Uniform number (American football)
Encyclopedia
The uniform numbers in American football
are unusual compared to those in any other sport. They are displayed in more locations on the uniform than in those of other sports (on both the front and back of the jersey, on both shoulders, and often on the helmet), and on the front of the jersey, they are displayed very large, taking up almost the entire front of the jersey. Just as importantly, certain numbers may only be worn by players playing particular positions; thus the jersey numbers assist the officials in determining possible illegal actions
by players.
Unlike most other sports, in which teams have smaller rosters, American football players routinely have uniform numbers that cover the full range of numbers from 1 to 99. In other sports, where not as many numbers are needed, lower numbers are more traditional and are usually desired by players. But in American football, with the number of players on a roster sometimes exceeding 100, there is a need for many more numbers.
Most football leagues have a system in place that requires or otherwise encourages players in certain positions to be issued numbers within a certain range.
's NFL
in 1952; it was updated and made more rigid in 1973. Numbers are always worn on the front and back of a player's jersey, and so-called "TV numbers" are worn on the sleeve or shoulder. The Cincinnati Bengals
were the last NFL team to wear jerseys without "TV numbers" on a regular basis in 1980
, though since then several NFL teams have worn throwback uniforms from a time without "TV numbers", since as of 2008
they are not mandated by NFL rules. (The same can't be said for players' last names on the backs of jerseys, which are required to be on all uniforms, even throwbacks that predated the last name rule.) For instance, in the 2007 NFL season
, the Cleveland Browns
, Detroit Lions
, Philadelphia Eagles
, and Pittsburgh Steelers
wore throwbacks without "TV numbers".
Many uniforms also feature numbers either on the front, back, or sides of the helmet (in pro football, these were most famously worn on the San Diego Chargers
"powder-blue" uniforms).
Below is the numbering system established by the NFL and in place since 1973:
Numbers 0 and 00 are no longer used, though they were issued in the NFL before the number standardization in 1973. George Plimpton
famously wore 0 during a brief preseason stint at quarterback
for the Detroit Lions
. Jim Otto
wore number "00" ("aught-oh") during most of his career with the Oakland Raiders
. Wide receiver Ken Burrough
of the Houston Oilers also wore "00" during his NFL career in the 1970s.
When the more rigid system went into effect in 1973, players who played in the league before then were given a grandfather clause
to continue wearing newly prohibited numbers (i.e. many wide receiver
s wore jersey numbers in the teens and 20s before the rule changes required receivers to wear numbers in the 80s, and many defensive linemen and linebackers wore numbers in the 80s). New England Patriots
defensive end
Julius Adams
was the last player to be covered by the clause, wearing number 85 through the 1985 season
, but he had to wear number 69 when he briefly came out of retirement in 1987 during the 1987 strike. This was in stark contrast to when the league required linemen to wear jersey numbers in the 50-79 range in 1952 (for ineligible receiver
purposes), since Cleveland Browns
quarterback
Otto Graham
wore number 60 prior to this change. Graham switched to number 14, which was retired by the Browns while his more familiar number 60 remains in circulation today, most recently worn by center
Steve Vallos
in 2010.
It should be noted that this NFL numbering system is based on a player's primary position. Also, if a player changes primary positions during his career, he does not usually have to change his number unless he changes from an eligible receiver to ineligible or vice versa (Jason Peters
is a notable example, having moved between tight end, where he wore number 86, to offensive tackle, where he currently wears 71). Any player wearing any number may play at any position on the field at any time (though players wearing numbers 50-79 must let the referee know that they are playing out of position by reporting as an "ineligible number in an eligible position"). It is not uncommon for running backs to line up at wide receiver on certain plays, or to have a large lineman play at fullback or tight end in short yardage situations, or to have wide receivers fill in as extra defensive backs. Also, in preseason games, when teams have expanded rosters, players may wear numbers that are outside of the above rules. When the final 53-player roster is established, they are reissued numbers within the above guidelines.
The earliest numbering systems were significantly different from the modern variation. Until the 1920s, it was rare to see player numbers much higher than 25, and numbers had little correlation with positions (in 1929, the Orange Tornadoes
subverted the system even further, experimenting with using letters
instead of numbers.) The numbering system used today originated in football's past when all teams employed some variation of the single wing formation on offense. When teams switched to the T-formation in the 1930s and 1940s, the numbers were taken with them to whatever position evolved from the old single wing position. This numbering system originated in college football and was used only informally in the NFL until 1952; under the original somewhat informal system, the backs were numbered 1-4 and the line 5-8. Tailbacks, left halfbacks or flankers (1-back) were given 10s, Blocking backs or quarterbacks (2 backs) were given numbers in the 20s, fullbacks (or 3-backs) were given numbers in the 30s, and right halfbacks, what would become simply the halfback or running back (4-backs) in the 40s, centers in the 50s, guards in the 60s, tackles in the 70s, and ends in the 80s. Earlier, defensive players wore numbers that reflected their offensive position, as many players played both offense and defense. For example, quarterbacks and halfbacks usually played in the defensive back field and so had numbers in the 10s, 20s, and 40s. Fullbacks were linebackers and had numbers in the 30s; Centers and guards were linebackers as well and has numbers in the 50s and 60s respectively. Guards and tackles played the defensive guard and tackle positions and had numbers in the 60s and 70s respectively. Ends had numbers in the 80s. Split ends (e.g. Emlen Tunnell
) would be cornerbacks and tight ends (e.g. Fred Dryer
, Buck Buchanan
) would be defensive ends but all would have numbers in the 80s. The original numbering system was based on the single wing offense and went as follows. Tailback or left halfback (e.g. Frank Gifford
) had a number in the 10s. The blocking back, which evolved into the quarterback in the T formation
, had a number in the 20s (e.g. Bobby Layne
and John Hadl
, and Doug Flutie
during his college
career). The fullback had a number in the 30s and the right halfback had a number in the 40s. One the line the center was in the 50s, the guards were in the 60s, the tackles were in the 70s, and the ends were in the 80s.
The CFL
had a very different numbering system with the ends in the 70s, making wide receivers up until recent times having 70s numbers (CFL Receivers may still wear numbers in the 70s, but as most receivers are from the U.S., they will usually wear 80s if they choose to wear a higher number; CFL receivers may also wear numbers from 1-19). The AAFC
had a different numbering system with quarterback in the 60s (Otto Graham
), fullbacks in the 70s (Marion Motley
), halfbacks in the 80s, ends in the 50s (Mac Speedie
), tackles in the 40s (Lou Groza
), guards in the 30s and centers in the 20s. When the AAFC merged with the NFL in 1950, the AAFC players kept their old uniform numbers which caused confusion and resulted in the NFL going to a standard numbering system in 1952. This resulted in many star players having to change their numbers in mid-career. Examples are Otto Graham
going from 60 to 14, Norm Van Brocklin
going from 25 to 11, and Tom Fears
going from 55 to 80.
