Auction Gold - Jim Taylor's 1966 Sideline Jacket

This 1966 sideline jacket, attributed to Jim Taylor, was sold at auction in 2008.

1966 Green Bay Packers Game Worn Sideline Jacket Attributed to Jim Taylor. Jim Taylor will always be renowned as the Packers gritty fullback who ran over defenders with ease, joining fellow Canton resident Bart Starr as the twin hearts of the Green Bay offense. Not only did the great Hall of Famer display extraordinary strength on the Lombardi dynasty teams of the 1960's, but he also exemplified the heart of a champion. Taylor would exit the game at the top, with his final contest a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I in 1966, the season he made use of the offered garment. As confirmed by numerous video images, Taylor wore this style warm up during home and road games. This example features the player identification "31," affixed to the base of the body in the same manner as "PACKERS," which arches across the back of the jacket in gold tackle twill lettering. The "Sand Knit [size] 50" tag in the neckline is consistent with apparel produced by the company in 1962, and proper for Taylor's build. The remnants of some form of tagging is apparent below, but we cannot determine what this may have been. Condition of the jacket is fantastic throughout, with none of the staining or moth damage one typically encounters from this era. This Canton-worthy artifact has been graded an A9 by MEARS and comes with their full Letter of Opinion, along with images used for style matching. LOA from MEARS. LOA from Lou Lampson.

Now, while I personally wouldn't trust a LOA from Lou Lampson any farther than I could throw Lambeau Field, MEARS has always been very reputable. Were I ever to want something authenticated, they'd be my first stop.

Here's the tag mentioned. Sand-Knit was founded in Chicago before relocating to Ripon, Wisconsin in 1953. Its factory was eventually acquired by Ripon Athletic, which continues to produce athletic uniforms and award jackets today (including, under contract from Reebok, the Packers' uniforms).

Here's a close look at the numbers on the sleeve.

I love the font, as it reminds me of the Packers' 1940s jerseys.

Finally, we have a photo of Jim Taylor wearing the same style jacket:

The shot of cornerback Bob Jeter is the best picture I've seen of these jackets:

I love how the cuff and collar striping mimics the "Packer stripes" - green/white/green on gold.

You can also see these jackets in this famous photo of Vince Lombardi prowling the sidelines at Tiger Stadium in Detroit:

The lettering style doesn't quite match our Taylor jacket, although that in and of itself may not be significant - in the days before computer design, the Packers were known to mix-and-match lettering styles, as seen in photos from the 1962 World Championship game in Yankee Stadium.

All in all, an amazing exemplar of mid-60s Packer style.