Shop Houston Colt .45's

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The Houston Colt .45's Collection — Royal Retros Colt .45's Fan Shop

Authentic Houston Colt .45's Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL. The Astros' Original 1962–1964 MLB Identity.

Royal Retros carries the deepest Houston Colt .45's throwback collection on the open web — 16+ products covering authentic 1962–1964 National League jerseys, hats, T-shirts, hoodies, and Houston baseball history apparel honoring the franchise that became the Astros in 1965. Three years of Texas baseball history, the iconic orange-and-navy Colt .45's wordmark with the smoking pistol logo, the original Colt Stadium years before the Astrodome opened. Custom name and number on most jerseys. Sizes Small through 5XL. Most jerseys $64.99–$74.99, hats $24.99–$34.99, tees $29.99 — affordable across the entire collection.

What You Can Shop in the Colt .45's Collection

Houston Colt .45's Jerseys — Throwback flannel-style baseball jerseys featuring the iconic Colt .45's wordmark with the orange-and-navy Texas color palette and home/road styles. Choose twill-numbered replicas, lightweight builds, or full custom orders. Custom name and number available on most styles. Most jerseys $64.99–$74.99; premium flannels $149.99.

Houston Colt .45's Hats — Snapbacks, fitted caps, classic wool caps, dad hats, and trucker styles featuring the Colt .45's cap logo. Mostly $24.99–$34.99.

Houston Colt .45's T-Shirts — Soft-blend tees with vintage logos, Colt Stadium nostalgia graphics, and pre-Astros Houston baseball designs. Sizes S–5XL. $29.99.

Houston Colt .45's Hoodies & Sweatshirts — Heavyweight pullovers and crewnecks for vintage baseball collectors and Houston sports historians.

Houston Colt .45's Jackets and Outerwear — Where available, premium outerwear in the Colt .45's orange-and-navy color scheme.

Customization — Free custom name and number on most jerseys. Pick a Colt .45's original — Bob Aspromonte, Roman Mejias, Rusty Staub (debuted 1963 at age 19), Joe Morgan (debuted 1963 at age 19) — or your own name. Custom orders are final sale and made to order.

Sizes — Small through 5XL on virtually every product. No big & tall upcharge.

Shop the Colt .45's by Era

The Expansion Draft and 1962 Inaugural Season — The Houston Colt .45's were one of two MLB expansion franchises added for the 1962 season alongside the New York Mets. The franchise stocked its roster through the October 1961 Expansion Draft, picking 22 players from existing NL rosters. The team played its inaugural game on April 10, 1962, at Colt Stadium against the Chicago Cubs — winning 11–2. The 1962 Colt .45's finished 64–96, eighth in the 10-team National League, ahead of only the historically bad Mets.

1963 — The Teen Sensation Year — The 1963 Colt .45's became the first MLB team in modern history to start a game with three teenagers in the lineup. On September 27, 1963, against the New York Mets at Colt Stadium, manager Harry Craft sent out 17-year-old Joe Morgan at second base, 19-year-old Sonny Jackson at shortstop, 19-year-old Rusty Staub at first base, 18-year-old Glenn Vaughn at third base, and 18-year-old Aaron Pointer in left field. The teenage starting nine was a deliberate experiment — the franchise was building from the ground up. Joe Morgan would become a Hall of Famer; Rusty Staub would have a 23-year MLB career.

1964 — The Final Colt .45's Season — The 1964 Colt .45's finished 66–96 in their final season under the Colt .45's name. Roman Mejias, Bob Aspromonte, Walt Bond, and Rusty Staub anchored the offense; rookie pitchers Larry Dierker (debuted at 17 in 1964) and Don Wilson developed into the rotation that would carry into the Astros era.

The 1965 Rebrand to the Astros — In April 1965, the franchise opened the Astrodome — the first fully-enclosed, air-conditioned, multipurpose stadium in pro sports — and rebranded as the Houston Astros to match the city's identity as the home of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in 1973). The Colt .45's name was retired primarily because the Colt firearms manufacturer asked for licensing fees the franchise didn't want to pay. The orange-and-navy color scheme stayed for several Astros seasons before transitioning to the famous "rainbow" uniforms of the 1970s and '80s. The Astros eventually won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

Why Royal Retros Is the Home of Houston Colt .45's Throwback Gear

  • The deepest Colt .45's-specific collection on the open web. 16+ products — more than any other vintage retailer carries. Most "vintage MLB" sites carry one or two Colt .45's pieces; we carry the full range.
  • Three-year specialization. The Colt .45's existed for only 1962, 1963, and 1964 — a tight three-season window. Royal Retros' collection covers all three seasons with period-correct designs.
  • Authentic 1960s design. The Colt .45's' orange-and-navy color palette, the script "Colt .45's" wordmark with the smoking pistol logo, the cap logo, period-correct sleeve striping and crest detail.
  • Affordable pricing. Most Colt .45's jerseys $64.99–$74.99. Most hats $24.99–$34.99. All tees $29.99. Premium flannel jerseys $149.99 — significantly under what other vintage-MLB retailers charge for comparable items.
  • Free customization on most jerseys. Add your name and number at no extra cost on eligible items.
  • Sizes Small through 5XL. No big & tall upcharge.
  • Houston baseball cross-shopping. Pair a Colt .45's piece with broader Houston sports streetwear — Texas baseball heritage extending across multiple eras.

