Jacksonville Jaguars throwback jerseys unveiled: Here's when they'll wear them

A quarter-century later, Jacksonville Jaguars fans would like to party like it's 1999. After all, the 14-2 regular season record that season remains the best in franchise history, as does the 62-7 rout of Miami represent the most lopsided playoff victory in franchise history.

Whether or not the 2024 team approaches those milestones, Jags fans can at least dress the part for the franchise's 30th season.

The Jaguars revealed their "Prowling Jaguar" throwback uniforms on Thursday when they opened the doors to the Pro Shop at the Miller Electric Center to fans at 9:04 a.m. to sell the jersey that was worn by the team from its inception in 1995 to 2002 — which includes the team's best stretch when they went 45-19 from 1996-1999 under coach Tom Coughlin .

Tony Boselli, the team's Hall of Fame offensive tackle from that era, and current safety Andre Cisco were there to help with the unveiling.

The dominant feature of that uniform was the "prowling Jaguar," or a full body shot of the mascot as if in the act of pouncing.

The team will wear the jerseys for the first time for their home game against Indianapolis on Oct. 6, which also will be the same day Coughlin will be inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars.

Fans began lining up outside the Pro Shop 12 hours before, at 9 p.m. The first fan in line was Steven Holden.

Minutes before the doors opened there were an estimated 100 people in line.

The Jaguars teased fans for months

The reveal came after months of teasing by the Jaguars' social media department that began in April with a hint that throwbacks would be coming.

The team then released a 44-second video on July 16 that showed a slow pan of the camera on parts of the uniform, backed up by radio calls from former play-by-play announcer Brian Sexton of plays during the 1999 season.

The last call he made remains arguably the signature play in team history: Fred Taylor's 90-yard run against the Dolphins in the playoff game.

The video unveiling the uniforms posted on the Jaguars' social media sites lasted 2:41 and featured former Jaguar Leon Searcy and current players Tyson Campbell and Cisco. In the video, Campbell and Cisco come into a room loaded with Jaguars memorabilia and photos and are looking for vintage uniforms from Searcy.

Searcy pulls out dusty box labeled "1999" and the next shot is Campbell and Cisco wearing the uniforms to the beat of the rap song that was the Jaguars' theme during that season, "Uh-Oh."

Some of the early choices of throwback jerseys available to fans at the Pro Shop were past players Boselli, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, and current players Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.

What took so long for a Jaguars throwback?

Throwback jerseys were common in the NFL during the first decade of the 21st century. But the Jaguars were only 15 years old by the end of that period and any uniform design was still a recent memory.

The NFL then put a hold on throwbacks in 2013 when it adopted the “one-shell rule” intended to improve player safety. The rule required teams to have only one helmet color so players could practice and play in the same helmet. Teams not using stickers on their helmets couldn’t use throwback jerseys because they wouldn’t match the helmet.

When the league got rid of the rule after the 2021 season, teams could use alternate helmets, which led to throwbacks. New England and Pittsburgh wore throwback jerseys in 2022 and Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Seattle and Tennessee followed suit last year.

What Jaguars uniforms haven't worked so well?

The Jaguars have numerous uniform combinations from which to choose and just in the past two seasons under coach Doug Pederson, have gone all-white, all-black, all-teal and mixes of all three colors.

The team's primary home jersey color remains teal, one legacy of Urban Meyer's brief tenure in 2021. It was black from 2012-2000.

Other fashion statements have not been so well-received, such as the two-tone helmets and gold jerseys that tended to look like a mustard color, especially in night games.

In an article ranking NFL uniforms, The Sporting News had this to say about the Jags uniforms in 2015, including the distaste for the two-tone helmets.

"This is the worst set of uniforms in the AFC, and it really isn't close," the article said. "There's nothing positive to say about this uniform. From the two-tone helmet to the fonts to the stripes - the whole set is a mess. The one saving grace is the "teal" jersey (still listed as an alternate), which the team didn't even wear last year. Back to the drawing board for Jacksonville."

ESPN was no less kind that year when it ranked the Jaguars' uniforms last among all major sports franchises in the U.S.: "This is the worst helmet in NFL history, and everything else in this uniform set is subordinate to that. Woof!"

Of course there's always the obvious: fans won't care how their team is dressed as long as it's in the Super Bowl.

History of Jaguars uniform styles

1995-2008: Black helmets with the teal-tongued Jaguar head on the sides. Teal jerseys with white numbers trimmed in gold and black and the "prowling Jaguar" on the sleeves, which were trimmed with gold and black. The pants were white, teal down the side, trimmed in gold and black.

The white jerseys had teal numbers outlined in gold and black. Variations included black alternate jerseys in 2002 and black numbers on the white jerseys with black pants. The team also went from white to black shoes in 2001 with the blessing of former coach Tom Coughlin.

2009-2012: The prowling Jaguar was ditched and the team went to a look described by Times-Union reporter Matt Soergel as a "cleaner, more minimalist look." Jerseys were teal, white and occasionally black, with what Reebok called "thick piping" on the jersey — two swooping lines that went from front to back under the arms, without meeting. That piping also appeared on the pants.

2013-2017: The Jaguars went back to Nike but underwent heavy criticism for the two-tone helmets and occasional gold jerseys and pants. Black became the regular home-uniform color, most often paired with black pants. The sleeves were teal on the black jerseys with black sleeves on white and alternate teal jerseys. A military-inspired shield, with the Jaguar logo, was placed above the heart.

2021 to present: Urban Meyer returned teal as the dominant home color jersey. Since then the Jaguars have used variations of teal, black and white (going with jerseys and pants of the same color, or mixing them) but always in the same style.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars throwback jerseys unveiled: Here's when they'll wear them