Today's Tidbit... Football Jerseys and the Wizard of Odd

The uniforms of the 1930s had stripes in every direction and every color of the rainbow. Most were added for decorative purposes, while others were functional since the game had not yet developed its conventions for numbering players by position and having the away team wear white or light-colored jerseys.

After stumbling across a mention of a 1930s monstrosity the other day, I searched for a few more; finding them took little time.

1928 Centenary's Stripes

Our story begins in 1928, close enough to the 1930s for our purposes, and down in Shreveport, Louisiana. Shreveport is the home of Centenary College, which ended varsity football in 1947 before bringing it back in 2023. Their 1928 team went 6-3-2, likely aided by their innovative use of friction strips on their jerseys. Most teams, including Centenary, placed friction strips on the front of their jerseys to reduce fumbling and for styling purposes.

(1929 Centenary yearbook)

However, offensive linemen were allowed to go downfield on passing plays back then. That helped with blocking on screen plays but also made it difficult for passers to figure out which downfield teammates were eligible receivers and which were not. Centenary's solution was to place friction strips on the backs of their ends' and backs' jerseys.

The players wearing 45 and 41 likely were pulling guards, while the three backfielders and the left end wore stripes. (1929 Centenary yearbook)

1937 Michigan State's Stripes

Michigan State also placed stripes on their backs and ends jerseys from 1934 to 1938. Charlie Bachman was their coach in those days, and his boys wore black jerseys and gold pants, both at home and away. The problem with wearing black jerseys is that many other teams wore black, navy blue, brown, or other dark-colored jerseys, making it difficult for passers to tell friends from foes.

Bachman's solution was to add white stripes to the eligible receivers' jerseys, though wearing a different-colored jersey might have helped the passing game a bit more.

(1938 Michigan State yearbook)

1938 Creighton is on the Map or the Map is on Creighton

Many schools have small decals showing an outline of their state map on the back of their helmets. Others incorporate the state map into their logos, but Creighton may be the only school to add a sizable map of Nebraska on the back of their jerseys.

(1938 Creighton yearbook)

The Blue Jays added the map for the 1938 season, supporting the state's promotional slogan, "The White Spot of the Nation." The slogan referred to the state's commitment to no sales tax, income tax, and other taxes, commonly added by other states during the difficult 1930s.

Creighton's blue jerseys with the white Nebraska map resulted in substantial publicity, but publicity of the wrong kind. Henry McLemore, a writer for the UPI, teased or mocked Creighton for using their uniforms as part of an advertising campaign. Creighton dropped the Nebraska map jerseys in 1939 and then dropped football entirely in 1942.

(1938 Creighton yearbook)

1938 Kansas Shoulder Stripes

The 1938 Kansas team wore jerseys with stripes on the shoulders and two sets of double stripes on the sleeves. Even the harshest critic of uniform styling can accept the justifications for the three previous jersey oddities. However, Kansas' jerseys had no justification, and the Jayhawks should be doomed to eternal last place in the standings for having worn them.

(1939 Kansas yearbook)

In addition, the Wizard of Oz began filming while Kansas wore those jerseys, and if Dorothy had known about the shoulder stripes, she would never have clicked her heels hoping to go back home.

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