Early Football Gear: Canvas Vests and Union Suits

Early rugby and football players wore light jerseys and pants without pads while running around the field, trying to avoid being tackled, which legally occurred only by defenders grabbing the ball carrier between the shoulders and the waist. Grabbing runners by the torso resulted in the frequent tearing of runners' jerseys, so Ledru P. Smock of Princeton had his tailor make a tight-fitting, long-sleeved canvas jacket that was difficult to grasp or tear. His teammates initially laughed at his outfit until they tried tackling him, after which they converted to wearing similar jackets, tightly laced in front. 

Having not yet adopted Smock’s innovation, the 1879 University of Michigan football team wears unpadded, light cotton shirts and pants. (Bentley Image Bank, Bentley Historical Library)

The long sleeves on Smock's original jacket restricted arm movements, so the Princetonians switched to wearing canvas vests, which they wore for the first time against Harvard in April 1877. Under the vests, Princeton wore shirts with black sleeves and orange stripes, earning them the first college sports nickname, the Tigers. Soon afterward, sporting goods manufacturers offered the sleeved and vest styles that, along with quilted pants, became the standard football outfit until the turn of the century.