The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division.
The Eagles have a long and storied history, having been founded in 1933. They have won 4 NFL championships (pre-Super Bowl era) and 1 Super Bowl (LII in 2018). The Eagles are known for their passionate fan base and iconic team colors of midnight green, black, charcoal and silver.
In relation to their color scheme, the Eagles’ official primary color is commonly referred to as “Eagles green” or “midnight green.” This distinct shade of dark green has been closely associated with the Eagles’ visual identity since the 1960s.
Origins of Eagles Green
Up until the 1950s, the Eagles wore various shades of blue and yellowish-gold. In 1954, the team adopted kelly green as their official uniform color. Kelly green served as the Eagles’ signature look throughout the next few decades.
However, in the 1960s, the Eagles started transitioning to a darker shade of green. According to team legend, the new color was chosen partly due to former Eagles quarterback Norm Van Brocklin. Van Brocklin supposedly disliked how the kelly green uniforms looked on color television, appearing too bright or even yellowish. This spurred the switch to a deeper forest green tone.
The new shade, eventually known as Eagles green, debuted on some uniforms starting in 1969. It was adopted as the team’s official primary color in 1973 under new owner Leonard Tose. The Eagles have used variations of this dark green ever since.
Hex Code and RGB Values
Over the years, the exact hue of Eagles green has gone through minor tweaks and reformulations. However, it has remained within the same basic color family. Today, the official Eagles green is considered to be a very dark cyan color.
In hex triplet code, the RGB (red, green, blue) values for the current Eagles green are:
- R = 0
- G = 76
- B = 84
This hex triplet code converts to the hex value #004C54. In the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, the percentages are:
- C = 89%
- M = 45%
- Y = 67%
- K = 67%
| Color Model | Values |
|---|---|
| RGB | R = 0, G = 76, B = 84 |
| Hex Triplet | #004C54 |
| CMYK | C = 89%, M = 45%, Y = 67%, K = 67% |
Comparison to Other Greens
Compared to lighter greens, Eagles green is much deeper and saturated. For example, it is considerably darker than the green used by the New York Jets (PMS 343 C).
Eagles green also differs significantly from the kelly green the team previously wore. While they are both shades of green, kelly green is brighter and contains more yellow undertones.
When placed side-by-side with forest green, Eagles green appears very similar but slightly bluer. It falls somewhere between forest and pine green on the color wheel. The team’s silver accents help Eagles green stand out more than a typical dark green.
Use in Uniforms and Logos
Eagles green serves as the predominant uniform color for the Philadelphia Eagles. It is used as the primary shade on their jerseys, pants, helmets, and other apparel.
The Eagles incorporate black, white, and silver as secondary accent colors. Their current home uniforms feature green jerseys with white numbers and stripes, white pants, and a black helmet. The away uniforms use white jerseys with green numbers and stripes, green pants, and a white helmet.
In the past, the Eagles have also experimented with alternate uniforms featuring different shades of green, as well as black and silver jerseys. The hue and saturation of the green has varied slightly over time, but generally stays true to the classic Eagles green.
Beyond uniforms, Eagles green is heavily utilized in the team’s visual branding and marketing. Their official logo contains a prominent Kelly green outline around a silver eagle. The iconic shade has become synonymous with the Eagles franchise and their hometown of Philadelphia.
Psychology of Eagles Green
It is believed that the dark green elicits a sense of strength, power, and aggression – traits often associated with the game of football. Green is also connected to nature, growth, health, and rejuvenation.
Darker shades of green are considered masculine colors and convey a sense of security, duty, and resilience. Therefore, Eagles green presents the team as being resilient, intimidating opponents, deeply connected to the local Philadelphia community, and bound by a duty to perform well for their passionate fanbase.
For Philadelphia fans, Eagles green represents the gritty, blue-collar attitude of their city. It matches the tough, physical style of football traditionally played by Eagles squads. Seeing Eagles green inspires feelings of strength, unity, and civic pride among local fans.
Use by Fans
Eagles fans proudly wear the team’s green colors to show their support on game days. Through the years, fans have sported Eagles green face paint, jerseys, shirts, jackets, hats, and other apparel on the streets of Philadelphia and at Lincoln Financial Field.
Some die-hard fans have taken it a step further by tailgating in green buses, trucks, or even funeral hearses. Many restaurants, bars, and other local businesses in the city feature Eagles green interiors and exteriors to appeal to the team’s big fan base.
During the Eagles’ successful playoff run culminating in their 2018 Super Bowl win, the city became an immense sea of Eagles green. Fans went wild celebrating the team’s victory by donning Eagles green everything – clothing, wigs, banners, signs, confetti, and more.
Conclusion
In summary, the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature green color is a very dark cyan known as Eagles green with hex code #004C54. Compared to lighter greens, Eagles green is much deeper and saturated. It has been closely associated with the Eagles franchise and Philadelphia fans for over 50 years.
Eagles green represents the team’s resilience, intimidating defense, connection to Philadelphia, and the passionate support of their loyal fans. Both the players and supporters wear the iconic color with pride as a symbol of the Eagles’ gritty identity and winning tradition.
