Uniform number (American football)

In American football, uniform numbers are more unusual than in any other sport. They are displayed in more locations on the uniform than in those of other sports (on both the front and back of the jersey, and on both shoulders), and on the front of the jersey, they are displayed very large, taking up almost the entire front of the jersey. Just as importantly, certain numbers may only be worn by players playing particular positions; thus the jersey numbers assist the officials in determing possible illegal actions by players.

Unlike most other sports, in which teams have smaller rosters, American football players routinely have uniform numbers that cover the full range of number from 1 to 99. In other sports, where not as many numbers are needed, lower numbers are more traditional, and are usually wanted by players, seen as more respectable. But in American football, with the number of players on a roster sometimes exceeding 100, there is a need for many more numbers to be used.

Most leagues have a system in place that requires or otherwise encourages players in certain positions to be issued numbers within a certain range.

NFL

A system of assignment of jersey numbers was initiated in American football's NFL in 1952; [ [http://www.packers.com/history/record_book/results_and_rosters/all_time_jersey_numbers/ Packers.com » History » Record Book » Results And Rosters » All Time Jersey Numbers ] ] it was updated and made more rigid in 1973. [http://football.about.com/cs/football101/a/bl_numbersystem.htm Football 101 - Uniform Numbering System ] ] Numbers are always worn on the front and back of a player's jersey, and so-called "TV numbers" are worn on the sleeve or shoulder. The Cincinnati Bengals were the last NFL team to wear jerseys without "TV numbers" on a regular basis in 1980, though since then several NFL teams have worn throwback uniforms that predated "TV numbers" without them, since as of 2008 "TV numbers" are not mandated under current NFL rules. (The same can't be said for players last names on the back of jerseys, which are required to be on all uniforms, even throwbacks that predated the last name rule.) Most recently, the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers wore throwbacks without "TV numbers".

Many uniforms also feature numbers either on the front, back, or sides of the helmet (in pro football, these were most famously worn on the San Diego Chargers "powder-blue" uniforms). Below is the numbering system established by the NFL, and in place since 1973:

*Numbers 1 to 19 are worn by quarterbacks, kickers, and punters.:* Since 2004, [ [http://football.about.com/od/nationalfootballleague/a/04rulechanges.htm NFL Rules Changes for the 2004 NFL Season ] ] Wide receivers are also allowed to wear numbers between 10 and 19 if they so choose, even if there's an 80-89 number available.
*Numbers 20 to 49 are worn by running backs, tight ends (when an 80-89 number is unavailable), cornerbacks and safeties.
*Numbers 50 to 59 are worn by linebackers and offensive linemen.
*Numbers 60 to 79 are worn by members of both the offensive line (the tackles, guards and centers) and defensive line (the defensive ends, defensive tackles or nose guard).
*Numbers 80 to 89 are worn by wide receivers and tight ends.
*Numbers 90 to 99 are worn by linebackers and defensive linemen. In effect since 1984.
*Numbers 0 and 00 are no longer used, though they were issued in the NFL before the number standardization in 1973. George Plimpton famously wore 0 during a brief preseason stint at quarterback for the Detroit Lions. Jim Otto wore number "00" ("aught-oh") during most of his career with the Oakland Raiders. Wide receiver Ken Burrough of the Houston Oilers also wore "00" during his NFL career in the 1970s.

When the more-rigid system went into effect in 1973, players who played in the league before the rules went into effect were given a grandfather clause to continue wearing such numbers. (i.e. many wide receivers wore jersey numbers in the teens and 20's before the rule changes required receivers to wear numbers in the 80's) New England Patriots defensive end Julius Adams was the last player to be covered by the clause, wearing number 85 through the 1985 season, but had to wear number 69 when he briefly came out of retirement in 1987 during the 1987 strike. This was in stark contrast to when the league required lineman to wear jersey numbers in the 50-79 range in 1952 (for "ineligible receiver" purposes), since Cleveland Browns quarterback Otto Graham wore number 60 prior to this change. Graham switched to number 14, and has that number retired by the Browns while his more familiar number 60 remains in circulation today, currently worn by defensive end Melila Purcell.

