Mesh Nfl

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

I have a Bills Richter jersey that is a Sandknit mesh. When did the Nfl stop using mesh jerseys with sewn numbers? Thanks, George

[G1X]

George,

Are you referring to mesh jerseys, or are you referring to "fishnet"/port hole mesh jerseys as seen in the examples below and worn by several NFL teams at various times in the 1970s and '80s such as Buffalo, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Seattle, Washington, Giants, etc.?

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Hi mark. Yes it is fishnet. It is more open than any jersey I've seen. The exclusive Bills tagging and Sand Knit labels I think put it mid or late 80s, but I'm not sure. The nameplate was removed. I was going to replace it. Do you know the style back then or can Date the jersey style? I believe Jim Kelly's rookie card photo shows him wearing one. George

[Gopack1782]

Hey George,

Was that a Jim Ritcher jersey that you had picked up? Very cool if so, he is one of the retired players up at Carter Finley Stadium for his playing days at NC State.

--Vin

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Yes, I purchased. I'm trying to replace the nameplate. Any suggestions? Thanks, George

[G1X]

Hi mark. Yes it is fishnet. It is more open than any jersey I've seen. The exclusive Bills tagging and Sand Knit labels I think put it mid or late 80s, but I'm not sure. The nameplate was removed. I was going to replace it. Do you know the style back then or can Date the jersey style? I believe Jim Kelly's rookie card photo shows him wearing one. George

George,

Please post photos of the jersey and the tags as that will greatly help in narrowing the years that the jersey could have been used. I am not sure when the Bills first started wearing fishnet/port hole mesh jerseys - I would need to do a little research this weekend to find out. Perhaps some Buffalo collectors reading this thread can help out.

It looks like the Bills switched to Champion in 1987, but some players can be seen in 1987 games wearing the Sand Knit fishnets (port hole mesh) while others were wearing the normal-style mesh Champion jerseys in the same game. Teams would often "recycle" jerseys from previous seasons during that era (even if made by a different manufacturer) for use in the current season. See Getty image #73428283 from the Bills-Eagles game of 12/27/87 where Jim Kelly is in a Sand Knit jersey while the lineman pictured is wearing a Champion jersey (difference in style of the number font on Champion jerseys of that era are quite distinctive from other manufacturers). Also check out the numerous Bills-Raiders game photos from three weeks earlier where Kelly is in a Champion and most of the other players are in the fishnet Sand Knit jerseys.

I will be able to tell you a bit more once I view some photos.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Mark,
I'm out of town, but I've style matched the jersey to 1986 / 1987 as you mentioned. There isn't a good amount of wear, so it is hard to tell and the photos were black and white. I'll check out the getty images. Any idea on the nameplates? Were they screened or were they sewn? Thanks, George

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Mark,
The lineman in the photo looks like Richter (51). I believe he used to roll his jersey sleeve under his pads and then tie it tight with tape. I believe that is why you only see the one bar on the sleeve. The jersey I have has spandex side panels as well, which seems to match some of the other photos I've seen.

[G1X]

George,

Yes, many of the Bills cut their sleeves (such as Kelly) and/or cut and tightened their sleeves with tape in that era (many linemen such as Richter). In the particular photo I referenced, Kelly is wearing a Sand Knit and Richter is wearing Champion as the "5" on the Richter jersey has the Champion font as compared to the "5" on their Sand Knit jerseys.

To your earlier question regarding when the Bills used fishnet/port hole mesh, I can photo date the Bills using this style as early as 1980. Regarding the lettering on the plate, I do not know for sure if it was screened-on or sewn-on (or both) during the era they wore fishnet/port hole mesh. I have found photos where they are definitely wearing screened-on letters, but I have not seen photos from every season or had any Bills jerseys from that era. Hopefully, a Bills collector will help out.

I think what will help more than anything is posting photos of the jersey.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net