The San Francisco 49ers may have to ask the NFL for special dispensation to be allowed to wear their throwback jerseys in Super Bowl LIV next month.
The 49ers will play for the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 2013 when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on February 2.
According to David Lombardi of The Athletic, San Francisco is determined to wear its all-white 1994 throwback uniform against the Chiefs.
Current NFL rules permit teams to wear their throwback uniforms once a season. San Francisco donned the all-white kit in Week 8, when they hosted the Carolina Panthers and thrashed them 51-13.
The 49ers applied for "an exception" to wear the uniforms again ahead of their Week 17 trip to Seattle. The NFL approved the request and the 49ers wore all-white against the Seahawks, winning 26-21 against their divisional rivals to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Historical tie: The 49ers wore these throwback uniforms at the Super Bowl to close the 1994 season, but with red tops. Steve Young threw 6 touchdowns. This time, they are the designated road team, so it’d have to be the all-white throwbacks. Team’s big stars are in favor of this.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 20, 2020
Adding onto this: Sherman told me that the NFL “is thinking about changing (the uniform) policy now,” so it sounds as if there’s a chance for the 49ers to be able to wear their ’94 all-whites to the Super Bowl if the NFL is convinced. It was Sherman who started the Week 17 push.
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 20, 2020
San Francisco will technically be the away team for Super Bowl LIV, meaning they're expected to wear their white tops against the Kansas City Chiefs, who will instead wear their traditional red top-white bottoms uniform.
Teams are notoriously reluctant to break from tradition when it comes to choosing which uniforms to wear in the Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are arguably the most notable exception as they opted to wear their away uniform despite being picked as the home team in Super Bowl XL. The Steelers said their decision had been motivated by the fact they had won their previous three playoff games on the road and their gamble paid off, as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Detroit, Michigan.
The 49ers traditional home uniform features a red top and gold bottoms, while their road uniform consist of a white top and gold bottoms.
San Francisco wore a throwback red jersey with white bottoms when they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 1995, as they defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Miami.
Inspired by regular season MVP Steve Young, the 49ers scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters, with their quarterback finishing with a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes and landing the Super Bowl MVP award.
If the throwback uniforms proved to be a lucky charm, the same can be said for the away uniforms, which the 49ers donned in two of their five Super Bowl titles. San Francisco wore white in their 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII and in their 55-10 thrashing of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.
The 49ers wore their home uniform in their last appearance in the Super Bowl, when they lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans in Super Bowl XLVII.
San Francisco's home, away and alternate jerseys are currently available on the 49ers website with a Super Bowl LIV patch. The patch, however, is not available on throwback uniforms.
Newsweek has contacted the NFL for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