It should be noted that this NFL numbering system is based on a player's "primary" position. Also, if a player changes primary positions during his career, he does not usually have to change his number unless he changes from an eligible receiver to ineligible or vice versa (Jason Peters is a notable example, having moved between tight end, where he wore number 86, to offensive tackle, where he currently wears 71). Any player wearing any number may play at any position on the field at any time (though players wearing numbers 50-79 must let the referee know that they are playing out of position by reporting as an "ineligible number in an eligible position"). It is not uncommon for running backs to line up at wide receiver on certain plays, or to have a large lineman play at fullback or tight end in short yardage situations, or to have wide receivers fill in as extra defensive backs. Also, in preseason games, when teams have expanded rosters, players may wear numbers that are outside of the above rules. When the final 53-player roster is established, they are reissued numbers within the above guidelines.

This numbering system originated in football's past when all teams were using some variation of the single wing formation on offense. When teams switched to the T-formation in the 30s and 40s, the numbers were taken with them to whatever position evolved from the old single wing position. This numbering system originated in college football and was used only informally in the NFL until 1952; under the original somewhat informal system, the backs were numbered 1-4, and the line 5-8. Tailbacks, left halfbacks or flankers (1-back) were given 10's, Blocking backs or quarterbacks (2 backs) were given numbers in the 20s, fullbacks or 3-backs) were given numbers in the 30s, and right halfbacks, what would become simple the halfback or running back (4-backs) in the 40's, centers in the 50's, guards in the 60's, tackles in the 70's, and ends in the 80's. In earlier times, defensive players would wear a number that reflected their offensive position as many players played both offense and defense. For example, quarterbacks and halfback would usually play in the defensive back field and so had numbers in the 10s, 20s and 40s. Fullbacks were linebackers and had numbers in the 30s; Centers and guards were linebackers as well and has numbers in the 50s and 60s respectively. Guards and tackles played the defensive guard and tackle positions and had numbers in the 60s and 70s respectively. Ends had numbers in the 80s. Split ends (e.g. Emlen Tunnell) would be cornerbacks and tight ends (e.g. Fred Dryer, Buck Buchanan} would be defensive ends but all would have numbers in the 80s. The original numbering system was based on the single wing offense and went as follows: Tailback or left halfback (e.g. Frank Gifford) had a number in the 10s. The blocking back, which evolved into the quarterback in the T formation, had a number in the 20s (e.g. Bobby Layne and John Hadl, and Doug Flutie during his college career). The fullback had a number in the 30s and the right halfback had a number in the 40s. One the line the center was in the 50s, the gurards were in the 60s, the tackles were in the 70s and the ends were in the 80s. The CFL had a very different number system with the ends in the 70s, making wide receivers up until recent times having 70s numbers. The AAFC had a different numbering system with quarterback in the 60s (Otto Graham), fullbacks in the 70s (Marion Motley), halfbacks in the 80s, ends in the 50s (Mac Speedie), tackles in the 40s (Lou Groza), guards in the 30s and centers in the 20s. When the AAFC merged with the NFL in 1950, the AAFC players kept their old uniform numbers which caused confusion and resulted in the NFL going to a standard numbering system in 1952. This resulted in many star players having to change their numbers in mid-career. Examples are Otto Graham going from 60 to 14, Norm Van Brocklin going from 25 to 11 and Tom Fears going from 55 to 80. Fact|date=May 2007

Players have often asked (or, in some cases, challenged) the NFL for an exception to the numbering system rule. In 2006, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush requested to keep the number 5 he wore in college. His request was declined, and he was assigned number 25 by the team. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2455586 ESPN - NFL won't change numbering system for Bush - NFL ] ] Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth wore number #44 in college for the University of Oklahoma and wore that number during the 1987 preseason with the Seahawks. He took the NFL to court for the right to wear #44, but lost and had to switch to #55.

Exceptions

Many, many orthadox exceptions have been made, however. The most notable case being former wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who was allowed to wear number 19 despite the fact that 80's numbers were available. This, combined with the fact that more NFL teams were retiring 80's numbers, eventually led to the league to allow wide receivers to wear numbers 10-19 in addition to 80's numbers in 2004.

Former New York Giants linebacker Brad Van Pelt was allowed to wear number 10 with the team despite not being covered in the grandfather clause, as the team did draft him in 1973, the year the newer jersey number system went into effect. Van Pelt, who ended his career with the Los Angeles Raiders and Cleveland Browns, would wear 91 at the end of his career, however. Eli Manning currently wears number 10 with the Giants.

