70s Grounds Crew Jacket on eBay

This eBay listing caught my eye, purporting to be a Lambeau Field grounds crew jacket from the 1970s:

The jacket itself is fairly unremarkable, a simple green nylon shell with sheepskin lining.

The jacket features a single-bar gray facemasked helmet graphic common to the period. What's uncommon, and what caught my eye, is the logo on the helmet: the green and white are reversed.

Ordinarily, this might be considered the mark of bootleg merchandise, except that the Packers themselves used a reverse-colored logo on occasion. The earliest example I can think of was in 1962, when the watch given out in lieu of a championship ring featured a reversed logo.

That was only one year after the logo itself was introduced. More recently, the 1997 stock certificates also featured this green-on-white logo.

For a while, the reversed logo was even seen on the side of Lambeau Field, such as this glimpse from the 1980s:

So it's certainly possible that this is an authentic grounds crew jacket. Is it worth $559.99 plus shipping? That is entirely up to you.

Under the Hood(ie)

The chatter started sometime in the second quarter.

I was watching the Packers in a bar in Brooklyn, following the online conversation during interminable TV timeouts. And the conversation was hopping. Fans weren't talking about the Packers' defense finding its steel. Although it was. Packers' offense getting into a groove. Although it was. Or even about Mason Crosby finding the uprights. Although he did.

They were talking about James Jones, who was wearing a team-issued hoodie under his jersey.

Here's the hoodie being worn today by #Packers WR James Jones. @TheDapperPacker @UniWatch #uniwatch pic.twitter.com/jf3Vyoxra5

— Jeff Ash (@JeffAshGB) November 22, 2015

Everybody wanted to talk about it.

Anybody else notice that James Jones is wearing a hoodie? @packers #GBvsMIN

— Erik Queoff (@equeoff) November 22, 2015

The Green Bay Packers WR James Jones is wearing a hoodie under his uniform. I've never seen that. Is it a Sunday edition of casual Friday?

— Matt Kona (@MattKona) November 22, 2015

James Jones is wearing a hoodie. I'm not sure I've ever seen that before.

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 22, 2015

Only James Jones can pull off the hoodie under the jersey @packers #GoPackGo

— Brady.S. (@call_me_Brady) November 22, 2015

Are you allowed to wear a hoodie under your jersey? Because James Jones is doing exactly that. #Packers

— Mike Suszek, maybe (@mikesuszek) November 22, 2015

Temps in low 30s w/wind chills in mid-to-low 20s in Minneapolis. James Jones w/the hoodie! https://t.co/48qG7YEFEV pic.twitter.com/Dlg8mZBbGh

— FOX6 News (@fox6now) November 22, 2015

That man jones on the packers is wearing a fricken hoodie

— Spencer Notarianni (@bostonmonsta1) November 22, 2015

James Jones was so excited for his new Packers hoodie, he wore it under his uniform pic.twitter.com/B9pZnvzF30

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 22, 2015

James jones ditching the mock turtle neck and going to the hoodie is going to be the sole reason the packers get back on track

— John Dekker (@dekkerj) November 22, 2015

James Jones on the Packers is wearing a hoodie. Does that count as a horse collar tackle if you grab it?

— MlCAHKNAPTON (@KNAPTN) November 22, 2015

James Jones is wearing a hoodie and it's fantastic (via @TJN3): https://t.co/d64rDJgX0I pic.twitter.com/7L9UrpXBJs

— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 22, 2015

When can I buy a James Jones hoodie jersey @packers ?

— Austin Eich (@Eich_AJ) November 23, 2015

Don't mess with the Super Hoodie. James Jones is gonna do this himself #Packers

— Lance Allan (@lanceallan) November 22, 2015

By the end of the game, it was Twitter's top trend.

And it wasn't just Twitter.


I couldn't grab screenshots of the game from my barstool, but my pal Jeff Ash generously sent me his:

Great stuff.

It reminded me of an old-timey baseball pitcher wearing a windbreaker under his jersey.

The conversation kept going throughout the game, and I suspect that had the Packers not been doing increasingly well on the field we wouldn't have been enjoying the distraction quite so much. The game even had a competing meme as a squirrel ran out on the field, but nothing could distract the fans from the Hoodie of Destiny.

During the game itself, former NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira on the Fox Sports broadcast.



Yes, the hoodie is legal. No, it does not mark him down when it hits the ground, any more than a towel scraping the turf would mark him down. And most interestingly, a defensive player could grab the hood and drag him to the ground without running afoul of the "horse collar tackle" rule.

This morning, the chatter continues.

If you start to put his name into the Google machine, "James Jones hoodie" comes up in the auto-complete.

Before the game had ended, some wag had started a Twitter account devoted to the hoodie. It was joined by a second shortly thereafter. Perhaps not surprisingly, it has also made his Wikipedia page.

After the game, Jones explained why he had worn it.



Lots of talk about a piece of sideline gear. I was frankly surprised that the Packers Pro Shop didn't send out an email blast this morning spotlighting the hoodie for sale.

"A Forties Classic Is Back in Fashion"

Got this email this morning:

That gold shirt is part of the coaches' sideline gear - they're going to stand out, especially if it turns out to be a sunny day.

