My curiosity was piqued because Sando revealed that the decision leaves No. 84 available for free agent Bobby Engram, if he chooses to return to the Seahawks. I was under the impression that wide receivers could only wear Nos. 10-19 if Nos. 80-89 were already taken. When only Nos. 80-89 were designated for wide receivers and tight ends, it became possible to run out if you carried more than six wide receivers and three tight ends on the roster.
But apparently I missed the memo. Prior to the 2004 season, the NFL changed the rules so wide receivers can use the No. 10-19 if they are rookies or on a new team. Numbers matter to many athletes as superstition, identity or homage (Chad Ocho Cinco, nee Johnson, wears No. 84), and ESPN.com exquisitely documented that several rookies jumped at the change.
Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints, wore No. 5 in college and tried to get the NFL to change their rules in 2006. The league considered a proposal to allow position players to wear Nos. 1-49, but it was never approved.
For a brief overview of why the NFL assigns numbers based on positions, and what the classifications are, read this Wikipedia post.
And, down the rabbit hole
I'm a big Randy Moss fan, and knew he wore No. 18 as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings during the preseason before switching to No. 84. He went back to No. 18 during his Oakland years to channel some of his youth:
"I saw 18 on the list and I just went with it. I just thought about me leaving Minnesota, coming here to Oakland to make a new start, and going back to the number that really brought me into this league. Dangerous -- and I want to get back to being a dangerous football player."
When Boston Globe's Mike Reiss reported last year that Moss would wear No. 81 (the inverse of No. 18) with New England, he revealed "[Moss] had actually warmed to the idea of wearing No. 6 -- the amount of points awarded for a touchdown -- but was required to make the switch."
Still deeper in Wonderland
The comments on this 2008 post on Uni Watch, an excellent blog about everything associated with sports uniforms, answered some of my other questions (and raised some others).
At least two tight ends -- Washington's Chris Cooley and Indianapolis' Dallas Clark -- currently wear numbers in the 40s (44 and 41 respectively), presumably because they can be considered H-backs (an uncommon hybrid position of a fullback, halfback and tight end).
And, yes, Keyshawn Johnson wore No. 19 as the No. 1 overall pick for the New York Jets in 1998 well before it was allowed. As the aforementioned ESPN.com article explains:
This trend toward teen numbers can be traced directly to the Dallas Cowboys' No. 19.
"Follow me," Keyshawn Johnson said in the Cowboys' locker room. "It's nothing new. Seems like I always set a standard."
According to the Jets, all of their jerseys in the 80s were taken when Johnson was the No. 1 draft choice in 1996. He was given No. 19, standard procedure for a new player. But after the final cuts were made and some 80s became available, Johnson fought hard to hang onto No. 19. For reasons even the NFL can't quite explain, Johnson was allowed to keep the number.
That same year, some veteran receivers petitioned the league for numbers in the teens, but were denied.
"Keyshawn found a loophole," explained Gene Washington, the NFL's director of operations. "He was very persistent. The next year, we closed the loophole."
"I always wanted to be different," Johnson said. "I didn't want to be like everybody else. And the one thing I could do to identify myself to the fans and the world was by wearing a different number as an outsider."
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