Players have often asked (or, in some cases, challenged) the NFL for an exception to the numbering system rule. In 2006, New Orleans Saints
running back Reggie Bush
requested to keep the number 5 he wore in college. His request was declined, and he was assigned number 25 by the team. Former Seattle Seahawks
linebacker Brian Bosworth
wore number #44 in college for the University of Oklahoma
and wore that number during the 1987 preseason with the Seahawks. He took the NFL to court for the right to wear #44, but he lost and had to switch to #55.
Former New York Giants
linebacker
Brad Van Pelt
was allowed to wear number 10 with the team despite not being covered in the grandfather clause, as the team drafted him in 1973, the year the newer jersey number system went into effect. This was because Van Pelt served as the team's backup kicker
his rookie season. Van Pelt did wear number 91 at the end of his career for the Los Angeles Raiders
and Cleveland Browns
.
Another Giants player, defensive linemen Phil Tabor
, also skirted the numbering requirements by wearing number 80 during his four-year stint (1979-82) with the club.
While with the New England Patriots
, current Kansas City Chiefs
linebacker Mike Vrabel
wore number 50 despite also playing tight end
in goal line offensive packages. As of December 2010, Vrabel still wears the same number.
Another former wide receiver, Dwight Stone
, was allowed to wear number 20 when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
, with whom he spent the majority of his career. Stone did wear 80s numbers after he left the Steelers. Another former Steeler, tight end Matt Cushing
, wore number 48, but he was listed as a "tight end/fullback", since he was also the team's backup fullback.
A number of current players wear numbers outside the range for their primary position. Chicago Bears
wide receiver/return specialist
Devin Hester
wears number 23, which represented the position the team originally drafted him for, cornerback
. Hester was allowed to keep 23 after the team converted him to wide receiver. Jacksonville Jaguars
linebacker Aaron Kampman
wears number 74, which represented the position for which he was drafted, defensive end
(or defensive tackle). Kampman moved to linebacker since his former team, the Green Bay Packers switched from 4-3
defense to a 3-4
defense under the new defensive coordinator
before the 2009 season (see Packers switch to from 4-3 to 3-4 defence). Former defensive end Chris Doleman
was permitted to keep his number 56 after being moved from linebacker to defensive end, while former linebacker Simon Fletcher made the opposite move, defensive end to linebacker, and was permitted to keep his number 73.
Former Cleveland Browns
wide receiver
Mike Furrey
, wearing number 87, and Tennessee Titans
wide receiver
Randy Moss
, wearing number 84, played Safety
and/or cornerback
in some defensive packages. Baltimore Ravens
tight end Edgar Jones wears number 84, but sometimes plays defensive end or outside linebacker, his original position when he signed with Baltimore in 2007.
Backs 1-49
Snapper 50-59
Guard 60-69
Tackle 70-79
End 80-99
Otherwise all player must be numbered 1-99, the NCAA makes no stipulation on defensive players. Two players may also share the same number
though they may not play during the same down.
The lowest numbers are often considered the most prestigious, and they are frequently worn not just by specialists and quarterbacks but also by running backs, defensive backs, and linebackers. Kickers and punters are frequently numbered in the 40s or 90s, which are the least in-demand numbers on a college roster. The increased flexibility in numbering of NCAA rosters is needed since NCAA rules allow larger rosters than the NFL; thus teams would frequently exhaust the available numbers for a position under the NFL rules. It is not uncommon for NCAA teams to have duplicate numbers, with an offensive player having the same number as a defensive one—this is allowed as long as both players are not on the field at the same time. Usually, one of the players will be a reserve who rarely plays, but this is not always the case: for example, the 2005 Texas Longhorns team had two key players who both wore #4: wide receiver Limas Sweed
and linebacker Drew Kelson. The 2007 USC Trojans
team had two key players who both wore #10: quarterback John David Booty
and linebacker Brian Cushing
. The 2008 Missouri Tigers
both had key players wearing #1: safety William Moore
and running back Jimmy Jackson. In the same season, the Alabama Crimson Tide
had four numbers shared by two players each. In the 2009 season
, the Ohio State Buckeyes roster
also has numerous duplicate numbers: quarterback Terrelle Pryor
and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins both wear #2, and running back Daniel Herron and linebacker Marcus Freeman both wear #1, while USC
has both running back C. J. Gable and safety Taylor Mays wearing #2. At Texas both safety Earl Thomas
and quarterback Colt McCoy
both wore #12. At the University of Illinois, both quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and linebacker Martez Wilson wore #2 during the 2010 season.
Perhaps the most interesting use of duplicate numbers was at South Carolina
. Currently, both cornerback Stephon Gilmore
and quarterback Stephen Garcia
wear #5. However, Gilmore also has played quarterback for the Gamecocks, usually in the "Wild Cock" formation. In 2009 against archrival
Clemson
, Head Coach Steve Spurrier
effectively rotated Garcia and Gilmore at the quarterback position, confusing the Clemson defense (and many fans). Because Garcia and Gilmore were never on the field at the same time, it was perfectly legal.
Individual schools often have superstitions or traditions involving certain numbers. It may be a great honor to be given the number #1 uniform, for example, such as at the University of Michigan
. The top performing walk-on at Texas A&M University
will often be issued number 12, in reference to their 12th Man
tradition. Syracuse University
historically reserved number 44 for its best running backs, including Jim Brown
, Ernie Davis
, and Floyd Little
, finally retiring the number permanently in 2005. The number 12 is also prestigious at the University of Alabama
. It is usually reserved for top quarterbacks, although it was worn by 1930s lineman Bear Bryant
, who became a coaching legend at Alabama. Since Bryant's era, it has been worn by Kenny Stabler, Joe Namath
, Brodie Croyle
, and Greg McElroy
. At Ole Miss
, the #38 worn by defensive back Chucky Mullins
, who suffered a paralyzing injury in a 1989 game that ultimately led to his death in 1991, was given each season as an award to a defensive player who was seen as epitomizing Mullins' spirit. The number was eventually retired in Mullins' memory in 2006. Wide Receivers can also be #5 sometimes.
According to NCAA rule book Section 4 Article 1 recommended numbering is as follows
Backs 1-49
Snapper 50-59
Guard 60-69
Tackle 70-79
End 80-99
acquired Joe Montana
in 1993, Hall of Famer
Len Dawson
gave Montana permission to wear his old #16, Montana's number in San Francisco
, but Montana declined it and wore 19 instead, which was the sum of his numbers at Notre Dame
(3) and the 49ers (16).
One exception offer that was accepted was made in 2004, when Steve Largent
, whose #80 was retired by the Seattle Seahawks
, allowed Jerry Rice
to wear #80 when he briefly played for the team. Rice, a star who mostly played with the 49ers
and Raiders
, had also worn #80 throughout his career. Rice made the same gesture when the 49ers signed longtime St. Louis Rams
wide receiver
Isaac Bruce
in 2008. Rice offered Bruce the number, since Bruce had worn 80 during his 14-year stay with the Rams. (Though the number was not officially retired until 2010, the 49ers had not issued #80 since Rice left the team in 2001.) However, both Bruce and the 49ers agreed on not wearing 80 as a 49er, and wore number 88 during his two-year stint with the 49ers before retiring.
