Some football jerseys elicit special memories due to a moment of glory; other kits are favoured simply because of their beauty; then there are tops that reflect significant periods in a club’s history. Some extra special kits combine all of the above! When Hibernian players climbed the steps of Hampden to lift the Scottish League Cup in November 1991, not long after the club had almost gone out of business, their jerseys were fit for the occasion.
Hibernian’s 1991/92 jersey is often cited as the club’s greatest of all time. Kit manufacturer Adidas made some stylistic adjustments from the previous season. Rather than a straight cut between the green body and white shoulders, a curved line was introduced. The pattern of the green brought to mind some of Adidas’ most famous jerseys of the era, such as the Netherlands Euro 88 shirt and West Germany’s away kit from the 1990 World Cup. Due to a sponsorship deal with Frank Graham Group ending, Hibs played without a sponsor on their jerseys during season 91/92, adding to the kit’s cult status.
A couple of years earlier, embracing the world of sports’ marketing, Hibs had rebranded the club badge. Designed to be ‘modern and representative of Hibernian at the end of the 20th Century,’ the oval crest with diagonal band across the front didn’t please everyone. It came to be known as the ‘planet Saturn’ badge and was often likened to a beer mat or bottle label. Despite mixed reviews, the badge remained in place until 2000, and adorned Hibs jerseys during some of the club’s most tumultuous years.
‘The Team That Wouldn’t Die’
The champagne enjoyed by Hibs fans after victory at Hampden in 1991 tasted sweeter than normal given that, only a matter of months earlier, their club had almost played its last-ever match.
In the summer of 1990, and with Hibs on the brink of financial ruin, Wallace Mercer, chairman of Hibs’ city rivals Hearts, proposed a merger between the two Edinburgh clubs. The fury of Hibs fans sparked a ‘Hands off Hibs’ movement, which, ultimately, led to Edinburgh entrepreneur Sir Tom Farmer buying Hibs’ share capital from receivers and saving the club from potential extinction.
The exhausting campaign to save the club’s future had a big impact on Hibs’ on-field performances. In season 1990/91, Hibs finished second from bottom in the Premier Division. An announcement half way through the campaign that there would be no relegation from the top flight – due to a restructuring that would see two teams added to the Premier Division to create a 12-team league in season 91/92 – saved Hibernian from a potential scrap with bottom of the table St Mirren.
However, the following campaign, Alex Miller’s side played with renewed vigour and secured the club’s first major trophy since 1972 when they beat Dunfermline in the League Cup Final. A fifth place finish in the league brought a UEFA Cup spot and the return of European football to Easter Road.
The Hibs side of this era is affectionately known as ‘The Team That Wouldn’t Die’, and Adidas ensured that fans have a classic kit to recall a time when their club took the fight to their opponents – on and off the park – and won.
Who wore it?
- Gareth Evans
- Murdo MacLeod
- Tommy McIntyre
- Mickey Weir
- Keith Wright
Scottish Football Stories 
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