Quick Buying Questions

What sizes do Colt .45's jerseys come in?

Small through 5XL on virtually every jersey style. Hats are typically one-size-fits-most (snapback / flex) or fitted in standard cap sizes. We don't upcharge for big & tall sizes.

Can I add my name and number to a Colt .45's jersey?

Yes — most styles offer free customization. Pick a Colt .45's original — Joe Morgan #18, Rusty Staub #10, Bob Aspromonte #14, Larry Dierker #49 — or your own name and number. Look for the "Custom" option on the product listing. Custom items are final sale and made to order, so allow 7–10 business days for production before shipping.

What materials are Colt .45's jerseys made from?

Authentic flannel on select limited pieces, heavyweight twill on most replica jerseys, premium pre-shrunk cotton on T-shirts, and heavyweight cotton blends on hoodies. Period-correct construction wherever historical reference imagery exists.

How accurate is the design?

Color palette (the distinctive orange and navy), lettering style with the smoking pistol logo, sleeve striping, and crest detail are reproduced to match historical 1962–1964 game-worn uniforms wherever reference imagery exists.

Are the Houston Colt .45's the same franchise as the Houston Astros?

Yes — the Colt .45's franchise rebranded as the Astros in 1965 when the Astrodome opened. The same player roster, ownership group, and franchise rights carried directly across. The Colt .45's name was retired primarily due to licensing complications with the Colt firearms manufacturer.

How fast does it ship and what's the return policy?

Standard products ship within 3–5 business days. Custom items (those with personalized name/number) are made to order and ship within 7–10 business days. Custom items are final sale. Standard items follow our return policy at /pages/returns.

Gift Ideas for the Houston Colt .45's Fan

The Colt .45's fan is a specific kind of baseball fan — Texas-rooted, historically literate, often a longtime Astros supporter who knows the franchise's deeper history. A Colt .45's throwback is the deep cut that signals real Houston baseball heritage knowledge.

  • For the Houston Astros fan: A Colt .45's jersey honors the franchise's founding three seasons before the Astrodome and the Astros rebrand. Astros fans who know the deeper history wear Colt .45's gear as a tribute to the 1962–1964 origin story.
  • For the Joe Morgan fan: Hall of Famer Joe Morgan made his MLB debut on September 21, 1963, with the Houston Colt .45's as a 17-year-old. His Colt .45's #18 jersey is the deep cut on Morgan's career — before the Astros rebrand, before his Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame years.
  • For the Rusty Staub fan: "Le Grand Orange" debuted with the Colt .45's at age 19 in 1963. Staub's 23-year MLB career began in Houston before he moved on to Montreal, the Mets, and Detroit. A Colt .45's Staub jersey honors the rookie season.
  • For the Texas baseball historian: The Colt .45's were Texas's first MLB franchise. The Texas Rangers (originally the Washington Senators second iteration) didn't arrive in Arlington until 1972. For a decade, the Colt .45's/Astros were Texas's only MLB baseball.
  • For the expansion-era MLB fan: The 1962 Colt .45's and Mets were the first NL expansion franchises in history. Both struggled mightily in their early seasons but built foundations that would carry both franchises to eventual championships.
  • For Father's Day, holidays, anniversaries: The Colt .45's carry a meaning that generic Astros gear doesn't — they're a specific, narrowly-defined three-season chapter of MLB history, the kind of detail-oriented gift that signals real fandom.
  • Year-round demand. Colt .45's nostalgia is not seasonal.

About the Houston Colt .45's

The Houston Colt .45's were a Major League Baseball franchise that played in the National League for three seasons — 1962, 1963, and 1964 — before rebranding as the Houston Astros for the 1965 season when the Astrodome opened. The franchise was one of two NL expansion teams added for the 1962 season (alongside the New York Mets) as MLB grew from 16 to 18 franchises in response to the previous expansion of the American League with the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Senators (second iteration) for the 1961 season.

The Colt .45's name honored the iconic single-action revolver that defined the American Old West and was strongly associated with Texas frontier identity. The team's color palette was orange and navy, with a distinctive script "Colt .45's" wordmark featuring a smoking pistol below the lettering. The franchise played its home games at Colt Stadium, a 32,000-seat temporary facility built specifically for the team's first three years while the much-anticipated Astrodome — the world's first fully-enclosed, air-conditioned, multipurpose pro sports stadium — was under construction adjacent to it.

