Johnson did the drawing and a stitcher executed the design. • Since the Pirates were getting new uniforms to go with their new stadium, Johnson thought the Steelers should get a makeover as well. NL Centennial sleeve patch added in 1976. 1991-94. Who designed their uniforms? Black and gold are still mixed and matched, both at home and on the road. "But they had just started to get good, and Dan Rooney said it would be bad luck to change the uniform when the team was finally winning," says Johnson. "So I came up with a buttoned waistband. Rawlings. Uni Watch reader Jerry Wolper, then 12 years old, was there that night at Three Rivers. When you think of the Pittsburgh Pirates' uniforms from the 1970s, you naturally think of the team's mix-and-match bumblebee set and those pillbox … The city crest on the sleeves was replaced with a “P”. In 1929-30 (LEFT) the Pirates switched to black and orange uniforms for their fifth and final season. "We didn't see the new ones until Dock [Ellis] went out to warm up. That's what I was going for.". --> But the Pirates rarely receive credit for another 1970s innovation, one that completely remade baseball's visual landscape, and whose 40th anniversary passed earlier this month with nary a mention. Contact him here. The word “Pirates” written in arched, blocked lettering. Pittsburgh’s first NHL team in 1925. A knit fabric would be used for a polo shirt -- it has much more "give.")