ALRIGHT TO WEAR WHITE

            As any bride will tell you the most magical day of their life began with pulling on a white outfit. Walking down the isle, the first speech, the first dance, the first kiss as newly wed couple, it all starts with wearing white. 

 

Troy Aikman will tell you the same, as will Peyton Manning, Eli too. All three of these Super Bowl winning quarterbacks won each of their Vince Lombardi trophies while wearing white. In Aikman and Eli’s case they only ever wore white, winning every Super Bowl contested in. Peyton wore white twice, winning twice, and home colours (blue and orange) once each and lost both Super Bowl’s.

 

It may just be superstition, but it’s an oddly accurate and consistent one, wearing white is a lucky omen in the big one. Every Super Bowl, all 57 soon to be 58, have featured at least one team wearing white. It’s been a common theme of late, more so than the first 30-odd years of the NFL, but overall, 37/57 Super Bowl winning sides have worn a clean-cut white uniform. 

“37/57 Super Bowl winnings sides have worn a clean-cut white uniform”

             

Enter a Super Bowl wearing white and there’s about a 65% chance you’ll leave with a ring. At least that’s what the statistics suggest.

The San Francisco 49ers are the latest franchise set to sport the fortuitous colours in Las Vegas on February 11 when they contest their eighth Super Bowl equalling Pittsburgh, Dallas and Denver for the second most Super Bowl’s by franchise. Will the pattern continue? In the last decade eight Super Bowl winning sides have hoisted the Lombardi while in their ‘change’ white uniforms with only two teams breaking this trend. The Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. 

 

The longest stretch in this peculiar tradition is six which has happened on two occasions. In 2005 the New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to kick off half a dozen years of pale shirted winners. 06’ Steelers, 07’ Colts, 08’ Giants, 09’ Steelers and 10’ Saints followed before the Green Bay Packers bucked the trend by prevailing in their historic green and yellow tops during Super Bowl XLV. 

 

After Aaron Rodgers placed that ring on his finger the white tops ran riot again. Eli Manning’s shock win in 2012 before 13’ Ravens, 14’ Seahawks, 15’ Patriots, 16’ Broncos and 17’ Patriots until the Philly green intervened in 2018.

 

Tom Brady wore white when he added rings six in 2019 and seven in 2021. Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, Odell Beckham and the rest of the all-in Los Angeles Rams had their white, road uniforms on two years ago when they won Super Bowl LVI albeit on home turf at SoFi Stadium.

 

Only four teams have a winning record in non-white jerseys. Philadelphia’s one win to date in green, Kansas City with two of three wins in home red, Green Bay winning three of four in the iconic home field green and San Francisco who have lifted three of their five Lombardi’s in the very aesthetically pleasing red and gold unis. 

 

Four teams out of 20 Super Bowl champions. A 20% success rate for the “other” jersey categories. 12 of those 20 sides have won more titles in white uniforms than home colours. A 60% rate. The remaining four sides have won as many in home jerseys as they have in away. However, two of those teams, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins have lost more Super Bowl’s in home colours.

 

Even the goat couldn’t escape the fate of the superstition. In “road colours” Brady’s success rate sat at 83.33% with five wins from six in white uniforms. In home colours, two wins and two defeats, TB12 had just a 50% success rate in Patriots’ navy. Eli Manning really did wonders for the white road jersey community.

 

Even Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl record lends slight credence to the white jersey enigma having won two in change colours and lost one in KC red. 

 

Meanwhile the opposing QB in Las Vegas this coming Sunday, Brock Purdy, is set to make his Super Bowl debut, meaning there are no statistics for him thus far, but “Mr Irrelevant” and his four regular season career defeats don’t help with our investigation having lost two in white and two in 9ers home colours.

 

It’s just a coincidence. It has to be. There can be no direct correlation between wearing alternative uniforms and succeeding on the greatest stage of them all. But with 12 of the previous 15 Super Bowl champions succeeding in white it certainly is an omen that the San Francisco 49ers will gladly acknowledge as they look to end a 30-year championship drought and join New England and Pittsburgh as the NFL’s most decorated side.