The 49ers made another exception for quarterback Trent Dilfer
to wear number 12, which had been retired in honor of John Brodie
. Dilfer, a close friend of Brodie, wore the number in tribute to him and to garner attention for Brodie's potential election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
.
Similarly, Detroit Lions
linebacker Joe Schmidt
allowed Pat Swilling
to wear his retired number 56 when Swilling was acquired in 1993.
The Chicago Bears
have retired the most numbers (13), followed by the New York Giants
(11). Some newer teams have yet to retire any.
The New Orleans Saints
have retired the numbers 31 and 81 in honor of Jim Taylor and Doug Atkins
, who played on the first Saints franchise in 1967. Strangely enough, neither Taylor nor Atkins has had their uniform numbers retired by the teams for which they played the vast majority of their careers before coming to the expansion Saints, Taylor with the Green Bay Packers
and Atkins with the Bears. (Current All-Pro
cornerback
Al Harris, in fact, recently wore number 31 for the Packers.) Taylor played only one year with the Saints before retiring, while Atkins last three seasons were in the Big East.
The numbers 7, 12, 40, and 70 have each been retired by five teams, more than any other numbers.
One of the most notable retired numbers is number 12 for the Seattle Seahawks
, who retired the number in 1984
in honor of the "12th man
", or the Seahawks fans, as opposed to a particular player. Since then, the team sells number 12 jerseys with the word "Fan" where the player's last name would be.
The Indianapolis Colts
have chosen to retain the retired status of numbers retired when the club was in Baltimore, a point which irritated former Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
. Incensed at the way former owner Robert Irsay
moved the Colts out of town late at night on March 29, 1984, Unitas severed all ties to the Colts franchise and insisted he only be listed as a member of the "Baltimore Colts". Unitas was soon joined by teammates Lenny Moore
, Art Donovan
, Raymond Berry
, and Gino Marchetti
, all of whom also had their numbers retired by the club in Baltimore. (Many of these players would later support the Baltimore Ravens
.) The Colts have not retired a jersey number for any player who primarily played for the club in Indianapolis, nor has the club retired any further numbers of former Baltimore Colts.
The Dallas Cowboys
have not retired any numbers despite a long list of HOFs. Instead, the Cowboys do not issue the number, as is the case with number 12 for Roger Staubach
and number 8 for Troy Aikman
, or the number is used as a sign of legacy. The number 22 was used by HOFs Bob Hayes
and Emmitt Smith
. The number 88 is used as a lineage for the top WR brought in by the team. It was first made famous by Drew Pearson
in the 70s, before Michael Irvin
used it in the 90s. The number now belongs to Dez Bryant
.
took the number upon being drafted in 2011, Ken Anderson gave his support to Dalton being issued with the number. The only number to be retired by the Bengals is the number 54 worn by Bob Johnson, their first ever draft pick.
, along with the Houston Texans
, are the only teams in the NFL that have not retired any numbers, officially or unofficially. Only Hall of Fame
center
Jim Otto
's number, 00, has not been reissued by the Raiders, as the NFL banned the numbers 0 and 00 in 1973. As a result, the numbers worn by Hall of Fame inductees have been used by other players who followed, including Willie Brown's number 24 (currently worn by Michael Huff
), George Blanda
and Jim Plunkett
's number 16 (worn by Andrew Walter
), Kenny Stabler's number 12 (worn by Rich Gannon
and Josh McCown
. Also, It is currently worn by Wide Receiver Jacoby Ford
), and Gene Upshaw
's number 63 (worn by Mark Wilson
).
and former Olympic
athlete Bob Hayes
wore number 22 with the Cowboys, but the number has not been reissued since Smith left for Arizona
in 2004.
Perhaps most notably, Drew Pearson
and Michael Irvin
both wore number 88 with the Cowboys, and is currently worn by Dez Bryant
. The Cowboys will be treating number 88 similar to that of number 12 with the Alabama Crimson Tide
and, until 2005, number 44 for the Syracuse Orange
(who have since retired number 44) by reserving number 88 for only the best receivers.
Instead of retiring numbers, the Cowboys induct prominent players into a Ring of Honor
, which originally ringed Texas Stadium
and was transferred to the new Cowboys Stadium at its opening in 2009. Since their induction into the Ring of Honor, numbers 8 (Troy Aikman
), 12 (Roger Staubach
), 20 (Mel Renfro
), 22 (Hayes and Smith), 43 (Cliff Harris
), 54 (Randy White
), 55 (Lee Roy Jordan
), 70 (Rayfield Wright
), 72 (Too Tall Jones), and 74 (Bob Lilly
) have not been reissued or are rarely used.
also do not officially retire uniform numbers (the exception being Ernie Stautner
, who played before the dynasty years of the 1970s). However, Terry Bradshaw
's number 12, Franco Harris
' number 32, Jerome Bettis
' number 36, Mike Webster's number 52, Jack Lambert's number 58, Dermontti Dawson
's number 63, and Joe Greene
's number 75 have not been issued since those respective players retired, while Gary Anderson's number 1, Donnie Shell
's number 31, Mel Blount's number 47, and Jack Ham's number 59 have had minimal usage since. Number 35 was worn by two Hall of Famers (Bill Dudley
and John Henry Johnson
) and was most recently worn by former fullback
Dan Kreider
in 2007
.
John Stallworth
's number 82 has been reissued several times as has Lynn Swann
's number 88; this is mainly because of the limited number of numbers available for wide receivers and tight ends (until 2004, those positions could only wear numbers in the 80s). However, the NFL has since relaxed the rule and started allowing receivers to wear jersey numbers 10-19 in addition to 80s numbers. Number 82 is currently worn by tight end Weslye Saunders
, while Emmanuel Sanders
currently wears number 88.
have only retired one number, Sammy Baugh
's number 33. Numbers 7 (Joe Theismann
), 9 (Sonny Jurgensen
), 28 (Darrell Green
), 42 (Charley Taylor
), 43 (Larry Brown
), 44 (John Riggins
), 49 (Bobby Mitchell
), 51 (Monte Coleman
), 65 (Dave Butz
), 70 (Sam Huff
), and 81 (Art Monk
) are considered unofficially retired. Following the fatal shooting of the current Redskins Safety Sean Taylor
the Redskins unofficially retired number 21.
never officially retired uniform numbers. This changed when Jim Kelly
's number 12 was officially retired by the Bills in the early 2000s (although Joe Ferguson
also prominently wore the number, and the team also honors the 12th man). O. J. Simpson
(32), Bruce Smith (78), Cookie Gilchrist
and Thurman Thomas (both 34) and have not had their numbers issued since those players' retirements. Jack Kemp
(15), Elbert Dubenion
(44), Billy Shaw
(66), and Andre Reed
(83) have seen their numbers used only in limited situations; wide receiver Lee Evans
(full name Lee Evans III) sought explicit permission to use the 83 number, as it was the only way to preserve the number 3 somewhere in his jersey number (the league had not opened up the 10-19 numbers at the time of his debut). Like Dallas, Buffalo has a "Wall of Fame" honoring some of their great players.
