The San Francisco 49ers have a logo that many in the NFL consider a classic. While they’ve changed jerseys multiple times–adding (in our opinion an ill-advised) drop shadow in the 90’s–the logo on the helmet has more or less stayed the same since 1968 (other than a dash of gold added in 1996, and a brightening in 2009).

But if newly elected Hall of Famer Eddie DeBartolo Jr. had his way, in 1991 there would have been a massive change. He team President Carmen Policy and coach George Seifert unveiled a new logo, saying it was time for a fresh look.

Fans didn’t agree, and calls came pouring in. Some fans thought it was goofy, others thought it was merely a ploy to get fans to buy new t-shirts (gee, who would’a thunk…). One fan opined that he was worried it meant that the team would soon become the San Jose 49ers (how wrong he was…it’s the Santa Clara 49ers).

Less than a week later, DeBartolo admitted he’d made a mistake, and the team announced they would go back to their previous logo.