Another former wide receiver, Dwight Stone, was allowed to wear number 20 when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he spent the majority of his career. Stone did wear 80's numbers after he left the Steelers, however. Number 20, which was more famously worn by Rocky Bleier, is currently worn by cornerback Bryant McFadden. Another former Steeler, tight end Matt Cushing, wore number 48, but got around it as he was listed as a "tight end/fullback", since he was also the team's backup fullback.

Two current players, both of which are All-Pro, currently wear numbers outside their primary position. Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark wears number 44 despite the team having had an 80's number available at times in his career and unlike the aforementioned Cushing does not play any other position. In addition, Chicago Bears wide receiver/return specialist Devin Hester wears number 23, which represented the position the team originally drafted him for, cornerback. Hester was allowed to keep 23 after the team converted him to wide receiver after his success as a kick returner & punt returner in his rookie season.

NCAA and High School

In college football, a less rigid numbering system is employed. The only rule is that members of the offensive line (centers, guards, and tackles) that play in "ineligible" positions must wear numbers between 50-79. Informally, certain conventions still hold, and players usually wear numbers in the ranges similar to their NFL counterparts. The lowest numbers are often considered the most prestigious, and they are frequently worn not just by specialists and quarterbacks but also by running backs, defensive backs and linebackers. Kickers and punters are frequently numbered in the 40's or 90's, which are the least in-demand numbers on a college roster. The increased flexibility in numbering of NCAA rosters is needed since NCAA rules allow larger rosters than the NFL; thus teams would frequently exhaust the available numbers for a position under the NFL rules. It is not uncommon for NCAA teams to have duplicate numbers, with an offensive player having the same number as a defensive one--this is allowed as long as both players are not on the field at the same time. Usually, one of the players will be a reserve who rarely plays, but this is not always the case: for example, the 2005 Texas Longhorns team had two key players who both wore #4: wide receiver Limas Sweed and linebacker Drew Kelson, the 2007 USC Trojans team had two key players who both wore #10: quarterback John David Booty and linebacker Brian Cushing, and the 2008 Missouri Tigers both had key players wearing #1: safety William Moore and running back Jimmy Jackson. The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide had 4 numbers shared by two players each [cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2008/09/whats_the_deal_with_duplicate.html |title=What's the deal with duplicate numbers? |publisher=Birmingham News |accessmonthday=September 27 |accessyear=2008] .

Individual schools often have superstitions or traditions involving certain numbers. It may be a great honor to be given the number "1" uniform, for example, like at the University of Michigan. The top performing walk-on at Texas A&M University will often be issued number "12", in reference to their 12th Man tradition. Syracuse University historically reserved number "44" for its best running backs, including Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and Floyd Little, [ [http://www.syr.edu/aboutsu/memorabilia/44.html Syracuse University ] ] finally retiring the number permanently in 2005. Another very prestigious number to wear is "12" at the University of Alabama. It is usually reserved for top quarterbacks (although, Bryant is an exception). It has been worn by Paul "Bear" Bryant, Kenny Stabler, Joe Namath, and Brodie Croyle. [cite web|url=http://www.suathletics.com/Sports/Football/2006/fb44bios.asp |title=The Legend of #44 |publisher=Syracuse University Athletics |accessmonthday=February 19 |accessyear=2007]

On high school and other lower youth teams, jerseys with different number ranges are different sizes, and since many of these teams don't reorder jerseys every year, players are often assigned numbers based more on jerseys that fit them rather than specific position (though the rules on numbering the offensive line still apply).Fact|date=May 2007 Most high school players play both defense and offense, and numbers are typically assigned according to the player's offensive position, which means that the numbers worn on defense bear little connection to the numbering conventions used in the NFL or even in college.

Retired numbers

Most NFL teams have retired some numbers in honor of the team's best players. Generally when a number is retired, it can no longer be worn by anyone else in the future of the team. However, exceptions have been made in the past those who have had their numbers retired allow another player that a particular team may acquire to wear that number if it is considered one of the all-time greats. It should be noted, however, that very rarely does the new player take up on the offer. When the Kansas City Chiefs acquired Joe Montana in 1993, Hall of Famer Len Dawson gave Montana permission to wear his old #16, Montana's number in San Francisco, but Montana declined it and wore 19 instead, which was the sum of his numbers at Notre Dame (3) and the 49ers (16).