One number that was unofficially retired for most of the team's history was 31, which was reserved as a generic number for promotions and to represent the "spirit of the franchise." This policy was reversed in 1990 when the number was awarded to James "J.D." Williams; it has since been re-released to all players (in part due to the withdrawal of 32) and is currently worn by free safety Jairus Byrd
, who moved from his college number of 32 to his current 31.
Number 1 has only been issued sparingly in the team's history (kicker Mike Hollis
was the last to wear it), possibly out of deference to Tommy Hughitt
, who wore the number with the early-era Buffalo teams
in the 1920s. The team does not officially acknowledge any special deference to the number, but acknowledges that other numbers besides the ones mentioned above may be set aside.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
are unusual compared to those in any other sport. They are displayed in more locations on the uniform than in those of other sports (on both the front and back of the jersey, on both shoulders, and often on the helmet), and on the front of the jersey, they are displayed very large, taking up almost the entire front of the jersey. Just as importantly, certain numbers may only be worn by players playing particular positions; thus the jersey numbers assist the officials in determining possible illegal actions
Penalty (American football)
In American football and Canadian football, a penalty is a sanction called against a team for a violation of the rules, called a foul. Officials initially signal penalties by tossing a bright yellow or orange colored "penalty flag" onto the field toward or at the spot of a foul...
by players.
Unlike most other sports, in which teams have smaller rosters, American football players routinely have uniform numbers that cover the full range of numbers from 1 to 99. In other sports, where not as many numbers are needed, lower numbers are more traditional and are usually desired by players. But in American football, with the number of players on a roster sometimes exceeding 100, there is a need for many more numbers.
Most football leagues have a system in place that requires or otherwise encourages players in certain positions to be issued numbers within a certain range.
NFL
A system of assignment of jersey numbers was initiated in American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
's NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in 1952; it was updated and made more rigid in 1973. Numbers are always worn on the front and back of a player's jersey, and so-called "TV numbers" are worn on the sleeve or shoulder. The Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
were the last NFL team to wear jerseys without "TV numbers" on a regular basis in 1980
1980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
, though since then several NFL teams have worn throwback uniforms from a time without "TV numbers", since as of 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
they are not mandated by NFL rules. (The same can't be said for players' last names on the backs of jerseys, which are required to be on all uniforms, even throwbacks that predated the last name rule.) For instance, in the 2007 NFL season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
wore throwbacks without "TV numbers".
Many uniforms also feature numbers either on the front, back, or sides of the helmet (in pro football, these were most famously worn on the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
"powder-blue" uniforms).
Below is the numbering system established by the NFL and in place since 1973:
| Number Range | QB Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... |
RB Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... |
WR Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
TE Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be... |
OL | DL | LB | CB Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... |
S Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... |
K Placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points... |
P Punter (football position) A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-9 | |||||||||||
| 10-19 | |||||||||||
| 20-29 | |||||||||||
| 30-39 | |||||||||||
| 40-49 | |||||||||||
| 50-59 | |||||||||||
| 60-69 | |||||||||||
| 70-79 | |||||||||||
| 80-89 | |||||||||||
| 90-99 |
Numbers 0 and 00 are no longer used, though they were issued in the NFL before the number standardization in 1973. George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
famously wore 0 during a brief preseason stint at quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. Jim Otto
Jim Otto
James Edwin Otto is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League.-Wausau High School and University of Miami:...
wore number "00" ("aught-oh") during most of his career with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Wide receiver Ken Burrough
Ken Burrough
Kenneth Othell Burrough is a former professional American football player who was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft. A 6'4", wide receiver from William M...
of the Houston Oilers also wore "00" during his NFL career in the 1970s.
When the more rigid system went into effect in 1973, players who played in the league before then were given a grandfather clause
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
to continue wearing newly prohibited numbers (i.e. many wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s wore jersey numbers in the teens and 20s before the rule changes required receivers to wear numbers in the 80s, and many defensive linemen and linebackers wore numbers in the 80s). New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Julius Adams
Julius Adams
Julius Adams was a defensive lineman in the NFL. For his entire career he played for the New England Patriots. He is the father of former NFL player, Keith Adams.-College career:...
was the last player to be covered by the clause, wearing number 85 through the 1985 season
1985 New England Patriots season
The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears...
, but he had to wear number 69 when he briefly came out of retirement in 1987 during the 1987 strike. This was in stark contrast to when the league required linemen to wear jersey numbers in the 50-79 range in 1952 (for ineligible receiver
Eligible receiver
In American football and Canadian football, not all players on offense are entitled to receive a forward pass. Only an eligible pass receiver may legally catch a forward pass, and only an eligible receiver may advance beyond the neutral zone if a forward pass which crosses the neutral zone is thrown...
purposes), since Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
wore number 60 prior to this change. Graham switched to number 14, which was retired by the Browns while his more familiar number 60 remains in circulation today, most recently worn by center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Steve Vallos
Steve Vallos
Steve Vallos is an American football guard and center for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
in 2010.
It should be noted that this NFL numbering system is based on a player's primary position. Also, if a player changes primary positions during his career, he does not usually have to change his number unless he changes from an eligible receiver to ineligible or vice versa (Jason Peters
Jason Peters
-Buffalo Bills:Peters was picked up by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent in April 2004. He was cut then re-signed to the Bills' practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on November 12, 2004...
is a notable example, having moved between tight end, where he wore number 86, to offensive tackle, where he currently wears 71). Any player wearing any number may play at any position on the field at any time (though players wearing numbers 50-79 must let the referee know that they are playing out of position by reporting as an "ineligible number in an eligible position"). It is not uncommon for running backs to line up at wide receiver on certain plays, or to have a large lineman play at fullback or tight end in short yardage situations, or to have wide receivers fill in as extra defensive backs. Also, in preseason games, when teams have expanded rosters, players may wear numbers that are outside of the above rules. When the final 53-player roster is established, they are reissued numbers within the above guidelines.
The earliest numbering systems were significantly different from the modern variation. Until the 1920s, it was rare to see player numbers much higher than 25, and numbers had little correlation with positions (in 1929, the Orange Tornadoes
Orange/Newark Tornadoes
The Orange Tornadoes and Newark Tornadoes were two manifestations of a long-lived professional American football franchise that existed in some form from 1887 to 1971, having played in the National Football League from 1929 to 1930, the American Association from 1936 to 1941, the Atlantic Coast...
subverted the system even further, experimenting with using letters
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
instead of numbers.) The numbering system used today originated in football's past when all teams employed some variation of the single wing formation on offense. When teams switched to the T-formation in the 1930s and 1940s, the numbers were taken with them to whatever position evolved from the old single wing position. This numbering system originated in college football and was used only informally in the NFL until 1952; under the original somewhat informal system, the backs were numbered 1-4 and the line 5-8. Tailbacks, left halfbacks or flankers (1-back) were given 10s, Blocking backs or quarterbacks (2 backs) were given numbers in the 20s, fullbacks (or 3-backs) were given numbers in the 30s, and right halfbacks, what would become simply the halfback or running back (4-backs) in the 40s, centers in the 50s, guards in the 60s, tackles in the 70s, and ends in the 80s. Earlier, defensive players wore numbers that reflected their offensive position, as many players played both offense and defense. For example, quarterbacks and halfbacks usually played in the defensive back field and so had numbers in the 10s, 20s, and 40s. Fullbacks were linebackers and had numbers in the 30s; Centers and guards were linebackers as well and has numbers in the 50s and 60s respectively. Guards and tackles played the defensive guard and tackle positions and had numbers in the 60s and 70s respectively. Ends had numbers in the 80s. Split ends (e.g. Emlen Tunnell
Emlen Tunnell
Emlen Lewis Tunnell was an American football player. He was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1967. He played in the National Football League for the Giants and Green Bay Packers...
