Kelly Green: The Philadelphia Eagles True Colors

The National Football League made an announcement earlier in the week that approved the acceptance of alternate helmets for teams as early as the 2022 season.

This should come as great news to us fellow Philadelphia Eagle fans.

Issa VIBE. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/niWuKpxIcZ

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) June 26, 2021

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Ever since Philadelphia’s inception of the Eagles, (following the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets), the team has always had a shade light green as their primary color way.

Kelly Green was garnered as one of Philly’s finest threads in the entire town from 1933 to 1995.

During the teams 64th season in the league, things changed. The 1996 season was the first year the Eagles debuted the midnight green, white, and black look, with new helmet designs and the logo and end zone font as well. The Eagles exchanged their Kelly Green attire for the current Midnight Green color way.

Although the green and white uniforms may not be as beloved as the original, the re-brand represents the most successful era in Philadelphia Eagles history, with the team posting up a .555 record (224-174-2) behind 13 playoff pushes, six NFC Championship appearances, and two Super Bowl berths paired with a victory in 2017.

The uniform change came two seasons after chairman and executive chief officer Jeffery Lurie purchased the franchise on May 6th, 1994.

Photo: *Paul Savage*/The Times of Trenton

Back in 2010 when the NFL’s rules were less strict, Philadelphia celebrated the 50 year anniversary of their third NFL Championship in 1960 against the Green Bay Packers. Ironically enough, the Birds played host to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the opening game of the season, and the Eagles threw the threads back to their Kelly Green roots.

Other than the significance behind the championship anniversary, this game was also monumental to many Eagles fans as they remember this being their first glimpse of quarterback Michael Vick in extended action as he came in to relieve Kevin Kolb from a concussion injury.

Vick would remain the starter for the remainder of the season and posted up his most prolific season as a passer, tossing 21 touchdowns, qualifying for his career high.

Lurie has heard the rumblings and rumors and expressed his desire to return Kelly Green to Philadelphia.

Back in February of 2019, Lurie lured the public into believing Philly had a plan on restoring their classic Kelly Green color as an alternate.

“We’re working on that hard, it’s a priority. I don’t know if it’ll get done for the 2019 season, but I have some hopes for the 2020 season.”

Lurie also alluded to the fact that he did not want the Eagles to wear their Kelly Green tops with their Midnight Green helmets, since the league was not allowing more than one helmet combination at the time.”

“They know with the Eagles; It’s important to us to have ‘Kelly Green’ jerseys at times. To make it look right, you need a matching helmet. Some teams really want it to happen, but there are some complications to it. They have to work it out.”

Philly finds itself in another predicament even after the aforementioned helmet rule was changed. According to Rob Tornoe of The Inquirer, Philadelphia will have to wait until the 2023 season to break the alternates back out.

An Eagles spokesperson said the team was;

“Excited about the possibilities and is beginning to look into its options, as the policy was just released. Any new developments will be announced at the appropriate time.”

But sources with the team said the NFL deadline for uniform selection for the 2022 season has already passed, and the Eagles submitted their black alternate jersey. Any new helmet the team could wear would have to work with those uniforms. (Eagles Wire.USA TODAY)

Barring a change from the league, fans won’t get to see the Birds in Kelly Green until 2023 at the earliest…

At least we can come up with a few cool concepts and edits until the time is right?

Check out this #Eagles Kelly Green Jersey Concept by @SansfordAndSuns…

What do you guys think? pic.twitter.com/XClstf2kXD

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) April 29, 2020