in a closet,” said Bucs co-chairman Ed Glazer.

Bad choice of words. Bucco Bruce is definitely not in the closet.