) would be cornerbacks and tight ends (e.g. Fred Dryer
Fred Dryer
John Frederick "Fred" Dryer is an American actor and former football defensive end in the National Football League . Dryer played 13 years in the NFL, playing 176 games, starting 166, and recording 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams...
, Buck Buchanan
Buck Buchanan
Junious "Buck" Buchanan was an American collegiate and professional Football defensive tackle. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League and in the National Football League ....
) would be defensive ends but all would have numbers in the 80s. The original numbering system was based on the single wing offense and went as follows. Tailback or left halfback (e.g. Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford
Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller....
) had a number in the 10s. The blocking back, which evolved into the quarterback in the T formation
T formation
In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
, had a number in the 20s (e.g. Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962...
and John Hadl
John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former collegiate and professional football player.Hadl was born in Lawrence, Kansas. After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's...
, and Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
during his college
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
career). The fullback had a number in the 30s and the right halfback had a number in the 40s. One the line the center was in the 50s, the guards were in the 60s, the tackles were in the 70s, and the ends were in the 80s.
The CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
had a very different numbering system with the ends in the 70s, making wide receivers up until recent times having 70s numbers (CFL Receivers may still wear numbers in the 70s, but as most receivers are from the U.S., they will usually wear 80s if they choose to wear a higher number; CFL receivers may also wear numbers from 1-19). The AAFC
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
had a different numbering system with quarterback in the 60s (Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
), fullbacks in the 70s (Marion Motley
Marion Motley
Marion Motley was a professional football player, a fullback for the Cleveland Browns, and briefly for the Pittsburgh Steelers.-Early years:...
), halfbacks in the 80s, ends in the 50s (Mac Speedie
Mac Speedie
Mac Speedie was a football player who starred as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos.-Early life:Speedie was...
), tackles in the 40s (Lou Groza
Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
), guards in the 30s and centers in the 20s. When the AAFC merged with the NFL in 1950, the AAFC players kept their old uniform numbers which caused confusion and resulted in the NFL going to a standard numbering system in 1952. This resulted in many star players having to change their numbers in mid-career. Examples are Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
going from 60 to 14, Norm Van Brocklin
Norm Van Brocklin
Norman Mack "Norm" Van Brocklin , nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football player and coach. He was also a first rate punter in college and in the NFL...
going from 25 to 11, and Tom Fears
Tom Fears
Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.-Early life:...
going from 55 to 80.
Players have often asked (or, in some cases, challenged) the NFL for an exception to the numbering system rule. In 2006, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
running back Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
requested to keep the number 5 he wore in college. His request was declined, and he was assigned number 25 by the team. Former Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
linebacker Brian Bosworth
Brian Bosworth
Brian Keith "The Boz" Bosworth, is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma...
wore number #44 in college for the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and wore that number during the 1987 preseason with the Seahawks. He took the NFL to court for the right to wear #44, but he lost and had to switch to #55.
Former New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Brad Van Pelt
Brad Van Pelt
Brad Alan Van Pelt was an American football linebacker who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League....
was allowed to wear number 10 with the team despite not being covered in the grandfather clause, as the team drafted him in 1973, the year the newer jersey number system went into effect. This was because Van Pelt served as the team's backup kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
his rookie season. Van Pelt did wear number 91 at the end of his career for the Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Another Giants player, defensive linemen Phil Tabor
Phil Tabor
Philip Martin Tabor is a former professional American football defensive lineman. Tabor played four seasons with the New York Giants....
, also skirted the numbering requirements by wearing number 80 during his four-year stint (1979-82) with the club.
While with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, current Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
wore number 50 despite also playing tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
in goal line offensive packages. As of December 2010, Vrabel still wears the same number.
Another former wide receiver, Dwight Stone
Dwight Stone
This article is about Dwight Stone the football player. If you are looking for Dwight Stones the track and field athlete and commentator see Dwight Stones...
, was allowed to wear number 20 when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, with whom he spent the majority of his career. Stone did wear 80s numbers after he left the Steelers. Another former Steeler, tight end Matt Cushing
Matt Cushing
Matthew Jay Cushing is a former professional American football player who played tight end for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers.The Steelers signed Matt Cushing to a one-year contract in March 2004...
, wore number 48, but he was listed as a "tight end/fullback", since he was also the team's backup fullback.
A number of current players wear numbers outside the range for their primary position. Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiver/return specialist
Return specialist
A Return Specialist is a player on American football or Canadian football special teams who specializes in returning punts and kickoff returns. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most play other positions as well. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a...
Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
wears number 23, which represented the position the team originally drafted him for, cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
. Hester was allowed to keep 23 after the team converted him to wide receiver. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
linebacker Aaron Kampman
Aaron Kampman
Aaron Allan Kampman is an American football defensive end and linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa....
wears number 74, which represented the position for which he was drafted, defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
(or defensive tackle). Kampman moved to linebacker since his former team, the Green Bay Packers switched from 4-3
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
defense to a 3-4
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
defense under the new defensive coordinator
Dom Capers
Ernest Dominic "Dom" Capers is an American football coach, the current defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, and the only man to serve two different National Football League expansion teams as their inaugural head coach....
before the 2009 season (see Packers switch to from 4-3 to 3-4 defence). Former defensive end Chris Doleman
Chris Doleman
Christopher John Doleman is a former American Football defensive end who played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 1999. He was an 8-time Pro Bowl selection and a 3-time First-team All-Pro during his playing days, recording 150⅓ career sacks...
was permitted to keep his number 56 after being moved from linebacker to defensive end, while former linebacker Simon Fletcher made the opposite move, defensive end to linebacker, and was permitted to keep his number 73.
Former Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Mike Furrey
Mike Furrey
Michael Thomas Furrey is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Northern Iowa and Ohio State University.Furrey has also played for the...
, wearing number 87, and Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Randy Moss
Randy Moss
Randy Gene Moss is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
, wearing number 84, played Safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
and/or cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
in some defensive packages. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
tight end Edgar Jones wears number 84, but sometimes plays defensive end or outside linebacker, his original position when he signed with Baltimore in 2007.
NCAA
According to NCAA rule book Section 4 Article 1 recommends numbering as follows for offensive players;Backs 1-49
Snapper 50-59
Guard 60-69
Tackle 70-79
End 80-99
Otherwise all player must be numbered 1-99, the NCAA makes no stipulation on defensive players. Two players may also share the same number
though they may not play during the same down.
