1991 Photo Gallery - Packers v. Vikings

The Green Bay Press-Gazette's current gallery chronicles a Packers v. Vikings game in 1991. Not only is it a peek into the longstanding NFC North rivalry, but also at the Packers' home uniforms of the time.

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Green Bay Packers tight end Jackie Harris (80) celebrates his 1-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on Nov. 17, 1991. Packers tackle Tony Mandarich (77) and running back Vince Workman (46) are at right. The Packers lost 35-21.

One significant difference between these jerseys and the modern version is the number construction. These numbers are silkscreened on.

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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Carl Lee (39) and Green Bay Packers receiver Perry Kemp (81) fight for the ball during the second quarter at Lambeau Field on Nov. 17, 1991.

Here's a closer look at the silscreened numbers:

The Packers would use silkscreened numbers through the 1994 season, although the NFL 75th Anniversary throwback uniforms from that season featured tackle-twill numbers. Tackle-twill was added to the Packers' regular green and white jerseys beginning in 1995.

There's that single gold sock stripe again.

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Green Bay Packers return men Charles Wilson (88) and Vai Sikahema (45) await a kickoff from the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.

I'm also struck by the chopped sleeves; by this point, some players had already begun having their jersey sleeves customized for a tighter fit, effectively reducing Vince Lombardi's five sleeve stripes to three (a change the Packers would make team-wide in 1997).

Some players took it even farther:

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Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe (84) gets up after making a catch against Minnesota Vikings defensive backs Solomon Wilcots (41) and Todd Scott (39) at Lambeau Field on Nov. 17, 1991. In the background are, from left, Packers guard Ron Hallstrom (65), quarterback Mike Tomczak (18) and tackle Louis Cheek.

Hallstrom appears to have cropped the sleeve stripes off altogether. In the same photo, we can see players with five sleeve stripes, three and none. No wonder the Packers felt they had to take action; the uniforms were threatening to become anything but.