The Colt .45's were notable for their commitment to youth: the franchise's farm system was one of MLB's most aggressive, and the team became famous for fielding teenage starting nines. Joe Morgan made his MLB debut at 17. Rusty Staub debuted at 19. Larry Dierker debuted at 17. Sonny Jackson, Aaron Pointer, and Glenn Vaughn all debuted at 18 or 19. The franchise's youth-first approach paid off in the long run — many of the Colt .45's teenagers became foundational Astros players in the 1965+ era.

The Colt .45's name was retired in 1965 in part because the Colt firearms manufacturer asked for licensing fees the franchise wasn't willing to pay, and in part because the Astrodome opening offered a natural rebrand opportunity tied to Houston's emerging identity as the home of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (Mission Control). The Astros name has carried the franchise through World Series championships in 2017 and 2022.

The 1962 Expansion Draft and the Founding Roster

MLB held the National League expansion draft on October 10, 1961, in New York. The Houston Colt .45's and New York Mets each selected 22 players from the existing NL rosters (the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Braves, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals each made 7 players available at $75,000 per pick).

The Colt .45's prioritized younger players with development upside over established veterans, a strategy that distinguished them from the Mets (who built around aging former All-Stars). Notable Colt .45's expansion draft picks included Bob Aspromonte (third baseman, age 23), Bobby Shantz (pitcher), Roman Mejias (outfielder), Hal Smith (catcher), Don Buddin (shortstop), and Norm Larker (first baseman). General Manager Paul Richards traded several of those original picks during the inaugural season for prospects and minor-league talent.

The first Colt .45's regular season game was played on April 10, 1962, at Colt Stadium against the Chicago Cubs. Houston won 11–2. Roman Mejias hit two home runs. Bobby Shantz pitched a complete-game victory. The franchise's first official MLB win came on the first try.

Colt Stadium and the Astrodome — Houston's Baseball Venues 1962–1965

The Houston Colt .45's played their home games at Colt Stadium, a 32,000-seat temporary outdoor ballpark built specifically for the team's 1962–1964 seasons. Colt Stadium was located adjacent to the construction site of the Astrodome, which was being built simultaneously across the parking lot. The temporary nature of Colt Stadium was always understood — the franchise expected to move into the Astrodome as soon as construction completed.

Colt Stadium was famous for two things: heat and mosquitoes. Houston summer day games in the early 1960s — before the Astrodome made indoor baseball possible — were brutal. Players collapsed from heatstroke during games. The mosquito infestation around the swampy Houston site was so severe that the franchise issued bug spray to fans entering games. The temporary stadium became a folk-symbol of the discomfort of pre-air-conditioned Texas baseball.

The Astrodome opened on April 9, 1965, with an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in front of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The first regular-season game at the Astrodome was played on April 12, 1965 — Houston Astros 2, Philadelphia Phillies 0. The franchise had simultaneously rebranded from Colt .45's to Astros and moved indoors for good. Colt Stadium was demolished a few years later; the site is now part of the Astrodome / NRG Stadium complex parking infrastructure.

Joe Morgan, Rusty Staub, and the Colt .45's Teen Lineup

The Houston Colt .45's farm system in the early 1960s was one of MLB's most aggressive at signing and developing teenage talent. The franchise's youth-first approach produced two future Hall of Famers (Joe Morgan, Larry Dierker — the latter as a manager), one beloved 23-year MLB veteran (Rusty Staub), and a roster of supporting players who became foundational Astros for decades.

Joe Morgan was 17 years old when he made his MLB debut for the Colt .45's on September 21, 1963. He was 5'7", 160 pounds, batting left-handed and throwing right-handed, signed out of Castlemont High School in Oakland, California. Morgan went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut. He played 8 games in 1963, 10 games in 1964, and became the Astros' regular second baseman in 1965 (his first full MLB season). Morgan would go on to win two NL MVPs (1975, 1976) with the Cincinnati Reds, anchor the Big Red Machine dynasty, and be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Rusty Staub was 19 years old when he debuted with the Colt .45's on April 9, 1963 — Opening Day. Born Daniel Joseph Staub in New Orleans, "Le Grand Orange" (a nickname earned later in Montreal for his red hair and French-Canadian fan appeal) hit .224 as a 19-year-old rookie but showed enough that the franchise built around him through the early Astros years. Staub had a 23-year MLB career: Houston (1963–68), Montreal (1969–71), the New York Mets (1972–75 and 1981–85), Detroit (1976–79), Texas (1980), and back to the Mets. He retired with 2,716 hits and a .279 lifetime average.