The lowest numbers are often considered the most prestigious, and they are frequently worn not just by specialists and quarterbacks but also by running backs, defensive backs, and linebackers. Kickers and punters are frequently numbered in the 40s or 90s, which are the least in-demand numbers on a college roster. The increased flexibility in numbering of NCAA rosters is needed since NCAA rules allow larger rosters than the NFL; thus teams would frequently exhaust the available numbers for a position under the NFL rules. It is not uncommon for NCAA teams to have duplicate numbers, with an offensive player having the same number as a defensive one—this is allowed as long as both players are not on the field at the same time. Usually, one of the players will be a reserve who rarely plays, but this is not always the case: for example, the 2005 Texas Longhorns team had two key players who both wore #4: wide receiver Limas Sweed
Limas Sweed
Limas Lee Sweed, Jr. is a former American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played collegiately for the Texas Longhorns. On April 26, 2008 Sweed was taken 53rd overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2008 NFL Draft.-High school:Sweed attended...
and linebacker Drew Kelson. The 2007 USC Trojans
2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
team had two key players who both wore #10: quarterback John David Booty
John David Booty
John David Booty is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He last played for the Houston Texans until being cut on September 4, 2010. He played college football at USC.Booty has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans...
and linebacker Brian Cushing
Brian Cushing
-Houston Texans:Cushing was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.He scored his first career points on October 4, 2009 when he recorded a safety against the Oakland Raiders. The safety was the first recorded by a Texan since the 2002 season.Cushing was...
. The 2008 Missouri Tigers
2008 Missouri Tigers football team
The 2008 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2008 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel, who returned in his eighth season with Mizzou, and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.Quarterback Chase Daniel returned for...
both had key players wearing #1: safety William Moore
William Moore (American football)
William Moore is an American football safety for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Falcons in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri.-Early years:...
and running back Jimmy Jackson. In the same season, the Alabama Crimson Tide
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
had four numbers shared by two players each. In the 2009 season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
, the Ohio State Buckeyes roster
2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of The Ohio State University for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 11–2 and...
also has numerous duplicate numbers: quarterback Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2008−2010...
and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins both wear #2, and running back Daniel Herron and linebacker Marcus Freeman both wear #1, while USC
2009 USC Trojans football team
The 2009 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2009–2010. The team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and was coached by Pete Carroll, who was in his ninth and final...
has both running back C. J. Gable and safety Taylor Mays wearing #2. At Texas both safety Earl Thomas
Earl Thomas (defensive back)
Earl Thomas is an American football safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seahawks with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas....
and quarterback Colt McCoy
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
both wore #12. At the University of Illinois, both quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and linebacker Martez Wilson wore #2 during the 2010 season.
Perhaps the most interesting use of duplicate numbers was at South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
. Currently, both cornerback Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore is an American football cornerback. He currently attends the University of South Carolina. Gilmore is regarded as one of the best cornerback prospects of his class.-High school career:...
and quarterback Stephen Garcia
Stephen Garcia
Stephen Garcia is an American football quarterback formerly of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference. He is from Lutz, Florida and attended Thomas Jefferson High School where he had 8,000 yards passing and 83 touchdowns as well as 1,345 yards rushing and 17...
wear #5. However, Gilmore also has played quarterback for the Gamecocks, usually in the "Wild Cock" formation. In 2009 against archrival
Carolina-Clemson rivalry
The South Carolina–Clemson Rivalry is an American college rivalry between the South Carolina Gamecocks sports teams of the University of South Carolina and the Clemson Tigers sports teams of Clemson University. Both institution are public universities supported by the state of South...
Clemson
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Head Coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
effectively rotated Garcia and Gilmore at the quarterback position, confusing the Clemson defense (and many fans). Because Garcia and Gilmore were never on the field at the same time, it was perfectly legal.
Individual schools often have superstitions or traditions involving certain numbers. It may be a great honor to be given the number #1 uniform, for example, such as at the University of Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
. The top performing walk-on at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
will often be issued number 12, in reference to their 12th Man
12th Man (football)
The 12th man or 12th player is a term used to describe the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured...
tradition. Syracuse University
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
historically reserved number 44 for its best running backs, including Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
, Ernie Davis
Ernie Davis
Ernest "Ernie" Davis was an American football running back and the first African-American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. Wearing number 44, Davis competed collegiately for Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins, then almost immediately traded to the Cleveland...
, and Floyd Little
Floyd Little
Floyd Douglas Little is a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, and was a three-time American football All-American running back at Syracuse University. In 1967 he was the 6th selection of the first common AFL-NFL draft...
, finally retiring the number permanently in 2005. The number 12 is also prestigious at the University of Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
. It is usually reserved for top quarterbacks, although it was worn by 1930s lineman Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
, who became a coaching legend at Alabama. Since Bryant's era, it has been worn by Kenny Stabler, Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
, Brodie Croyle
Brodie Croyle
John Brodie Croyle is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Alabama from 2002 to 2005...
, and Greg McElroy
Greg McElroy
Gregory McElroy, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama....
. At Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
, the #38 worn by defensive back Chucky Mullins
Chucky Mullins
Roy Lee "Chucky" Mullins was an American football player at Ole Miss best known for the devastating football injury that left him a quadriplegic....
, who suffered a paralyzing injury in a 1989 game that ultimately led to his death in 1991, was given each season as an award to a defensive player who was seen as epitomizing Mullins' spirit. The number was eventually retired in Mullins' memory in 2006. Wide Receivers can also be #5 sometimes.
High school
On high school and other lower youth teams, jerseys with different number ranges are different sizes, and since many of these teams don't reorder jerseys every year, players are often assigned numbers based more on jerseys that fit them rather than specific position (though the rules on numbering the offensive line still apply).According to NCAA rule book Section 4 Article 1 recommended numbering is as follows
Backs 1-49
Snapper 50-59
Guard 60-69
Tackle 70-79
End 80-99
Retired numbers
Most NFL teams have retired some numbers in honor of the team's best players. Generally when a number is retired, future players for the team may not wear it. However, exceptions have been made when a player with a retired number allows an active player to wear his number. However, very rarely does the new player accept the offer. When the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
acquired Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
in 1993, Hall of Famer
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
Len Dawson
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
gave Montana permission to wear his old #16, Montana's number in San Francisco
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, but Montana declined it and wore 19 instead, which was the sum of his numbers at Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
(3) and the 49ers (16).
One exception offer that was accepted was made in 2004, when Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
, whose #80 was retired by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, allowed Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice is a retired American football wide receiver. He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in National Football League history...
to wear #80 when he briefly played for the team. Rice, a star who mostly played with the 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, had also worn #80 throughout his career. Rice made the same gesture when the 49ers signed longtime St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Bruce
Isaac Isidore Bruce is a retired American football wide receiver. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Memphis....
in 2008. Rice offered Bruce the number, since Bruce had worn 80 during his 14-year stay with the Rams. (Though the number was not officially retired until 2010, the 49ers had not issued #80 since Rice left the team in 2001.) However, both Bruce and the 49ers agreed on not wearing 80 as a 49er, and wore number 88 during his two-year stint with the 49ers before retiring.
