Cincinnati Post February 11th 1997

 The Bengals are on a tiger hunt.

For only the third time in their 30-year history, the Bengals are considering a change in the design of their jerseys, pants and socks, said Mike Hoffbauer, the club's director of marketing.

The Bengals are trying to work a tiger into their uniform logo concept. They expect a decision within two to three weeks.

"NFL Properties Inc. sent us a book two inches thick with different tiger pictures that could be used as a possible logo," said Hoffbauer. "We have to make sure what we choose is not too close to something that is copyrighted."

NFL Properties markets and approves all logo-wear and souvenir items for NFL clubs.

Bengals officials liked one or two concepts and asked NFL Properties to submit a model jersey or two, with pants and socks.

"What we saw on paper was really attractive," said Hoffbauer, "but it did not have the same effect on fabric as it did on paper."

Hoffbauer said the Bengals are waiting for NFL Properties to modify the changes so they will look good on the uniforms.

"We are at the mercy of the NFL's artists, and if we don't like the changes that they make, we may just stay with what we have for now," Hoffbauer said.

Regardless, the Bengals will retain their stripes, and the black, orange and white color scheme as well, said Hoffbauer.

"One thing that will not change is the helmet," said Hoffbauer. "We did a lot of focus group work here in town and the consensus was, 'Don't change the helmet.'

"Our helmet affords us instant recognition, especially on television, where you have no trouble telling who is playing. We will keep the stripes on the uniforms, but we may add a tiger or make some other change."

Hoffbauer said Bengals players asked about a uniform which featured a black jersey and black pants for home games, or white or orange jerseys with black pants.

"But the concept just doesn't work," Hoffbauer said.

So the black jerseys and white pants for home games and the white jerseys and white pants for road games are likely to remain - just in a different form.

The present uniforms - especially the stripes pattern - were not always a favorite of the fans or the players when the first change in the logos was made in 1981 by the late Paul E. Brown, who founded the club.

The original Bengals helmet, first unveiled in 1967, was orange and had the word BENGALS on the side. The uniforms were black, orange and white and looked like the Cleveland Browns uniforms, except Cincinnati's were black and orange instead of burnt orange and seal brown.

While Hoffbauer would not say so, other sources indicate the Bengals are among the bottom four in the league in souvenir and logo-item sales.

DAYTON BARS SUED - The NFL has filed a lawsuit against four Dayton-area bars that allegedly intercepted satellite signals and showed patrons Bengals games that had been blacked out.

The NFL identified the bars as North Riverdale Athletic Club, McGuffy's House of Draft, Clancy's Tavern and MacDiggers Pub.