Today's Tidbit... Football's Interlocking Monograms

Uniforms were less uniform in the past. Teams at lower levels and with less money often did well if everyone wore something bluish, reddish, or whatever the team’s color might be. Uniformity was neither the expectation nor the reality for many teams until the 1920s.

Of course, teams whose pockets overflowed with silver wore the latest matching gear, or nearly so. The big buck teams also wore distinctive logos on their uniforms or award sweaters, with some choosing monograms, even interlocking monograms.

American sports have had interlocking monograms since at least 1877, when Tiffany and Co. designed the New York Yankees’ logo. Interlocking monograms were particularly popular with baseball teams, and while football teams leaned toward single-letter logos, interlocked logos also graced the gridiron.

1893 North Carolina football team bearing a two-letter interlocking monogram. (1894 North Carolina yearbook)

Teams had their logos designed and embroidered by the local seamstress or the good folks at Spalding's handled the job. All you had to do was choose your lettering style, the two-, three-, or four-letters in the monogram, and provide them with a sketch of the desired layout. They handled the rest.

The four-letter monogram is for the YMCA. (1909 Spalding's Catalog)

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