The 49ers made another exception for quarterback Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
to wear number 12, which had been retired in honor of John Brodie
John Brodie
John Riley Brodie is a former professional American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and had a second career as a Senior PGA Tour professional golfer.-Early years and education:...
. Dilfer, a close friend of Brodie, wore the number in tribute to him and to garner attention for Brodie's potential election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
.
Similarly, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
linebacker Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
allowed Pat Swilling
Pat Swilling
Patrick Travis Swilling is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and a delegate in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He earned five Pro Bowl appearances.-College career:...
to wear his retired number 56 when Swilling was acquired in 1993.
The Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
have retired the most numbers (13), followed by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(11). Some newer teams have yet to retire any.
The New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
have retired the numbers 31 and 81 in honor of Jim Taylor and Doug Atkins
Doug Atkins
Douglas Leon Atkins is a former American football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee under legendary head coach Robert Neyland...
, who played on the first Saints franchise in 1967. Strangely enough, neither Taylor nor Atkins has had their uniform numbers retired by the teams for which they played the vast majority of their careers before coming to the expansion Saints, Taylor with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and Atkins with the Bears. (Current All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Al Harris, in fact, recently wore number 31 for the Packers.) Taylor played only one year with the Saints before retiring, while Atkins last three seasons were in the Big East.
The numbers 7, 12, 40, and 70 have each been retired by five teams, more than any other numbers.
One of the most notable retired numbers is number 12 for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, who retired the number in 1984
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
in honor of the "12th man
12th Man (football)
The 12th man or 12th player is a term used to describe the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured...
", or the Seahawks fans, as opposed to a particular player. Since then, the team sells number 12 jerseys with the word "Fan" where the player's last name would be.
The Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
have chosen to retain the retired status of numbers retired when the club was in Baltimore, a point which irritated former Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
. Incensed at the way former owner Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay
Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...
moved the Colts out of town late at night on March 29, 1984, Unitas severed all ties to the Colts franchise and insisted he only be listed as a member of the "Baltimore Colts". Unitas was soon joined by teammates Lenny Moore
Lenny Moore
Leonard Edward Moore is a former American football halfback who played for Penn State in college and the Baltimore Colts. He came to the Colts in 1956, and had a productive first pro season and was named the NFL Rookie of The Year...
, Art Donovan
Art Donovan
Arthur Donovan, Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle, better known as Art 'How much does dat guy weigh?' Donovan, who played for three National Football League teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts...
, Raymond Berry
Raymond Berry
Raymond Emmett Berry is a former football wide receiver. He played for the Baltimore Colts during their two NFL championship wins. He later had a career in coaching, highlighted by his trip to Super Bowl XX as head coach of the New England Patriots...
, and Gino Marchetti
Gino Marchetti
Gino John Marchetti is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. A defensive end, he played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.-Early years:...
, all of whom also had their numbers retired by the club in Baltimore. (Many of these players would later support the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
.) The Colts have not retired a jersey number for any player who primarily played for the club in Indianapolis, nor has the club retired any further numbers of former Baltimore Colts.
The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
have not retired any numbers despite a long list of HOFs. Instead, the Cowboys do not issue the number, as is the case with number 12 for Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
and number 8 for Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
, or the number is used as a sign of legacy. The number 22 was used by HOFs Bob Hayes
Bob Hayes
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
and Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
. The number 88 is used as a lineage for the top WR brought in by the team. It was first made famous by Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
in the 70s, before Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin
Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
used it in the 90s. The number now belongs to Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant
- 2010 - Rookie Season :Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin on July 22, 2010. On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson...
.
Non-retirement policies
While the NFL does allow teams to retire jersey numbers, the league officially discourages retiring numbers, for fear of teams running out of numbers. As a result, a few NFL teams do not retire jersey numbers.Cincinnati
Only three players have worn the #14 jersey for the Bengals are, in order, Sam Wyche(QB), Ken Anderson(QB) and Andy Dalton(QB). Wyche played from 1968 to 1970 and later coached the team to its 2nd Super Bowl in 1988. Ken Anderson, for whom which the number is known by Bengals fans, wore the number from 1973 until 1986. No player had worn it until Andy DaltonAndy Dalton
Andrew Grant Dalton is an ex-All Blacks rugby union player who captained the side 17 times in tests...
took the number upon being drafted in 2011, Ken Anderson gave his support to Dalton being issued with the number. The only number to be retired by the Bengals is the number 54 worn by Bob Johnson, their first ever draft pick.
Oakland
The Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, along with the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, are the only teams in the NFL that have not retired any numbers, officially or unofficially. Only Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Jim Otto
Jim Otto
James Edwin Otto is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League.-Wausau High School and University of Miami:...
's number, 00, has not been reissued by the Raiders, as the NFL banned the numbers 0 and 00 in 1973. As a result, the numbers worn by Hall of Fame inductees have been used by other players who followed, including Willie Brown's number 24 (currently worn by Michael Huff
Michael Huff
Michael Wayne Huff II. is an American Football Free Safety for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He played collegiately as a CB/S for The University of Texas Longhorns.-High school career:...
), George Blanda
George Blanda
George Frederick Blanda was a collegiate and professional football quarterback and placekicker...
and Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett
James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...
's number 16 (worn by Andrew Walter
Andrew Walter
Andrew Scott Walter is a former American football quarterback in National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft after playing college football at Arizona State....
), Kenny Stabler's number 12 (worn by Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
and Josh McCown
Josh McCown
Joshua Treadwell McCown is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Sam Houston State.McCown has played for the Detroit Lions, Oakland...
. Also, It is currently worn by Wide Receiver Jacoby Ford
Jacoby Ford
Jacoby Ford is an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He is also an accomplished track and field athlete. He played college football as a wide receiver and return specialist for the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University...
), and Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw
Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. was an American football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the NFL, later the executive director of the National Football League Players' Association...
's number 63 (worn by Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson (American football)
Mark Wilson is a free agent American football offensive tackle for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League . He played college football at the University of California, Berkeley. He played high school football at Fall River High School in McArthur, California....
).
Dallas
Like Oakland, Dallas' official policy is to not retire uniform numbers, although there are a few numbers that have been unofficially retired and have not been used since the retirement of prominent players wearing them. Emmitt SmithEmmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
and former Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
athlete Bob Hayes
Bob Hayes
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
wore number 22 with the Cowboys, but the number has not been reissued since Smith left for Arizona
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2004.
Perhaps most notably, Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
and Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin
Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
both wore number 88 with the Cowboys, and is currently worn by Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant
- 2010 - Rookie Season :Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin on July 22, 2010. On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson...
. The Cowboys will be treating number 88 similar to that of number 12 with the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
and, until 2005, number 44 for the Syracuse Orange
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
(who have since retired number 44) by reserving number 88 for only the best receivers.
Instead of retiring numbers, the Cowboys induct prominent players into a Ring of Honor
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
The Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor was a ring around Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas and currently around Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas which honors former players, coaches and club officials who made outstanding contributions to the Dallas Cowboys football organization. The Ring of Honor began...
