Good news: the Vikings are bringing back a uniform of yesteryear.
Bad news: it won’t be their primary uniform.
On Tuesday, the Vikings unveiled a “classic uniform” to season-ticket holders during a virtual event. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton and fullback C.J. Ham participated.
The design pays homage the teams of the 1960s and 1970s. It has the vintage Vikings horn on the helmet, gray facemasks, jerseys with traditional lettering and numbering, gold trim accents, and gold and white stripes on the sleeves.
The helmet apparently continues to have a matte finish, which is a disappointment. To truly pay homage to the past, the purple needs to gleam.
The Vikings will wear the uniform in Week One, against the Buccaneers. They will wear the uniform in future years as well.
Yes, the best move would be to wear them all the time. Not the “classic” version as constructed, but the simple yet perfect jersey from the ‘70s. Traditional white letters. Traditional white numbers. Gold and white horizontal stripes on the sleeves of the purple jersey. LSU-style gold-and-purple over-the-shoulder stripes on the white jersey, with purple letters and numbers.
Shiny purple helmet, with the traditional horn and a gray facemask.
Just do it, Vikings. Tell Nike to take the look back to the glory days of the 1970s. If the current version of the team can’t deliver the same outcomes, at least it can deliver the same look.
