Cowboys Country

Color TD: Cowboys and Bears Set For Unique Blue & Orange Uniform Look

The Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears will bring a new definition to Sunday best when they do battle at AT&T Stadium.

Geoff Maggliocchetti

In this story:

Orange you glad the Dallas Cowboys are wearing blue?

If superstition is to be believed, the Chicago Bears might be: Dallas is set to break out their supposedly unlucky blue uniforms (with, our Mike Fisher reported last week, white pants) at home. Though the phenomenon has been debunked on several occasions (Dallas, in fact, is 2-0 wearing blue this season), Chicago is opting to get in on the colorful fun: the Bears have confirmed that they will break out their full-on orange look, which includes an inversed helmet, the wishbone C going navy for the splashed headgear.

Featuring colors on both sides is a rare phenomenon in the NFL, though the Cowboys have been frequent participants in such games, thanks primarily to their Thanksgiving tradition. How have they fared in the past?

2001: Orange Crushed

In the midst of the dreary 2001 season ... trapped in a two-win mire as they prepared to do holiday battle ... the Cowboys became so desperate for success that they not only turned to the remodeled throwback they wore during the 1994 season but they also hired famed draft day washout Ryan Leaf to serve as one of the many heads of the post-Troy Aikman quarterback hydra.

Dallas' opponent for that fourth Thursday was the Denver Broncos, who, like the Bears after them, likewise went orange, their look being a resurrection of the famed "Orange Crush" aesthetic that defined their early history. Among those ledgers was a 27-10 loss in Super Bowl XII, which famously yielded the only case of dual MVPs in Big Game history. 

Harvey Martin and Randy White probably couldn't have done much more for Dallas that afternoon: the Cowboys allowed only 279 yards but couldn't overcome a 23-point fourth quarter deficit despite a late rally. Even that, however, was defined by turn-of-the-century silliness, as head coach Dave Campo was criticized for kicking an extra point in lieu of an attempted double after Reggie Swinton's punt return tally narrowed the gap. The 26-24 loss is perhaps best remembered for its halftime show featuring Creed, which has gained a bit of a cult following amongst football fanatics.

2002: Washed, But Winning

Undeterred, the Cowboys once again tried to channel victorious energy from the prior decade, once again wearing their revamped inaugural look when Steve Spurrier's Washington Redskins came to visit for Thanksgiving. In the midst of celebrating its 75th anniversary, Washington likewise dressed for the occasion, wearing a modified uniform from the 1960s featuring a Florida State-style spear on the helmet. 

Though they fell behind by two possessions in the third quarter, 17 unanswered points wound up paving the way to victory. Roy Williams took back a short Danny Wuerffel interception for a score before Joey Galloway hooked up with Chad Hutchinson from 41 yards out to seal the deal. 

Dallas won the game 27-20, but it wound up being their final win of the season, concluding the campaign with four losses in a row. It also became Campo's final victory at the helm of the Cowboys, as he was dismissed to make room for Bill Parcells. 

2004: Keeping Up with the Jonses

Ironically enough, Sunday won't be the first time that the Cowboys and Bears each go for colored threads: they previously did so for their 2004 Thanksgiving Day meeting. Dallas fully embraced its inaugural look with an exact replica (complete with the rudimentary star on the helmet) while Chicago's orange look was meant to emulate the George "Papa Bear" Halas days. 

Those watching Sunday can only hope that the modern Boys and Bears put on a better show: four quarterbacks united for six turnovers and only 307 yards of offense, as the two teams perfectly showcased why they were so far away from the NFC playoff picture. One of those throwers was Dallas' Drew Henson, the former touted baseball prospect that threw for 31 yards on 12 attempts before being lifted for incumbent starter Vinny Testaverde. It wound up being the only start of Henson's brief NFL career. 

The lone bright spot was a fraternal fracas between Julius Jones and his brother Thomas, the latter of whom served as the Bears' top running back. Julius the younger wound up getting the last laugh, rushing for 150 yards and the difference-making scores in a 21-7 Cowboy triumph. 

2009: Austin's Power

A metroplex civil war erupted in Kansas City in 2009, as the Kansas City Chiefs, partaking in the 50th anniversary of the American Football League, reassumed the identity of the Dallas Texans for a day, ironically wearing helmets bearing the state of Texas against the Cowboys. Dallas came prepared, wearing the aforementioned original look. 

In Cowboy lore, this contest will always be remembered as the "Miles Austin Game," the Monmouth alum breaking loose for a franchise single-game record 250 yards on an overcast day at Arrowhead Stadium. The final 60 proved most vital, as Austin united with Tony Romo for the walk-off tally of a 26-20 triumph. 

2017: High Boltage

The Cowboys' most recent color-on-color excursion ... a trend made more popular by the introduction of the NFL's polarizing "Color Rush" uniform initiative ... was one to forget, as the Los Angeles Chargers' holiday visit five years ago had many fans throwing up their Thanksgiving dinners. 

In a game that featured more blue than a Costco-sized Windex purchase, the Cowboys (dressed in their traditional road jersey) were unable to stop the Chargers' offense, surrendering 434 yards from the arm of Phillip Rivers alone. With their scoring limited to a two-yard rush from Rod Smith, the Cowboys left the color era behind until this Sunday, where they'll look to erase a 28-6 interconference loss. 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Maggliocchetti
GEOFF MAGGLIOCCHETTI

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