Wilson was the exclusive supplier of uniforms to the Lions for the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons.
All Wilson jerseys in this segment of my Lions collection have (coded) year of manufacture tags from within
those three years.
In 1991 the embroidered NFL shield was added, located beneath the point of the collar. In 1992 the shield
was placed upon the point of the collar.
In 1991 the Lions wore the "JRT" memorial patch, honoring GM Russ Thomas. In 1993 they wore the "60 Seasons"
patch, and in 1994 they wore the League's 75th Anniversary patch.
Although Apex became the exclusive supplier in 1994, some Wilsons from the three previous seasons continued
to be worn. Game photos from 1994 confirm this. Further, they show the "W" sleeve emblems were removed
from many, but not all, of the Wilson jerseys that season.
My Wilsons re-used in 1994 have their original, correct NFL 75th Anniversary patches (with the hidden, three-letter
code) intact.
The road Wilsons had navy blue lettering on the nameplates. Honolulu Blue lettering, matching the numbers, did
not begin until the Apex jerseys in 1994.
Wilson also manufactured a line of 'authentic' jerseys, for retail sale.
