Credits
The majority of this site is adapted from two major sources:
1. Marc Okkonen’s book titled “Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century”, the content of which is featured at http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/database.htm
2. William F. Henderson’s incredible “MLB Game Worn Jerseys of the Double-Knit Era”, available at http://www.mlbstyleguides.com.
These sources have been supplemented by my own observations and internet research.
All logos are copyright San Diego Padres and Major League Baseball.
FAQ
Q: If those other guys have already compiled this information, why are you doing it again?
A: This site was started as a project to simply educate myself on the Padres jerseys of the past. I was about to buy a yellow and brown Padres jersey from Sports Authority, and it occurred to me, that despite being a Padres fan for years, I only had a vague awareness that there were yellow and brown jerseys in their history, but I didn’t really know what they looked like. Initial internet research turned up very little Padres uniform timelines, so I decided to create my own. In the course of my later research I did encounter the two amazing sources listed above. I decided to go forward with the project and website, mainly because that Henderson’s guide, while full of great photographs, lacks a consistent graphic format across all years to compare and contrast the designs. And Okkomen’s work, while staggering in it’s scope, does contain some errors, does not include alternate jerseys, and is generally too low resolution to make out details.
Q: Why is your name on the back of all of the jerseys? Do you think you play for the Padres or something?
A: As a matter of fact I have been a starter for the San Diego Padres every year since 1969. And I changed my number every season to match the calendar year, too. No, really I wanted to use one name across all years for a consistent graphic format, so I chose to use my name, which has the added benefit of making it more difficult for others to "borrow" my graphics and use them as their own. I also liked the idea of using the jersey number to represent the year for clarity, which would make using actual player names impossible.
Q: Why is the Pacific Coast League incomplete?
A: The PCL page is a work in progress. If you would like to contribute to the site, feel free to send any color photographs or information on the PCL Padres to me here.
Q: What about the pants? And the socks??
A: Because this site started as a retail reference, I've stuck with jerseys and hats. You rarely see people sporting their teams favorite pants at a game. But if you want to know what they looked like, they're generally the same color as the jersey, with leg piping that is the same as the sleeve piping. As for socks, for many years we never saw the team's socks due to pant length. And now it seems like anybody can wear whatever socks they want, so they're not really "uniform". But if you want to know what they looked like, they're generally the same color as the hat.
Q: The Padres wore throwbacks for that game last season. Why aren't they shown?
A: If the throwbacks were done correctly, they should look just like the year they represent- so you can simply refer to that year. (But for the record, throwbacks are rarely done 100% correctly.)
BONUS PAGES: NOTRE DAME UNIFORM HISTORY | FIGHTING IRISH UNI-TRACKER | ND UNI CONCEPTS