Got Your Number…
by CJ Sanchez
4/6/2008
 
There are 128 retired jersey numbers in the NFL. It used to be fairly common practice for teams to honour former players with this grand gesture, until that was, somebody realised that jersey numbers were not in unlimited supply.
 
As a result the ceremony has become reserved for only the truly finest of players. Marshall Faulk for example, had his famous number 28 retired just this season and put on display for future generations to marvel at. It's a nice idea and a novel approach to remembrance, but to be honest, it's not something I particularly like.
 
Retired jersey numbers went a long way towards a change in the numbering rules in 2004, which allowed wide receivers to wear numbers 10-19 as well as the usual 80-89. Some teams were literally running out of numbers to give their receiving corps and the added problem of unusable retired numbers was not helping. And you know what? I've never been happy with that change.
 
Formerly the only players permitted to wear #1-19 were Quarterbacks, Punters and Kickers. If you wore those numbers you either threw the ball or kicked it and that was that. You sat behind the safety of the line like a general and dictated where the ball would go. And as a fan, you knew where you were with those low numbers. They were the special guys, the ones called in to do a job, not just sprint downfield or get in the way.
 
But nowadays these low numbers can be seen blocking on run plays and running hot routes with the rest of the crowd. Do I take the number on a guys back a bit too seriously? You're damn right I do. Although, I do own a #19 Ted Ginn Junior jersey… *Ahem* but that's not compromising my beliefs at all and don't you suggest it!
 
However, back to the issue at hand; the retiring of digits on a shirt.
 
There are some players (and very few of them) that I might be willing to look the other way for. Guys like Johnny Unitas, Lawrence Taylor or Barry Sanders I can live with. The #12 retired by the Seahawks to represent the 'twelfth man' I cannot. And don't get me started on the #31 retired by the Buffalo Bills to represent the 'spirit of the franchise'. At least they realised how ludicrous that was and un-retired it again back it in 1990.
 
The Chicago Bears are the team with the biggest penchant for dispensing the honours, with no less then thirteen retired jerseys. And there may be a fourteenth one on the cards as Mike Singletary's #50 has not been reissued since his retirement in 1992. Perhaps this is because 'Da Bears are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, but then again so are the Pittsburgh Steelers and they only have one retired jersey. In fact, the Steelers no longer retire jersey numbers, despite several 'unofficial' retirements.
 
There are five teams that have never retired a jersey. You may be thinking that all of these are newer teams introduced during league expansion, but you'd be wrong. Although The Ravens, Texans and Jaguars fit this bracket, the Cowboys and Raiders most certainly do not. Both of these older teams have the full NFL numerical spectrum available to them, although the Cowboys have four numbers that have not been reissued since their respective player's retirement. (#8 Troy Aikman, #12 Roger Staubach, #22 Emmit Smith and #74 Bob Lilly)
 
The first time this honour was bestowed on a football player was in 1935 and fittingly, it was the number 1 worn by New York Giants Ray Flaherty. Flaherty is widely credited with introducing the behind the line screen pass to the game, which lets face it, is a pretty big deal. He is also the first sportsman in any major sport ever to have his jersey number retired.
 
Frustratingly for a writer trying to sound impressive, there is no standout number with more retirees then any other. No number tops five retirements and there are four with that same amount (#7, #12, #40 and #70). There are however, many numbers that as of yet, do not have a retiree. #2, #6, #9, #17, #21, #23… I could go on.
 
Defensive end Reggie White is the only player who has had his number retired by two teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers and is also the only #92 in the list.
 
The question should be asked though; with the hall of fame inducting new players every year and honouring them with their own ceremony (and museum), how necessary is it for individual teams to give up a jersey number for them for all of time. There must come a point eventually, albeit a long way in the future, when retiring numbers just isn't practical any more. And what happens then? Do teams start un-retiring the numbers of guys nobody can remember?
 
I don't see why we can't be happy with simply displaying a large jersey of each team's former greats in their stadiums, rather then not allowing any other player to wear it. It is only a number on a jersey after all; it's the players who wore them that really matter.