Over the years the Pittsburgh Steelers have not changed their uniforms much. There have been slight changes over the years, such as abandoning the block numbers or changing the color of the facemask from grey to black, but nothing drastic. Since the 1970s the Steelers have rocked basically the same jersey which has helped it become so iconic.
The one problem with this is sometimes when the team releases throwback jersey’s it looks nothing like what people recognize. For example, the reaction that people still have to the 2012 throwback release of the 1934 Steelers jerseys, infamously known as the “Bumblebee” jerseys. You either love the or you hate them, and one person who hates them is Pittsburgh native and Steelers long-snapper Christian Kuntz.
Kuntz was on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward Podcast and was asked his thoughts on the Bumblebee jerseys, which have been ranked among the ugliest ever.
“I don’t know about those Bumblebee’s,” said Kuntz. “I hope we don’t bring those back, I’m not gonna lie. I wasn’t a big fan.”
While Kuntz may not be a big fan of the Bumblebee jerseys, the Steelers certainly played well in them. The jerseys were worn from 2012-2016, and in that time Pittsburgh went 4-2 when donning those jerseys, and QB Ben Roethlisberger had one of the greatest games for a quarterback in NFL history when wearing those jerseys when he threw for 522 yards and six touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts.
Nine years ago today we saw Ben Roethlisberger throw 6 TD passes against the Colts! #Steelers #NFL @_BigBen7 pic.twitter.com/uN48lRgeZe
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) October 26, 2023
On a personal level, I remember hating the Bumblebee jerseys when they first came out, but as the Steelers continued to win in them my opinion changed. Winning changes everything and the Steelers having such an iconic game in them, and winning often has certainly changed my view on them.
However, like Kuntz, I don’t think those jerseys should be brought back. Out of the Steelers’ recent throwback jerseys, (the Gold helmet ones of the 2000s and the block numbers of the late 2010s and early 2020s) the Bumblebees feel very tied to the Killer B era. Bringing them back just would feel wrong, unlike how bringing a different throwback jersey back would feel.
The Steelers are due for a new throwback jersey soon, but the question is which one will it be? Given the Steelers have been so consistent with their jerseys over their 90+ years there aren’t many options. Personally, I would be a fan of bringing back the 1960s gold helmet throwback or just renewing the block number throwbacks. There are other options too, like the Batman jerseys of the 1960s which has yet to be used for throwbacks.
Whenever the Steelers make their decision and announcement on a new throwback jersey, you better believe Kuntz is hoping it isn’t the Bumblebee jerseys.