, which originally ringed Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
and was transferred to the new Cowboys Stadium at its opening in 2009. Since their induction into the Ring of Honor, numbers 8 (Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
), 12 (Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
), 20 (Mel Renfro
Mel Renfro
Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...
), 22 (Hayes and Smith), 43 (Cliff Harris
Cliff Harris
Clifford Allen Harris is a former professional American football safety who played for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League for ten seasons.-Professional career:...
), 54 (Randy White
Randy White (American football)
Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
), 55 (Lee Roy Jordan
Lee Roy Jordan
Lee Roy Jordan is a retired American football linebacker. After attending the University of Alabama, playing under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he spent 14 years in the National Football League playing for the Dallas Cowboys between 1963–1976...
), 70 (Rayfield Wright
Rayfield Wright
Larry Rayfield Wright is a former American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-High school and college years:...
), 72 (Too Tall Jones), and 74 (Bob Lilly
Bob Lilly
Robert Lewis Lilly is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League and photographer. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.-College career:...
) have not been reissued or are rarely used.
Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
also do not officially retire uniform numbers (the exception being Ernie Stautner
Ernie Stautner
-References:* * *-External links:*...
, who played before the dynasty years of the 1970s). However, Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
's number 12, Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
' number 32, Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
' number 36, Mike Webster's number 52, Jack Lambert's number 58, Dermontti Dawson
Dermontti Dawson
Dermontti Farra Dawson is a former American football center in the National Football League. He played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers....
's number 63, and Joe Greene
Joe Greene (American football)
Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he was the one of most dominant defensive players in the National Football League...
's number 75 have not been issued since those respective players retired, while Gary Anderson's number 1, Donnie Shell
Donnie Shell
Donnie Shell is a former American Football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League between 1974 and 1987. Shell was a member of the Steelers famed Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s.Shell retired as the NFL strong safety career leader in interceptions with 51...
's number 31, Mel Blount's number 47, and Jack Ham's number 59 have had minimal usage since. Number 35 was worn by two Hall of Famers (Bill Dudley
Bill Dudley
William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley was a professional American football player in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.-Early life:Dudley was born in Bluefield, Virginia and...
and John Henry Johnson
John Henry Johnson
John Henry Johnson was an American football fullback. He played from 1954 to 1965 for the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League...
) and was most recently worn by former fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Dan Kreider
Dan Kreider
Dan Kreider is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at New Hampshire....
in 2007
2007 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the 75th season of the Steelers franchise. The season saw the team improve upon their 8–8 record from 2006, finish with a record of 10–6, and win the AFC North Division...
.
John Stallworth
John Stallworth
Johnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
's number 82 has been reissued several times as has Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
's number 88; this is mainly because of the limited number of numbers available for wide receivers and tight ends (until 2004, those positions could only wear numbers in the 80s). However, the NFL has since relaxed the rule and started allowing receivers to wear jersey numbers 10-19 in addition to 80s numbers. Number 82 is currently worn by tight end Weslye Saunders
Weslye Saunders
Weslye Saunders is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
, while Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
currently wears number 88.
Washington
The Washington RedskinsWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
have only retired one number, Sammy Baugh
Sammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
's number 33. Numbers 7 (Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
), 9 (Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
), 28 (Darrell Green
Darrell Green
Darrell Ray Green is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football...
), 42 (Charley Taylor
Charley Taylor
Charles Robert Taylor is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984....
), 43 (Larry Brown
Larry Brown (running back)
Lawrence "Larry" Brown, Jr. is a former professional American football player in the National Football League who played running back for the Washington Redskins from 1969 to 1976....
), 44 (John Riggins
John Riggins
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992....
), 49 (Bobby Mitchell
Bobby Mitchell
Robert Cornelius Mitchell is a former American football halfback and flanker in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.-Early life:Mitchell was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas and attended...
), 51 (Monte Coleman
Monte Coleman
Monte Leon Coleman is a former American football linebacker who played for sixteen seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1979 to 1994...
), 65 (Dave Butz
Dave Butz
David Butz is a former American Football defensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the St...
), 70 (Sam Huff
Sam Huff
Robert Lee "Sam" Huff is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982....
), and 81 (Art Monk
Art Monk
James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
) are considered unofficially retired. Following the fatal shooting of the current Redskins Safety Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was an American football free safety who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Taylor was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins...
the Redskins unofficially retired number 21.
Buffalo
For many years, the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
never officially retired uniform numbers. This changed when Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
's number 12 was officially retired by the Bills in the early 2000s (although Joe Ferguson
Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Ferguson played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he still holds the school's single game record for most completions and in that same season was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive...
also prominently wore the number, and the team also honors the 12th man). O. J. Simpson
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
(32), Bruce Smith (78), Cookie Gilchrist
Cookie Gilchrist
Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist was a gridiron football player in the American Football League and Canadian Football League.-Career:...
and Thurman Thomas (both 34) and have not had their numbers issued since those players' retirements. Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
(15), Elbert Dubenion
Elbert Dubenion
Elbert Dubenion was an American football wide receiver. He played college football for Bluffton College in northwest Ohio....
(44), Billy Shaw
Billy Shaw
William Lewis "Billy" Shaw is an American former college and professional football player.Drafted in 1961 by the American Football League's Buffalo Bills, Billy Shaw of Georgia Tech was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like...
(66), and Andre Reed
Andre Reed
Andre Darnell Reed is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Washington Redskins .Reed ranks tenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.-Football career:Reed...
(83) have seen their numbers used only in limited situations; wide receiver Lee Evans
Lee Evans (American football)
-Buffalo Bills:Evans was initially assigned the jersey number 84. Evans, as a reference to his full name, had always worn the number 3 in college, a number that was not allowed to be used in professional football for wide receivers...
(full name Lee Evans III) sought explicit permission to use the 83 number, as it was the only way to preserve the number 3 somewhere in his jersey number (the league had not opened up the 10-19 numbers at the time of his debut). Like Dallas, Buffalo has a "Wall of Fame" honoring some of their great players.
One number that was unofficially retired for most of the team's history was 31, which was reserved as a generic number for promotions and to represent the "spirit of the franchise." This policy was reversed in 1990 when the number was awarded to James "J.D." Williams; it has since been re-released to all players (in part due to the withdrawal of 32) and is currently worn by free safety Jairus Byrd
Jairus Byrd
-2009 season:Byrd was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After spending the first couple of games as a backup Byrd started his first career game at free safety against the Miami Dolphins due to injuries to both the Bills starting safeties Donte Whitner and...
, who moved from his college number of 32 to his current 31.
Number 1 has only been issued sparingly in the team's history (kicker Mike Hollis
Mike Hollis
Michael Shane Hollis is a former professional American football placekicker. He spent most of his nine-year professional career playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League , kicking for the team from 1995–2001 and setting several team records...
was the last to wear it), possibly out of deference to Tommy Hughitt
Tommy Hughitt
Ernest Fredrick Hughitt , was a National Football League utility player and coach. He was also an All-American quarterback for the University of Michigan in 1913....
, who wore the number with the early-era Buffalo teams
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
in the 1920s. The team does not officially acknowledge any special deference to the number, but acknowledges that other numbers besides the ones mentioned above may be set aside.