Sports jerseys · by the year
1970s

1970s Throwback Jerseys

Every season of the 1970s, 1970 to 1979. Pick a year and see what turned up on eBay: championship throwbacks, rookie replicas, deep cuts you forgot existed. Shopping for someone born in the 1970s? Their birth year pins the gift to one season, and that season's champions are right on its page. How to pick the right one.

What did 1970s jerseys look like?

Polyester double-knit changed everything. The Pirates wore the first ones in 1970 and the rest of baseball followed within a few seasons, which meant pullovers, beltless waistbands, and colors that flannel could never hold. If a baseball jersey has no buttons, it is almost certainly from this decade or the early 1980s.

The palette went loud and stayed loud: Astros rainbow, A's green and gold, Padres brown, Indians red on red. Both rival leagues ended here too, with the ABA merging into the NBA in 1976 and four WHA clubs joining the NHL in 1979, so jerseys from those leagues stop dead at a known year. If you learn one dating shortcut for baseball, learn this one: buttons and a belt mean pre-1970 or post-1985, and a pullover with an elasticated waist puts the shirt squarely in between.

Who made 1970s jerseys?

The maker on the tag is the first thing to check against a claimed year. It rules a fake out, never in, because a counterfeit copies the tag too.

NBA
  • 1970–1979 team-by-team makers like Sand-Knit, Rawlings and Wilson; no league-wide supplier
NFL
  • 1970–1979 team-by-team makers: Wilson, Champion, Apex One, Starter, Logo Athletic, Puma, Adidas or Nike
MLB
  • 1970–1979 team-by-team makers: Rawlings, Wilson, Sand-Knit and others
NHL
  • 1970–1979 CCM and other team outfitters

Dating one league in detail: NBA · NFL · MLB · NHL · Soccer

Who won each year?

Other decades