Brown solidly returns to Padres uniforms Saturday… but has been in the blend for years
The Padres “Brown is Back” movement comes to a climax Saturday night during the official unveiling of the ballclub’s new uniforms at Petco Park.
And while brown hasn’t been an official part of the Padres uniform colors since 1990, the franchise’s historic identifying color began creeping back into the ballclub’s uniforms in 2000 when it was part of the Army jungle camouflage uniforms used on special events during the home season.
Brown was also part of the Army’s “woodland” camouflage uniform that the Padres wore for Sunday home games starting in 2007. And there was even more brown in the digitally-produced “salute to the military” Marine MARPAT camouflage uniforms that debut as the Padres Sunday attire beginning in 2011.
But the first major gain for the “Bring Back the Brown” movement came in 2016 when the Padres re-introduced all-brown “throwback” tops to be worn for Friday night home games.
The solid brown tops with “Padres” in yellow/gold across the front and with yellow-gold piping around the collar and sleeves is much the same style the Padres wore on the road from 1980–1984 — although those regular uniforms were pull-overs while the Friday home alternates had buttons.
The brown home alternates have also featured the brown cap with the yellow/gold triangle on the front featuring the inter-locked Padres in brown. The 2016 season also featured the introduction of the Navy blue camouflage fatigues for Sunday home games.
With the Padres hosting the All-Star Game for the third time in 2016, the Padres introduced a special uniform worn for most home games. The white jersey top had brown-and-gold piping on both sleeves and the numbers with the blue numbers bordered in gold. There was also an All-Star Game patch on the right sleeve.
The 2016 change was really the first the Padres had made to the home whites since 2001 with two exceptions. The blue piping along the buttons was eliminated following the 2003 season. And in 2014, the Padres wore a “19” patch above their hearts following the passing of Hall of Fame Padres legend Tony Gwynn.
While the home uniforms changed little in 15 seasons, the amount of times they were used was markedly reduced with the evolution of the alternate uniforms and the introduction of the military camouflage uniforms worn for Sunday home games.
From the start of the 2017 season through the end of 2019, the Padres base home whites were altered again with blue trim and blue “Padres” on the front in block capital letters replacing the script Padres. The blue caps carried a white, inter-locked “SD.”
And now . . .