Larry Dierker was 17 years old on his 18th birthday — September 22, 1964 — when he made his MLB debut for the Colt .45's, pitching against the San Francisco Giants. He went on to a 14-year career almost entirely with the Astros (he pitched briefly for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977), made two All-Star teams, and later managed the Astros from 1997 to 2001 (winning four NL Central division titles in five seasons).

The Colt .45's teen-development strategy is now widely credited with building the foundation of the Astros franchise that would compete in the 1980s, win the 2017 World Series, and win the 2022 World Series. A Colt .45's jersey, in this sense, honors not just three seasons of pre-Astros baseball but the talent pipeline that eventually produced two championships.

How to Identify Authentic Colt .45's Throwback Apparel

Authentic Houston Colt .45's throwback gear is genuinely difficult to source — the franchise existed for only three seasons (1962–64), the visual archive is well-documented but the surviving vintage uniforms are rare collector items, and most "vintage MLB" retailers default to the post-1965 Astros branding. Royal Retros is one of a small number of specialty retailers carrying Colt .45's gear at retail. Here's how to evaluate any Colt .45's-era piece:

  • Check the team-specific design. The Colt .45's wore the script "Colt .45's" wordmark with a smoking pistol graphic on home jerseys, with road jerseys featuring "Houston" script. The cap logo was a "Colt .45's" wordmark with a similar pistol element. Authentic throwback gear matches the 1962–1964 design language.
  • Verify period-correct construction. 1960s MLB jerseys used wool flannel with twill or felt lettering, not modern synthetic fabrics. A "vintage" Colt .45's jersey on synthetic fabric is a modern remix or reproduction piece — fine to buy, but not historically accurate construction.
  • Check the orange and navy palette. The Colt .45's' orange is a specific shade — closer to a burnt orange than the brighter Astros orange of the 1970s rainbow era. Off-color reproductions look "almost right" but aren't.
  • Sleeve striping should match the era. The Colt .45's wore distinct sleeve-stripe patterns at different points across their three seasons. Authentic throwbacks reflect those patterns.
  • For customization: Period-correct numbering used a specific block-or-script font family. We use that family on our custom jerseys.
  • Royal Retros standard: Every product in this collection is reviewed for period accuracy before it goes live.

More Frequently Asked Questions About the Houston Colt .45's

Who were the Houston Colt .45's?

The Houston Colt .45's were a Major League Baseball franchise that played in the National League for three seasons (1962, 1963, 1964) before rebranding as the Houston Astros in 1965 when the Astrodome opened. The franchise was one of two NL expansion teams added in 1962 alongside the New York Mets.

Why did the Houston Colt .45's change their name to the Astros?

Two reasons: (1) the Colt firearms manufacturer requested licensing fees that the franchise didn't want to pay, and (2) the Astrodome opening in April 1965 offered a natural rebrand opportunity. The new "Astros" name tied the franchise to Houston's emerging identity as the home of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (Mission Control, opened 1962). The franchise rights, ownership, and roster all carried directly across.

Where did the Colt .45's play their home games?

Colt Stadium — a 32,000-seat temporary outdoor ballpark built specifically for the franchise's 1962–1964 seasons. Colt Stadium was located adjacent to the Astrodome construction site and was demolished after the Astrodome opened in 1965.

Who is the most famous Houston Colt .45's player?

Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who made his MLB debut for the Colt .45's at age 17 on September 21, 1963. Morgan went on to two NL MVP awards (1975, 1976) with the Cincinnati Reds and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Other notable Colt .45's players include Rusty Staub (23-year MLB career, debuted at 19 in 1963) and Larry Dierker (14-year MLB career, later Astros manager, debuted at 17 in 1964).

Did the Houston Colt .45's ever make the playoffs?

No — the Colt .45's never finished higher than eighth in the 10-team National League across their three seasons (64–96 in 1962, 66–96 in 1963, 66–96 in 1964). The franchise's first playoff appearance came in 1980 as the Astros, and the first World Series appearance came in 2005.

How many Colt .45's jerseys does Royal Retros carry?

16+ products across the Houston Colt .45's collection — covering jerseys, hats, T-shirts, hoodies, and gear. The largest Colt .45's-specific collection on the open web. The collection grows as we add new designs each season.

What other defunct or rebranded MLB teams does Royal Retros carry?

The St. Louis Browns (1902–53, became Baltimore Orioles), Seattle Pilots (1969 single MLB season), Washington Senators (multiple defunct iterations), and the broader defunct major league hub.

Where can I find related Royal Retros baseball collections?

Beyond the Colt .45's, Royal Retros covers defunct legacy baseball, the defunct major league hub, the historic minor leagues, the Negro Leagues collection, and regional/city baseball.

Shop Related Houston and Defunct MLB Collections

The Houston Colt .45's at Royal Retros — Authentic 1962–1964 Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL. The Astros' Original MLB Identity.