A field guide to thrifted sport
Secondhand Archive
PITTSBURGH · THREE RIVERS

The Steelers,
archived.

Vintage Pittsburgh Steelers sweatshirts and jerseys, filed by era. 1970s dynasty — four Super Bowls in six years. Check the numbers: block numerals mean 1996 or earlier, while rounded numerals with a chest logo mean 1997 or later.

#101820·#FFB612
36
Bettis · 90s
─── A Signature Era ───

Cowher's Boys

Six straight playoff trips, the Bus arrives in '96, and Super Bowl XXX lost to Dallas.

Years
1992–1999
Wore
#36
Tells
Starter pullovers
NO. 01 · DATING STEELERS GEAR: LOGO & UNIFORM TIMELINE
  1. 1962The Steelmark logo was introduced; black helmets followed full time in 1963, with the logo on the right side only.
  2. 1966-67The "Batman" uniforms, with gold shoulder shapes and no sleeve stripes, were worn for two seasons.
  3. 1968The modern design arrived: black or white jerseys with gold pants and the familiar sleeve stripes.
  4. 1970Player names were added to the jerseys after the AFL-NFL merger.
  5. 1997Numbers switched to a rounded style matching the helmet numbers, a Steelers logo was added to the left chest, and TV numbers moved to the shoulders.
  6. 2000Sleeve stripes were shortened as sleeves got shorter.
  7. 2007For the team's 75th season, 1962-style throwbacks were worn with gold helmets.
NO. 02 · THE STEELERS INDEX
1960–1979

60s–70s

Pittsburgh Steelers · Steel Curtain
1980–1989

80s

Pittsburgh Steelers · Hangover
1990–1999

90s

Pittsburgh Steelers · Cowher's Boys
2000–2009

2000s

Pittsburgh Steelers · One for the Thumb
NO. 03 · IN THE DESIGN ARCHIVE

Specific Steelers designs, one page each, with every past eBay example we found.

Super Bowl IX (1975) →1995 AFC Championship →Super Bowl XXX (1996) →Super Bowl XL (2006) →

NO. 04 · FIELD NOTES
✓Tag check: does the maker and the country of manufacture fit the era the seller claims?
✓Print check: do the logo, wordmark and any copyright date match that year's team identity?
✓Fit check: ask for pit-to-pit and length in inches; vintage tag sizes run differently.

How to date vintage NFL apparel →