Nice to see them emphasizing the Curly Lambeau era, even if in the context of selling us stuff. Our "Forties Classic" never went out of fashion in the first place.

Lindy Infante Dies at 75

Packers.com

The Packers have announced that former head coach Lindy Infante, who guided the Pack from 1988-91, has died at the age of 75.

From his New York Times obituary:

Lindy Infante, who was named the N.F.L.’s coach of the year in 1989 when he revived the fortunes of the Green Bay Packers, and who later coached the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs, died on Thursday in St. Augustine, Fla. He was 75.

The Packers announced his death on their website. LeRoy Butler, a Pro Bowl safety for the Packers who had played for Infante and spoke with his wife, Stephanie, told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the cause was pneumonia.

Coaching the Packers from 1988 to 1991 and the Colts in 1996 and ’97, Infante had only one playoff squad: his first Colts team, which lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a wild-card game. His overall record was 36-60, but he was the victim of bad timing, losing both his head-coaching jobs in the seasons before his teams obtained two of pro football’s greatest quarterbacks.

Infante was fired by the Packers after they went 4-12 in 1991. The next season, they obtained Brett Favre in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Infante was fired by the Colts after they went 3-13 in 1997, although they had achieved a major upset with a 41-38 victory over the Packers, the defending Super Bowl champions and eventual National Football Conference champions. The Colts drafted Peyton Manning in 1998.

Gelindo Infante was born on March 27, 1940, in Miami. He was a running back at the University of Florida for three seasons and then an assistant coach with Florida, Memphis State and Tulane before coaching the Giants’ wide receivers in 1977 and ’78.

He was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals team that went to Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24, 1982, losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 26-21. He was head coach of the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League for two seasons, and then spent two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns before getting the Packers’ head-coaching post, taking over what had been a losing team under Forrest Gregg, a star Green Bay offensive tackle in the Vince Lombardi dynasty years.

Infante’s first Packers team won only four games, but his 1989 squad went 10-6. Although the Packers did not reach the postseason, The Associated Press’s poll voted him coach of the year.

But two losing seasons followed, resulting in his ouster.

Infante’s 1996 Colts playoff team went 9-7, but Indianapolis was 3-13 the next year, and he was fired once more.

In addition to his wife, Infante had two sons and six grandchildren, The Florida Times-Union reported. A full list of survivors was not immediately available.

“I kiddingly call myself the ‘before coach,’ ” Infante told The Times-Union. “I was at Green Bay until one year before they got Brett Favre, and at Indianapolis one year before they drafted Peyton Manning.”

If he had either one of them, he said, “my career might have taken on 15 more years.”

It's easy to forget that era in Packers history. He was preceded as head coach by high-profile former players Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg, and replaced with Mike Holmgren.

I personally have fond memories of those years, especially quarterback Don "Majik Man" Majkowski. The æsthetics of the era have largely faded away like the silkscreen numbers on their jerseys, but as I review photos of him now I'm struck by the mesh trucker's cap he is often pictured wearing. The simple (even generic) "Breen Bay block over large "Packers" script was a commonplace style in the 1980s, and I'm strangely nostalgic for it today.

Farewell, Coach. Thanks for everything.

Pinkwashing Redux

It's October, so the NFL's reprehensible pinkwashing scam is back. Time for the league to pretend that it cares ever-so-much about breast cancer research in the hopes that you'll buy stuff and not look to hard at the actual numbers.

On the whole, the Packers' game against the 49ers was very good-looking. Two of the best-dressed teams in the NFL head-to-head in the bright California sunshine. And although everyone was wearing pink towels, overall the pinkwashing accessories didn't seem as ubiquitous as years past.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) runs during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

Look at all those Braisher stripes! That's what an NFL matchup ought to look like.

There were some players, still taking it to the limit, though.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) is tackled during the NFL regular season game against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

It wasn't just the defense; running back Eddie Lacy also went for the pink-spats look.

Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) runs during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

The stadium itself was decked out in pink, with banners bordering the field. You can make them out in the background of this photo:

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws during the NFL regular season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

Even the security guards got into the act with pink shirts.

(Uni Watch)

There is one difference this year - the standard shield-over-ribbon logo on the back of every helmet has been altered to include this year's golden-themed NFL shield.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, celebrates with tight end Richard Rodgers after connecting for a 9-yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

You can just make out the helmet decal on the back of Richard Rodgers's helmet. This is particularly creative double-event branding, promoting the cause as well as the 50th Super Bowl coming up.

But, of course, it's not really about the pink decal on the back of every helmet. It's not about the pink towels or the pink spats or the pink logo emblazoned on the field. It's about the pink-tinged merchandise they want you to buy.

You may have noticed Aaron Rodgers's pink-and-gray cap, shown prominently on the sidelines or after the game as he shook Colin Kaepernick's hand.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) shakes hands with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the NFL regular season game on Oct. 4, 2015 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Ric Tapia/NFL)

That cap wasn't necessarily Aaron's choice; sideline caps, like the rest of the team uniform, are carefully laid out for the players in their lockers. For this game, the equipment managers placed a gray-and-pink Packers cap in every locker.

