Lions are getting new uniforms, so we took a look at some of their previous designs

The Lions added the lion to their helmets in 1961. Photo by Detroit Lions/NFL

1961 Detroit Lions

1994 throwback uniforms. By Detroit Lions/NFL

1994 Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football NFC divisional playoff game, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Jared Goff

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions will be unveiling new uniforms on Thursday, April 18.

For context ahead of the reveal, we bring you a look at the evolution of the Lions’ look over the team’s recent history.

Despite an early experiment with some red and black color schemes for road games, the team’s main color scheme has remained remarkably consistent since the team’s founding, with Honolulu blue and silver the two primary uniform colors, and white being used for outlines, stripes and numbering on occasion.

When William Clay Ford took over the team in the early 1960s, he added the original Lions logo to the team’s silver helmets.

After some minor tweaks over the years to the numbers and striping on the Lions’ home and away uniforms, the team unveiled a “throwback” uniform for the NFL’s 75th anniversary in 1994, going back to a plain silver helmet, blue jersey and silver pants outfit that was meant to harken back to Detroit’s 1935 championship team.

The next big uniform change came in 2003, when the team added black to their uniforms for the first time with thin stripes on the shoulder sleeves, as well as outlines around the uniform numbers.

Those jerseys lasted until 2009, when the Lions unveiled not just new uniforms, but a new and more-defined team logo to go along with a stylized font for the team name. The team also added black striping to both the helmet and the ring around the players’ necks.

In 2015, the Lions unveiled a primarily black “Color Rush” uniform that lasted for only two seasons.

The current crop of Lions’ uniforms were unveiled in time for the 2017 season. And with the new look came a removal of black from the teams’ color palette. The word “Lions” and the initials “WCF” (for former owner William Clay Ford) were added to stripes on the either sleeve.

Just last season, the team released a new “alternate” helmet to their repertoire, with a throwback Lions logo on a field of blue, instead of the traditional silver team helmet.

The 2024 uniforms will be made public just before this year’s NFL Draft, which is being hosted in Detroit around Campus Martius and Hart Plaza in the center of the city.