One exception offer that did get taken was made in 2004, when Steve Largent, whose #80 was retired by the Seattle Seahawks, allowed Jerry Rice to wear #80 when he played briefly for the team. Rice, a star who mostly played with the 49ers and Raiders, had also worn #80 throughout his career. Rice later returned the favor when the 49ers signed longtime St. Louis Rams wide receiver Issac Bruce and offered Bruce the number, since Bruce had worn 80 during his 14-year stay with the Rams. (Though not officially retired, the 49ers have not issued #80 since Rice left the team in 2001.) However, both Bruce and the 49ers agreed on not wearing 80 as a 49er, and will be wearing number 88 for the 2008 NFL season.

Another exception made was for the 49ers to let recently-retired quarterback Trent Dilfer wear number 12, which was retired in honor of John Brodie. Dilfer, a close personal friend of Brodie, wore the number in tribute to him as well as to garner attention for Brodie to be eventually elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dilfer had otherwise worn number 8 (retired for Steve Young) and 4 (used by current punter Andy Lee, who was already in San Francisco when Dilfer arrived) for most of his career, with the only other time he wore number 12 being during his six-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in his career.

The Chicago Bears have retired the most numbers (13), followed by the New York Giants (11). Some newer teams have yet to retire any.

The New Orleans Saints have retired the numbers 31 and 81 in honor of Jim Taylor and Doug Atkins, who played on the first Saints franchise in 1967. Strangely enough, neither Taylor nor Atkins has had their uniform numbers retired by the teams for which they played the vast majority of their careers before coming to the expansion Saints, Taylor with the Green Bay Packers and Atkins with the Bears. (Current All-Pro cornerback Al Harris, in fact, currently wears number 31 for the Packers.) Taylor played only one year with the Saints before retiring, while Atkins last three seasons in the Big Easy.

The numbers 7, 12, 40, and 70 have each been retired by five teams, more than any other numbers.

One of the most notable retired numbers is number 12 for the Seattle Seahawks, who retired the number in 1984 in honor of the "12th man", or the Seahawks fans, as opposed to a particular player. Since then, the team sells number 12 jerseys with the word "Fan" where the last name would be.

The Indianapolis Colts have chosen to leave all jerseys numbers retired when the club was in Baltimore out of circulation, a point which irritated former Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas, who died in 2002. Incensed at the way former owner Robert Irsay moved the Colts out of town late at night on March 29, 1984, Unitas severed all ties to the Colts franchise and insisted he only be listed as a member of the "Baltimore Colts". Unitas was soon joined by teammates Lenny Moore, Art Donovan, Raymond Berry, and Gino Marchetti, all of whom also had their numbers retired by the club in Baltimore. The Colts have not retired a jersey number for any player who primairly played for the club in Indianapolis, nor has the club retired any further numbers of former Baltimore Colts. Numbers 18 and 88 will likely be taken out of circulation once Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison retire, and numbers 63, 87 and 93 are also good possibilities for retirement.

Non-retirement policies

While the NFL does allow teams to retire jersey numbers, the league officially "discourages" retiring numbers, for fear of teams running out of numbers. As a result, a few NFL teams do not retire jersey numbers.

Oakland

The Oakland Raiders, without question, have shown the most disregard for jersey numbers. Only Hall of Fame center Jim Otto's number, 00, has not been reissued by the Raiders, and this is only because the NFL banned the numbers 0 and 00 in 1973. As a result, the numbers of many great players have been recycled, often to players with much lower prestige:

* Hall of Famer Willie Brown & former Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson both wore number 24 with the Raiders. (Woodson currently wears number 21 with his current team, the Green Bay Packers.) Michael Huff currently wears number 24.
* Ken Stabler and Rich Gannon both wore number 12 with the Raiders. Last worn by Josh McCown in 2007.
* George Blanda and Jim Plunkett both wore number 16 with the Raiders. Currently worn by Andrew Walter.

Dallas

Like Oakland, Dallas's official policy is to not retire uniform numbers, although there are a few numbers that have been unofficially retired and have not been used since the retirement of prominent players that have worn them. Perhaps most notably, Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin both wore number 88 with the Cowboys. It was most recently worn by Antonio Bryant in 2003, but hasn't been used since the NFL relaxed numbering requirements for wide receivers in 2004. Emmitt Smith and former Olympic athlete Bob Hayes wore number 22 with the Cowboys, but the number hasn't been reissued since Smith left for Arizona in 2003.

Instead of retiring numbers, the Cowboys induct prominent players into a Ring of Honor, which rings Texas Stadium and will be carried over to their new stadium in 2009. Since their induction into the Ring of Honor, numbers 8, 12, 20, 22, 43, 54, 55, 70, 72, 74 and 88 have not been reissued, or rarely used.

Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers also don't officially retire uniform numbers (the exception being Ernie Stautner, who played before the dynasty years of the 1970's). However, numbers 12, 32, 36, 52, 58, 63, and 75 have not been issued since those respective players retired, while numbers 1, 31, 47, and 59 have had minimal usage since. Number 35 was worn by two Hall of Famers (Bill Dudley and John Henry Johnson) and was most recently worn by former starting fullback Dan Kreider in 2007.

John Stallworth's number 82 has been reissued several times as have Lynn Swann's number 88; this is mainly because of the limited number of numbers available for wide receivers and tight ends (until recently, those positions could only wear numbers in the 80s). However, since the NFL relaxed the rule and started allowing receivers to wear jersey numbers 10-19 in addition to 80's numbers, number 82 hasn't been reissued at all since Antwaan Randle El left the team in free agency following the team's win in Super Bowl XL. The same hasn't been said for Swann, as backup tight end Jon Dekker currently wears number 88. Hines Ward's number 86 will likely follow suit once his football career is over due to his popularity with Steeler fans as well as since surpassing Stallworth as the team's all-time leading receiver.

Washington

The Washington Redskins do not retire jerseys either, with the only jersey number being officially retired is Sammy Baugh's number 33. However, numbers 7, 9, 21, 28, 42, 43, 44, 49, 51, 65, 70, and 81 are considered unofficially retired. It remains to be seen whether or not the Redskins will make an exception to this policy to honor safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed inside his south Florida home on November 26, 2007.

Though there was no protest from Redskins fans or Baugh himself, Baugh's number 33 was used by an elderly woman named "McGregor" for a Madden NFL 08 commercial. [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=gRC2MeW036w YouTube - EA SPORTS - Wii Family Play TV Ad - Get in the Game ] ] The commercial advertised for the Wii-exclusive "Family Play" feature.

Buffalo

For many years, the Buffalo Bills never officially retired uniform numbers. This changed when Jim Kelly's number 12 was officially retired by the Bills in the early 2000s (although Joe Ferguson also prominently wore the number, and the team also honors the 12th man). Numbers 32, 34 and 78 have not had their numbers issued since those players' retirements, and like Dallas, Buffalo has a "Wall of Fame" honoring great players in their team's history.

One number that was unofficially retired for most of the team's history was 31, which was reserved as a generic number for promotions and to represent the "spirit of the franchise." This policy was reversed in 1990 when the number was awarded to James "J.D." Williams; it has since been re-released to all players and was most recently worn by backup running back Dwayne Wright.

Notre Dame

College football's Notre Dame Fighting Irish is one of the few college programs that does not retire jersey numbers. In fact, upon being issued a number, each player is given a card which lists some of the more famous players who have worn that particular number. Number 3 is perhaps the most famous number in Irish football history, having been worn by Ralph Guglielmi, George Izo, Daryle Lamonica, Coley O'Brien, Joe Montana, Rick Mirer and Ron Powlus, among others.cite web| url=http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/FBRecSuppAll-TimeRoster |title=ND Archives: All-Time Roster |publisher=und.cstv.com |accessdate=2008-05-06] Number 5 is also notable, as it is the only number to be worn by one of the four Horseman (Elmer Layden) a Heisman Trophy Winner (Paul Hornung) and a National Title winning Quarterback (Terry Hanratty). Number 7 has been worn by such Irish greats as 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte, 1970 Heisman runner-up Joe Theismann, Steve Beuerlein and Jarious Jackson. It is currently worn by starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

References