Projo Sports Blog

By Chris Mascaro
Newsday

Are the Jets' uniforms really modeled after a gas station? Well, yes.

When a group headed by Sonny Werblin and Leon Hess bought the New York Titans in 1963, the team's old navy blue-and-gold uniforms were replaced by a green-and-white combination, the same grouping of colors as Hess' gasoline stations.

The name Titans was changed to Jets because the team began playing at Shea Stadium, in close proximity to LaGuardia and Idlewild (renamed Kennedy) Airports, in 1964. So jets often flew over during games.

Though the franchise played only three seasons as the Titans, the current team has paid homage to its forefathers by wearing the Titans uniforms in four games during the past two seasons (the maximum allotment under NFL rules is twice per season), including the last two games - both Jets victories.

The local reaction has been mostly positive, with many fans flocking to the stores to pick up the retro jerseys.

Sue James, the assistant store manager at Modell's Sporting Goods in Bay Shore, said there already had been a spike in Jets jersey sales because of the acquisition of Brett Favre, but the throwbacks have helped even more.

"(Sales) have been picking up," she said. "The big seller is Favre, but we had (Laveranues) Coles and (Thomas) Jones, too."

No more than five minutes after James said that, she had a request from customer Jerry Moran of Bay Shore for a throwback. Unfortunately for him, they were out of his size. But Moran, 69, said he'd try other locations because he actually remembers when his favorite team played in blue.

"I don't care what name is on the back," he said. "I just want the jersey."

Though the Jets are 3-1 in the old-school unis, Moran doesn't believe in superstition.

"No luck, not at all," he said. "It's the players that win the games."

Rob Corrado, 20, an employee at BC Sports in the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, said the jerseys are a hot item only because they are new and different. Some customers don't even know who the Titans were, he said.

"Most people have no idea," he said. "They think it's the Rams or even Pittsburgh. It's the flavor of the month."

That seemed to be the case.

David, a 10-year-old from Seaford whose mother declined to give his last name, said: "I'm a Giants fan, but I really want one of the old Jets jerseys. They are really cool."

Next door at Plaza Sports, the store manager, Tee, said he didn't have any of the Titans uniforms in stock but added that he placed an order for them after receiving so many requests from customers.

Although many like the old uniforms, some people remain loyal to the green and white.
"They're not too bad," Tee said of the retros. "But they're not my favorite. I like the green."

Said Corrado: "There's nothing better than the old (Joe) Namath jersey in green."

League guidelines on the issue are simple: Teams have the option of wearing throwback uniforms up to two times during the course of the season. They can choose once, twice or not at all. It's entirely up to the team, and although it is usually done at home, it can be on the road, depending on the home team's colors (dark or light) and whether the throwbacks are dark or light.

The teams declare to the league in the summer which dates they will wear the throwbacks, so the Jets had determined these dates toward the end of training camp.

Jets coach Eric Mangini was asked about wearing the throwbacks after Sunday's game. "I don't think it's our option," he said. "I'm open to wearing whatever if it's going to help win, but it's not really our option."

 Tags  Brett Favre jerseys New York Jets

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