At Sixes and Sevens: How the NFL’s Jersey Numbering Rules Have Evolved

National Football League: How the NFL’s Jersey Numbering Rules Have Evolved

Updated Jul. 29, 2025, 6:33 p.m. ET

When fans nestled into Knights of Columbus Stadium in East Orange, New Jersey, back in 1929 to catch a glimpse of their new NFL team, it was easy for them to spot their favorite players. However, it wasn’t the numbers on their jerseys that made it so identifiable. The players of the Orange Tornadoes actually sported letters on their backs. This peculiar approach never really took off — in fact, no one is documented to have bought an “E” jersey to honor quarterback George Pease — and it lasted only a single season. It serves as a reminder that jersey numbers weren’t always the integral part of sports we know today. There was a time when fans couldn’t distinguish one NFL player from another, even with a program in hand.

As quarterback and captain for Columbia University, George Pease wore a number, but upon joining the NFL, he donned the letter E. (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

Initially, the amateur Detroit Heralds introduced numbers on their jerseys in 1905 to generate fan interest in their players, but the NFL only suggested that teams adopt this practice when it was formed in 1920. It took several years for all the teams to comply.

By the late 1920s, every NFL player had numbered jerseys, usually not exceeding No. 25, as rosters were capped at 22 players. dreamleague 21 A few standout exceptions existed, like Bears star halfback Red Grange, who wore No. 77, the same number he had in college at Illinois. (That’s the Galloping Ghost in the banner photo above, alongside Bears founder George Halas.) As NFL rosters grew, the league’s numbering system underwent significant changes. In fact, until 1952, no official “system” existed. Players could generally choose any number they wanted — or, more accurately, any number assigned by their team. However, in 1952, the NFL adopted a new system that had been in use in college football for years, assigning numbers to players that loosely corresponded with their offensive positions. Backs (who typically played defensive back on defense) wore numbers between 10 and 49, while offensive linemen wore numbers from 50 to 89.

This system had peculiarities, as it oddly excluded fullbacks and tight ends (positioned as linebackers on defense), who were free to choose any number. Similarly, ends (receivers) also had free reign over their numbers but typically donned numbers in the 80s, the same ones they wore while playing as defensive backs.

This loosely organized system remained until 1973, when, after merging with the AFL, the NFL established a strict system with specific rules for player numbers at certain positions. Over the next 50 years, as rosters continued to expand and many numbers became officially or unofficially retired, the NFL made various adjustments. However, it retained the recognizable system familiar to players and fans alike: kickers in the single digits, quarterbacks from 10-19, running backs and defensive backs in the 20s and 30s, linebackers in the 40s and 50s, offensive linemen in the 60s and 70s, receivers and tight ends in the 80s, and defensive linemen wearing numbers in the 90s.

The league also banned the use of No. 0 and No. 00 in 1973, though only three players in NFL history had ever worn those numbers. The last was Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto, who was permitted to keep wearing the number that aligned with the letters at both ends of his name. Jim Otto wasn’t about to abandon No. 00 when the NFL implemented new numbering rules in 1973. (Digital First Media Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)

In 2021, the NFL shifted its rules again, allowing players the freedom of numerical expression they had long desired. Two years later, the league even permitted players to wear No. yue blacklist 0 — although not No boybits victoria pba. 00 for some reason — marking the first time in 50 years they could. Then-Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley became the first of over a dozen players in recent seasons to sport the number zero, including Bears running back D’Andre Swift and Giants edge rusher Brian Burns. With this change, the NFL finally adopted today’s very expansive, yet somewhat stringent, numbering system:

1. Quarterbacks: 0-19
2. Punters/kickers: 0-49, 90-99
3. Defensive backs: 0-49
4. Running backs/tight ends/receivers: 0-49, 80-89
5. Offensive linemen: 50-79
6. Defensive linemen: 50-79, 90-99
7. Linebackers: 0-59, 90-99

Designated long-snappers also have the freedom to wear any number, though the number they choose will determine any other positions they are allowed to play during a game. jefferson jordan player bren victress

This system has become so broad that a scorecard is almost necessary to tell the players apart, as a player wearing Nos. 0-49 can theoretically play any position, provided they don’t line up on either line. At least they are no longer wearing letters — except for the “C” on the chests of team captains, that is.

This honors the legacy of the 1929 Orange Tornadoes, including end and tackle Johnny Tomaini, who remains the only player ever to wear an NFL jersey featuring the letter X.

What do you think about the evolution of jersey numbering in the NFL?