Tuesday, September 3, 2013

That "Los Angeles" Style

Uni Watch recently ran this photo from December 13, 1964, of defensive tackle Dave "Hawg" Hanner wearing a visor that wasn't exactly standard Packer issue:

Today we were supplied the explanation by reader Paul Hirsch:
"I was a Rams fan growing up in the 1960s. The Packers used to end the season with a road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles, so they always played at the Coliseum in December. Late in the year the sun would set in the visiting team’s eyes during the second half of the games. The Rams would issue visors to the visiting coaches and players with the Rams logo on it. It was a simpler time."
I don't know that I've ever seen Packer players wearing Rams visors, but I've definitely seen head coach Vince Lombardi adopt some local headgear for those Coliseum games:

Dec 9, 1967; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi and quarterback Zeke Bratkowski on the sidelines during the 1967 season game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Boss-USA TODAY Sports
Not "Rams" this time, but "UCLA", who also played in the Coliseum in those years.

Here's a better image of Lombardi's visor:

Nowadays, the NFL would provide Lombardi and his coaches with a supply of these:

As Hirsch said, it was indeed a simpler time.

No comments: