Bucs unveil 1976 throwback white creamsicle jersey for 2025 season
TAMPA - Bucs fans lined up at the team store outside Raymond James Stadium early Tuesday morning.
They are excited for the 2025 season. It's the 50th season in the history of the organization. However, it wasn't just excitement for the 17 games in the fall that brought the fans to the stadium.
What they're saying:
"It's cool," former Buccaneers' fullback Mike Alstott said. "It's legendary stuff. History. I am big into history and football and bringing back something when you've got a 50th season, it is special bringing it back legendary stuff where it started from."
The Bucs are honoring their past. The team announced it is bringing back the white creamsicle jerseys they wore back in their first season ever from 1976.
"Looks sharp," Buccaneers chief marketing officer James Ruth said. "Sometimes going vintage and keeping it true to the original is the way to go and that is absolutely what we see with this version of the jersey."
The team store was filled with them on Tuesday morning.
"It's one more bite at the apple," Ruth said. "We can't get enough creamsicle."
The backstory:
While the team has worn white jerseys with the creamsicle look in the past, they were never exactly like this.
These throwbacks have the orange numbers and letters that the original jerseys sported in the team's inaugural season back in 1976. The numbers and letters were red in previous iterations.
There are only two differences from the jerseys now and the ones worn 50 years ago - this year's uniform has a 50th anniversary patch and the phrase "Hey, Hey, Tampa Bay" stitched inside the jersey.
The team will bring this look back for this season only.
"It's a fun deep cut for those OG fans that really appreciate the details of what we are doing," Ruth said.
Fans showed up for the small details.
"I knew I had to get one," Bucs fan John Matthew Roberts said. "I have a couple of the orange creamsicles but I needed a white one. I love the Bucs. I always get the emails. I knew they were doing this early sale on the white creamsicle so I had to check it out and get a few jerseys."
Richard "Batman" Wood, who wore this jersey in 1976, is pumped to see the uniform in the rotation again.
"It's good to see the throwback," Wood said. "It is good every year to come back and see our original orange, red and white - the original colors of our football team. It brings back a lot of memories. I played with a lot of great men. Here we are, new season coming up."
The team made sure to go all out for its 50th season.
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"It was a huge decision by ownership to leverage this opportunity to pay homage to what this organization has done over the last 50 years," Ruth said. "Obviously, it is a direct nod to '76 but its an opportunity to celebrate everything this organization has achieved."
That's because you can't get to 2025 without starting back in 1976.
"We want to make this feel special," Ruth said. "It's a unique opportunity. It is very rare the NFL allows you to do one-year jerseys, so to be able to do this feels like a great opportunity to spike the ball on this moment and create something that feels really special."
What's next:
The Bucs will wear the throwbacks multiple times during the season. The first time will be for the home opener against the New York Jets on September 21.
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The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Mark Skol, Jr.