Today's Tidbit... From Canvas to Wool

Football teams have always been style conscious, though their preferred uniform materials and designs have changed quite a bit. Footballers wore light jerseys and knickers early on but began switching in the late 1870s to canvas jackets or vests and canvas pants designed by Princeton’s Ledru P. Smock. Sold separately and later as a union suit that kept tacklers from grabbing the top of the pants, players wore team-colored jerseys or sweaters underneath the vests.

c. 1907 Spalding's catalog offering union suits and separate.

Throughout the time that players wore canvas uppers, many players wore sweaters only, so teams often had a mix-and-match look about them.