Yes, we’re still having server problems. So you still can’t leave comments or view the archives. But at least I can post new content, so…
Wisconsin is my favorite state — and that was before reader Karl Anderson pointed me toward the striped socks that the UW basketball team wore back in the 1940s — yee-haw! The pinnacle apparently came in 1941, when UW hosted the Eastern Regional Tournament, whose participants included the similarly stripe-centric UNC. UW had cool belted satin shorts, too. And dig the excellent jackets and caps the coaching staff got to wear. And to put this all in perspective, check out the shorts and socks the hoops team was wearing in 1905!
Turns out that the UW photo archives are a goldmine of great stuff. Here’s a sport-by-sport breakdown:
Football: Here’s the very first UW football team, circa 1889. Note that the guy holding the ball has a vest, and the guy next to him appears to have different typography than everyone else. … Ten years later, the uni looked like this. … Great shot here of the school’s old “W” helmets. … Speaking of the “W,” check out the massive letter on Alan Ameche’s sideline jacket. … And speaking of Ameche, dig his totally rulin’ All-America sweater. … Weirdest shot of all: the football team’s 1910 human mascot (a child, not a dwarf, according to the archives, but kinda disturbing either way).
Baseball: Here’s the school’s 1885 baseball team. Is that a primitive mask the catcher’s holding? … By 1959, the team was going with a zipper-front jersey.
Hockey: I think this photo has appeared in the ticker at some point but it’s worth repeating — if not for the stripes, than for the eyewear. It’s from 1929, and the team was apparently still striped to the gills in 1938.
Women’s Sports: Those poor Badger gals got saddled with some pretty poofy garb — check out these shots of women’s baseball (here and here), basketball (here and here), and track and field (here, here, and here).
Miscellaneous: This is a 1907 shot of Biddy Rogers, who lettered in three sports. I think this is his basketball uni — interesting shorts. … Love the sashes in this shot of the 1903 track team. The guy on the left in the front row is George Poage, the first black American to win an Olympic medal. … More track and field in this 1927 shot. Typography looks mighty close to the current Red Sox font, no? … Nice boxing shot here. Note that the Washington State fighter is wearing headgear, while the Badger is bare-headed. … Before Eric Heiden won all those gold medals for speed skating, he played soccer at UW.
And so on. To see the full UW sports archive, look here.
