JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Which NFL Team Wears Honolulu Blue? Find Out
Find out which NFL team wears Honolulu Blue along with its history, reason of the hue, and more.
There is only one team famous for its Honolulu color and they are The Detroit Lions. The franchise recently went through some changes in their jerseys, adding black to their traditional color which they have been wearing for 90 years!
There is an interesting story behind how the team got this color which the Lions have been donning for many years. Let’s find out.
Which NFL team wears Honolulu Blue?
Honolulu Blue color belongs to the Detroit Lions' home uniform and the franchise players proudly represent themselves in ocean blue jerseys matched with silver helmets and pants. This has not changed for 10 decades now.
The franchise is a huge part of the city and its history. The jersey was worn for the very first time in Detroit in 1934. Meanwhile, there are several stories on how the franchise adopted the color of the uniform.
Back in March of 1934, the Detroit Free Press announced that Portsmouth Spartans of the National Football League would be relocating to Detroit. Less than half a year ahead of their first game, George Richards, who was the new owner, made some decisions and the franchise keeps following it until now.
The same year in July, Richards, who owned the franchise until 1940, named the franchise the Lions. The American radio executive who owned station WJR in Detroit was inspired by an iconic phrase which read, “The Lion is the king of the jungle, and the Detroit Lions will be the kings of the NFL.”
It was the same day when it was announced that the franchise would wear its iconic blue color with silver trim. As per the 1950 Lions Media Guide, the first owner of the franchise, Richards was inspired by the “hue of the Pacific Ocean on a trip to Hawaii and the shade was named 'Honolulu blue.’”
Meanwhile, there are other justifications for the existing color of the uniform as well. One of which is explained in a 1999 interview with historian Bill Dow. Glenn Presnell, Detroit Lions tailback revealed an interesting story regarding the team's traditional hue.
Presnell, who was the last surviving member of the Detroit Lions' inaugural team, states to the aforementioned source that while he with his wife went for an interview for his contract, they “went out in the next room and [George Richards] said that we should look over these jersey colors.”
The 1935 NFL Champion who set a league record with a 54-yard field goal in 1934, stated that the room had “different kinds of jerseys: orange and black, red and white, and my wife and I saw the Honolulu Blue and silver and that's what we liked, so he selected that.”
However, the color which was worn earlier was much darker than the team players wear now.
Detroit Lions’ 2024 season jersey
The Detroit Lions unveiled this year's uniform on April 18 at Ford Field during a Lions Loyal Member-exclusive Uniform Reveal presented by Ford.
It came after the huge success of their previous edition's look which was a combination of the modern era as well as its historical legacy. This year's jersey, as usual, is Honolulu Blue as the team worked with the clothing brand Nike.
ALSO READ: Former NFL Hall Of Famer Calvin Johnson to be inducted into ‘Pride of the Lions’
Latest Articles
