Jerseys

From the game's earliest days through about 1970, every player wore a jersey made of wool flannel. Manufacturers included Spalding, Rawlings, McAuliffe, Wilson and many others. Some players recall how miserable it was wearing one on a hot muggy day in the Eastern United States in July or August, which explains why they were replaced with jerseys made of synthetic fibers a half century ago. Today, those old flannels that survived are highly sought
after as collectibles.

Here are some major league flannel jerseys, including (see below) the 1948 St. Louis Cardinals, a late 1940s Pittsburgh Pirates jersey that was repurposed by the Waco Pirates in the early 1950s, the 1959 Baltimore Orioles (worn by coach Harry Brecheen), the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals, the 1964 Los Angeles Angels (Joe Koppe), the 1969 Cincinnati Reds, the 1971 California Angels (Ken Berry) and the 1972 Houston Astros. The latter, which Tommy Helms is wearing on his 1973 Topps card, was only worn in spring training because the team switched to double knit jerseys in early '72.

Here are a few flannel jerseys worn by college teams, including Ohio State University in the mid-1950s, Brown University from the same era, Oregon University from the late 1950s, Anderson College from the early 1960s, the University of Northern Colorado from the late 1960s, Oklahoma University from around 1970, and Brigham Young University from roughly the same year.

The rest of my jerseys were worn by minor league or amateur teams, including this unusual beauty. In the 1940s, a number of teams experimented with satin uniforms based on the idea that they would be more visible during night games. Included here is one such jersey that was used by a Stockton, CA team that won a state amateur title (see below). The team was sponsored by a fraternal group, the Native Sons of the American West.

The first jersey pictured below was supposedly used in the 1940s by an African American player who lived in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. Curiously, all three had teams in the Negro Leagues at various times, and used the name, Buckeyes, which might explain what the "CB" stands for. The jersey has a sun collar, making it more likely it came from the 1930s. Also displayed here is a jersey worn by a U.S. Army team from Virginia in the 1950s, Ft. Belvoir.