Teams with more than one Hall-of-Famer with the same jersey number

[Citizen]

Looking into this, I realized that there are a lot more cases than I ever suspected, due in part to how frequently players changed numbers in the NFL’s early years. Some are sort of fluky, such as John Unitas and Lance Alworth both wearing 19 for the Chargers.

But even if you restrict it to the number a player wore the longest while on the team he was with the longest, you end up with some good examples:

• Bears: George Halas and Ed Sprinkle (both wore #7); Ed Healey and George Musso (16); George Trafton and Joe Stydahar (13)
• Browns: Marion Motley and Lou Groza (76)
• Colts: John Mackey and Marvin Harrison (88)
• Cowboys: Bob Hayes and Emmitt Smith (22); Chuck Howley and Randy White (54); Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin (88) (Charles Haley and DeMarcus Ware both wore 94, but Haley played slightly longer for the 49ers)
• Giants: Benny Friedman and Joe Flaherty (1)
• Lions: Lem Barney and Barry Sanders (20)
• Packers: Mike Michalske and Leroy Butler (36); Willie Wood and John McNally (24)
• Raiders: Willie Brown and Charles Woodson (24)
• Rams: Tom Fears and Isaac Bruce (80)
• Steelers: Bill Dudley and John Henry Johnson (35)

Not a complete list, but those are some notable instances.

[Brian wolf]

Players wearing the same number with teams is a good argument for not retiring the numbers but they need to fullfill the expectations that can and should go with it l. Rich Gannon carried on the #12 number for the Raiders from Ken Stabler but Rusty Hilger was an embarrassment.

Today's players dont care about that, but its cool to see a player take a number to honor another player who excelled in it. I remember reading where Roy Green was going to convert from DB to receiver but needed a new number. His backfield coach, HOFer Emmitt Thomas, suggested #81, because he felt Green reminded him of his former adversary, Warren Wells. Not a bad suggestion. I always wondered if Mark Bavaro took the #89 in honor of Mike Ditka? They both played a similar type of game, heavy on blocking.

Another #20 for Detroit was Billy Sims, who would have made the Hall himself without injuries. We will see if CeeDee Lamb will carry on the #88 tradition to the HOF in Dallas.

[RichardBak]

I remember that Joe Schmidt allowed Pat Swilling to wear his retired No. 56 for a couple seasons, 1993 & 1994. Many thought it was kind of sacrilegious at the time.

[JuggernautJ]

I remember that Joe Schmidt allowed Pat Swilling to wear his retired No. 56 for a couple seasons, 1993 & 1994. Many thought it was kind of sacrilegious at the time.

Along similar lines, Len Dawson would not allow his number to be unretired so that Joe Montana could wear his usual 16 when he went to the Chiefs.

[Brian wolf]

Had to ask Richard ... did the 1957 Lions have a white road or home uniform that had a darker shade of blue for the numbers and stripes on the elbows? Similar to the Colts? I saw a cool throwback #28 jersey for Yale Lary made by Mitchell+Ness and wondered if it was truly authentic for that year?

Sadly, though I could be wrong, it looks like ebetts.com will no longer produce NFL/AFL/AAFC throwback jerseys. They were expensive but beautiful. I have Namath, Alworth, Lenny Moore, Griese, Luckman(wool) and Eller. Had I had the money, I would have gotten Larry Wilson, Jim Taylor, Sayers, Conerly, Mel Hein(wool), Otto and Van Buren. Was hoping Ebetts would produce a Browns jersey for Warfield, a Don Perkins, Raymond Berry, Unitas, Jurgensen and Charley Taylor jerseys from the 60s, but they never did.

[RichardBak]

Had to ask Richard ... did the 1957 Lions have a white road or home uniform that had a darker shade of blue for the numbers and stripes on the elbows? Similar to the Colts? I saw a cool throwback #28 jersey for Yale Lary made by Mitchell+Ness and wondered if it was truly authentic for that year?

Sadly, though I could be wrong, it looks like ebetts.com will no longer produce NFL/AFL/AAFC throwback jerseys. They were expensive but beautiful. I have Namath, Alworth, Lenny Moore, Griese, Luckman(wool) and Eller. Had I had the money, I would have gotten Larry Wilson, Jim Taylor, Sayers, Conerly, Mel Hein(wool), Otto and Van Buren. Was hoping Ebetts would produce a Browns jersey for Warfield, a Don Perkins, Raymond Berry, Unitas, Jurgensen and Charley Taylor jerseys from the 60s, but they never did.

Brian, Lions introduced a new road uniform in 1957 that was exactly as you described, so M-N got it right.

[Brian wolf]

Thanks Richard ... couldnt trust my eyes looking at various uniform changes in Lions history. Getting the Lary jersey.

[Reaser]

Jerry Rice wearing #80 with the Seahawks (Steve Largent) was a Whitsitt debacle.

[Brian wolf]

With Sharpe elected for GB wearing #84, hopefully Dale can at least make HOVG. Andre Rison wore the number as well, when they won their third SB.

Lofton and Rice took their numbers to the Raiders as well.

[Hickerson66]

Sadly, though I could be wrong, it looks like ebetts.com will no longer produce NFL/AFL/AAFC throwback jerseys. They were expensive but beautiful. I have Namath, Alworth, Lenny Moore, Griese, Luckman(wool) and Eller. Had I had the money, I would have gotten Larry Wilson, Jim Taylor, Sayers, Conerly, Mel Hein(wool), Otto and Van Buren. Was hoping Ebetts would produce a Browns jersey for Warfield, a Don Perkins, Raymond Berry, Unitas, Jurgensen and Charley Taylor jerseys from the 60s, but they never did.

I contacted EFF after the recent changes and their customer service informed me that they still had the licenses for the NFL/AFL/AAFC and would be introducing more items in the future. It looks at this moment like they have listed the same baseball items they have had for years, only priced higher.

I got in on some of the massive sales at the end of last year, but I was late to the party and only got a Canadeo jersey, a Browns jacket, and a couple of sweatshirts. I'm hoping the Hickerson jersey they had gets reproduced or I find it on eBay. I'm holding out slim hope because most of the recent football items they produced were first listed between 2019-2021 and didn't sell extremely well. But there's always a chance.

For now it seems M&N is all that is left. I expect that's all we'll have moving forward for a while.