A field guide to thrifted sport
Secondhand Archive
Vol. 80s · Atlanta Falcons · #31 Andrews

Vintage 1980s Falcons

sweatshirts.

Vintage 1980s Atlanta Falcons sweatshirts, from the William Andrews years (1980–1983). The 1980 team wins the West at 12–4 and loses a 30–27 playoff game to Dallas. Then the slide.

What dates a piece to the 1980s: Starter satin and pullover jackets, Champion and Russell jerseys, mostly USA-made, LA Raiders and Indianapolis Colts city names. Helmet color and logo do the work: red helmets mean 1966-89, black helmets 1990 on, and the angular F-shaped falcon 2003 or later. We don't keep a market snapshot for this collection, so check listings against the list below and ask the seller for photos of the tag and the measurements.

NO. · · 1980S FALCONS SWEATSHIRTS, BY THE NUMBERS
Years
1980–89
Garment
sweatshirt
Rough value
$63+
31
Andrews · #31
CREWNECK'85
80s · Sweatshirts
vol. 80s
NO. 01 · ON EBAY NOW

We don't keep a market snapshot for this collection. The live eBay search shows everything listed right now; use the checklist below to judge what you find.

Search eBay →
LOW · $63
TYPICAL · $140
HIGH · $350

rough guide, not an appraisal

price check

a fair price for a fair shirt

NO. 02 · WHAT TO LOOK FOR
  • Starter jackets: satin team jackets and pullover jackets with Starter's logo embroidered on the sleeve.
  • Made in USA tags are expected. Offshore-made labels became common from the mid-1990s.
  • City names: Los Angeles Raiders (1982-94), Indianapolis Colts (from 1984) and Phoenix Cardinals (1988-93). Baltimore Colts and St. Louis Cardinals gear predates those moves.
  • Read the tag first: maker, country of origin and fiber content. A Made in USA tag fits the 80s and early 90s better than the 2000s.
  • Match the graphics to the team's timeline. The logo, colors and city name should all fit the era the seller claims.
the 80s falcons
31
worn by · Andrews
the

William Andrews

era, 1980–1983

The 1980 team wins the West at 12–4 and loses a 30–27 playoff game to Dallas. Then the slide.

NO. 03 · IN THE DESIGN ARCHIVE

Looking for one specific design? The archive files every Falcons design we found on eBay, one page each, with all its past examples.

Atlanta Falcons · 13 designs →

NO. 04 · RELATED COLLECTIONS
NO. 05 · FIELD NOTES

How can I tell a 1980s Falcons sweatshirt is original and not a modern reissue?

Start with the tag: the maker and the country of manufacture should fit the 1980s, and a licensed piece usually names the NFL or the team on a label. Then check that the logo, wordmark and colors match what the Falcons used in those years. Modern retro and throwback lines copy old graphics but use current tags, so a tag photo settles most questions.

Why does this page mention Andrews?

Andrews wore #31 in the William Andrews years (1980–1983). The 1980 team wins the West at 12–4 and loses a 30–27 playoff game to Dallas. Then the slide. Player numbers and names from a team's best-known years are the ones most often printed and sewn on fan gear, so they turn up most in secondhand listings.

How does a vintage sweatshirt fit?

Vintage sweatshirts were cut differently from today's, and cotton blends shrink with washing, so the tag size is only a hint. Compare the seller's pit-to-pit and length measurements with a sweatshirt you own.

Read the full buying guide →