No alibi for these: The 20 ugliest uniforms in sports history

Often, the bad is remembered more than the good. Here's some unfortunate evidence.

April 17, 2020 at 2:10PM
(Brian Stensaas/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

They've been aufed.

Or in this case, they've been resurected in the name of fun.

Remember "Project Runway" and its rise to popularity? (Yeah, uh ... Neither have we. Just read about it once.) It's safe to assume most - if not all - sports uniforms wouldn't stand a chance in any kind of reality fashion show.

Oftentimes the bad is remembered more than the good. In the case of sports uniforms, once a team's look goes classic it's really all downhill. Very, very downhill.

Star Tribune reporters and editors gathered Wednesday night for our third Virtual Happy Hour draft. This week, it was the best of the worst: forgettable sports uniforms.

They range from unattractive to nightmarish to neon. They are local and global. And they are all likely never to see daylight again.

Here are the draft results. If you want to see photos, and how people reacted to the choices during our Virtual Happy Hour, click here:

1. Timberwolves "Tree-Era" jerseys (Chris Carr, sports editor)
2. Nashville Predators all-yellow (Chris Hine, Timberwolves writer)
3. 1960s era Denver Broncos yellow-on-brown (Ben Goessling, Vikings writer)
4. Phoenix Coyotes western-motif (Naila-Jean Meyers, senior assistant sports editor)
5. Vancouver Grizzlies 1990s era teal (Andrew Krammer, Vikings writer)
6. New York Islanders 1995-97 road jerseys (Ken Chia, copy editor)
7. Dallas Stars 1993-94, with Texas shoulder patch (Randy Johnson, Puck Drop editor)

8. Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, "Aboriginal-inspired" figure-skating get-up (Rachel Blount, Olympics writer)
9. White Sox 1976 collared-shirts-and-shorts (Joe Christensen, Gophers editor)
10. Team USA 1999 Ryder Cup Sunday Singles polos (Brian Stensaas, sports website editor)
11. Maryland Terrapins "flag-themed" (Stensaas)
12. Florida Marlins 1993 teal (Christensen)
13. John Daly's pants (Blount)
14. Twins 1999 "Turn Ahead the Clock" large logo (Johnson)
15. Arizona Diamondbacks 2016 road greys with snakeskin speckles (Chia)

16. Pittsburgh Steelers bumblebee alternates (Krammer)
17. Vancouver Canucks red-and-yellow "V" (Meyers)
18. Jacksonville Jaguars brown-mustard color rush (Goessling)
19. Seattle Seahawks neon green color rush (Hine)
20. Kentucky basketball, 1990s stripes and denim (Carr)

Star Tribune Olympics reporter Rachel Blount called out these costumes from the 2010 winter games as "hideous and offensive," and added "no sport can match the sartorial hell of ice dancing."
Star Tribune Olympics reporter Rachel Blount called out these costumes from the 2010 winter games as "hideous and offensive," and added "no sport can match the sartorial hell of ice dancing." (Howard Sinker/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Football writer Andrew Krammer lamented: "Ever wonder what it'd look like if a bee were incarcerated? The NFL has so many bad throwbacks and this, for me, tops them all."
Football writer Andrew Krammer lamented: "Ever wonder what it'd look like if a bee were incarcerated? The NFL has so many bad throwbacks and this, for me, tops them all." (Howard Sinker/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Brian Stensaas

Digital editor, producer, reporter

Brian Stensaas has been with the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2004. He is a digital editor and sports reporter, with experience covering high schools, the NHL, NBA and professional golf.

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