The Houston Astros are in the World Series for just the second time in franchise history.
It’s been a long time coming for this city. The Astros have been around for a long while with not a whole lot of playoff success to show for it. Astros fans and the city of Houston could use a success story right about now.
In honor of the Astros’ American League pennant victory, let’s take a look at one of the most iconic jerseys in baseball history: their incredible rainbow throwbacks.
When the Houston Astros re-branded from the Colt .45s (a name that would never fly nowadays), they designed a simplistic jersey with navy blue lettering and an orange shooting star on the chest.
In 1975, an ad agency called McCann-Erickson (now just McCann) shouted from the back of the classroom: “Booooring!”
The firm came up with a psychedelic and revolutionary jersey design, utilizing a horizontal-stripe color gradient. The shooting star would be featured prominently still, accompanied by numbers on the pant legs, white circles around the numbers on the back, and a total redesign of the Astros cap.
It was the perfect embodiment of 70s fashion in one simple sports jersey.
The team made a few minor tweaks, namely to the hat and star, and the Astros had a new full-time jersey.
Not just for half the games, either. These threads (known affectionately as the Tequila Sunrise jerseys after the cocktail with the same colors) were worn both at home and on the road. So if these hurt your retinas now, imagine seeing them on a daily basis.
In 1980, a road jersey was introduced to offset the rainbow-striped jerseys. In 1987, the Tequila Sunrises were officially removed from the rotation.
It wasn’t until 2013, when Houston shifted from the National to the American League, that the Tequila Sunrise design would make a comeback.
The orange-and-navy color scheme made a comeback, and the stripes are featured in the under-arms of one of Houston’s main four kits. The full blown 70s throwbacks still make an appearance once in a while.
These jerseys have had a lasting impact on baseball jerseys. The Astros were a major player in the baseball revolution in the 1970s, and similar designs can still be found around the country to this day. They may be the single most 70s jersey in sports history.
How do these threads fare on the Jersey Corner rating scale? Watch the embedded video to find out!
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Coming soon to Jersey Corner: “The Ryan Express” feature story.
