Logos and Uniforms of The Cincinnati Reds - Big Red Machine Era Classic Uniform

Big Red Machine Era Classic Uniform

The Cincinnati uniform design most familiar to baseball enthusiasts is the one whose basic form, with minor variations, held sway for the 25 years from 1967 to 1992. Most significantly, the point was restored to the C insignia, making it a wishbone again.

During this era, the Reds wore all-red caps both at home and on the road. The caps bore the simple wishbone C insignia in white. The uniforms were standard short-sleeved jerseys and standard trousers—white at home and grey on the road. The home uniform featured the Wishbone C-REDS logo in red with white type on the left breast and the uniform number in red on the right. The away uniform bore CINCINNATI in an arched block style across the front with the uniform number below on the left. Red, long-sleeved undershirts and plain red stirrups over white sanitary stockings completed the basic design.

For the first year of this design, 1967, the home uniform bore red pinstripes, but in 1968, the pinstripes were removed and did not reappear until the classic uniform style was abandoned in 1993. This was the uniform the Reds wore at their fifth appearance in the World Series in 1970, which they lost to Baltimore.

In 1972, the uniform was modified by a change to the double-knit synthetic fabric (the double-knit fabric first came into use by the Pittsburgh Pirates two years earlier). The jerseys were now pullover style instead of button down and the trousers had a built in elastic belt replacing the standard leather belt and belt loops. Slightly more trim, in the form of narrow red and white bands, was added to the V-neck line, the cuff of the short sleeve, and the elastic belt. This uniform style carried the Reds through three more World Series appearances, in 1972, 1975, and 1976, the last two ending in championships for Cincinnati.

In 1976, to celebrate the National League's 100th season, along with several other N.L. clubs—including the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the New York Mets—the Reds adopted an old-fashioned pillbox-style cap for use during nostalgia events. Unlike the Pirates and the Cardinals, the Reds did not make regular use of this cap, which featured a white crown with two encircling red stripes, a red bill, and a red wishbone C insignia. For regular wear, the Reds stuck to their all-red caps.

On St. Patrick's Day during spring training in 1978, the Reds wore a novelty uniform in which all the red trim was replaced with green.

In 1985, the Reds adopted an optional jersey whose base color was red, bearing the arched CINCINNATI in white with white trim stripes at the collar and cuffs. Originally, this jersey was used only during batting practice, but it came to be worn occasionally during games through the 1991 season, after which it was dropped. On at least one occasion, the Reds wore an all-red version of the away uniform during a game in San Francisco against the Giants. Also during one year in the early 1980s, the Reds sported all-white caps with a red wishbone C insignia during spring training; the white cap proved to be so unpopular, however, that it was never worn in regular games.

In 1988, an additional red stripe was added to the end of the short sleeves. In addition, the same trim now went down the pants. This version was the style worn during Cincinnati's fifth championship season in 1990.

In 1992, club owner Marge Schott announced that she was bored of the classic uniform style and wanted to bring back uniform features worn during her youth in the 1960s. During a few 1992 games, the club demonstrated the style that would become official in 1993. With the introduction of the next uniforms, the Reds were the last team (to date) to wear the pullover jerseys and beltfree trousers.