And once you've seen it worn by your heroes on the field, the NFL made sure that you could buy that very same cap online.

This is all part of what they call "A Crucial Catch", their program of pink-emblazoned merchandise.

There are currently six hundred and twenty-nine "Crucial Catch" products available for sale. The most expensive is a field goal wrap from last year's Eagles/Rams game. That'll set you back a cool $499.95. But hey, free shipping.


The least expensive is a Chicago Bears "A Crucial Catch" bumper sticker. Perfect for your silver Corvette.

It's a depressing and cynical attempt to monetize good intentions. Sadly, our Packers aren't immune.

Not that they're no longer even making a pretense towards fundraising; the product descriptions are all about "raising awareness". Check out the product category for the Packers Pro Shop's pinky products:

"Cancer awareness".

It's particularly scummy and exploitative, and I'm sad that the Packers continue to be a part of it.

R.I.P. Lee Remmel, Packers Historian

Sad news out of Titletown; Lee Remmel, who has been associated with the Packers since the Curly Lambeau days, has passed away at the age of 90.

Remmel was a true icon in a sport which tends to over-use the word. He started covering Packers games for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in 1945.

Reporters wait while the Packers’ board of directors meets for four hours in the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay on Nov. 30, 1949, deliberating the fate of coach and general manager Curly Lambeau. From left are Lee Remmel, Art Daley and Dave Yuenger of the Green Bay Press-Gazette; Packers publicity director George Strickler, Don Arthur of radio station WDUZ, Bob Savage of radio station WBAY and Earl Gillespie of WJPG, the Press-Gazette’s radio station. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For nearly thirty years, he reported on the ins and outs of the team, and when he finally left his beat in 1974, it was to join the Packers as their public relations director. Remmel's second career was as long and illustrious as his first, through the lean years of the 1970s and 1980s and finally renewed glory days that continue today. In February 2004, he was named team historian. Aided with an uncanny memory and a true gift for personal stories, he has done as much to educate modern football fans as anyone in the sport.

Lee Remmel stands next to the plaque erected in the Lambeau Field press box after it was named for him in August 2003. (Green Bay Packers archives)

The Press-Gazette has a wonderful gallery of Remmel's life. Of course, there are a few uniform gems in the gallery, including these two glimpses of 1950s uniforms. This period has been almost forgotten, lost between Curly's famous gold-yoked jerseys and the world-famous Lombardi design that endures (with a few tweaks) to this very day.

Packers fullback Fred Cone walks past Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel, left, on the sideline at old City Stadium during the Packers’ 37-14 victory over the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 18, 1953. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel kneels along the sideline during the Packers’ 17-13 victory over the New York Giants in a preseason game at old City Stadium on Aug. 25, 1956. He’s flanked by Packers coach Lisle Blackbourn, left, and end Gary Knafelc. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It's fascinating to watch the evolution of his career, as he starts out covering the players for the paper and transitions into working with them to manage that paper's coverage.

Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel interviews Packers quarterback Bart Starr after Green Bay’s 13-10 victory over the Baltimore Colts in overtime in the Western Division championship game at Lambeau Field on Dec. 26, 1965. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

He flips from one side of the notebook to the other, but maintains the same intense look on his face.

Packers director of public relations Lee Remmel, second from right, stands between Press-Gazette sports writer Cliff Christl and Packers coach Bart Starr during an interview during the 1979 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

I love this look at a Lindy Infante's press conference, partly for the peek at 1989's sideline gear but also the guy next to Remmel wearing a Bucks jacket; you're more likely to find Packer apparel inserted in the background of unrelated sporting events than the other way around.

Lee Remmel, the Packers' director of public relations, stands at second from right as coach Lindy Infante meets the media during the 1989 season. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

For generations, Remmel has been a living link to the club's history. For people of my generation, it was to Lambeau and Lombardi. To younger fans, he was an official witness to those long-ago glory days of White and Favre.

Lee Remmel enjoys a laugh with Packers quarterback Brett Favre in the team's locker room during the mid-1990s. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

The Packers have created a tribute page to Remmel on their site with links to press releases and galleries covering his career (with an emphasis on his most recent recognitions). It's well worth a read.

Longtime Packers public relations man and historian and former Press-Gazette sports writer Lee Remmel talks about his life with the Packers at his home on Feb. 10, 2009. (Press-Gazette Media archives)

It is perhaps inevitable that loss seems to stalk any team with the long history of the Packers, as every year we lose one more human connection to that glorious past. I've long enjoyed reading Remmel's reminisces on that history, and we are the poorer now for his voice being silenced. R.I.P., Mr. Remmel.

An Ugly Game on a Beautiful Evening

Well, at least the snow looked good.

Green Bay Packers' Matt Flynn during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

It should have been such a great looking game; two traditionally-minded teams (shame about those Steeler numbers) playing in the snow and mud.

Green Bay Packers' Eddie Lacy (27) falls into the end zone for a touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Didn't end up well, though. Steelers 38, Packers 31.

I love a snow game, and have been hoping against hope that the Packers can earn the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl next February in New York. Today, that seems farther away than ever. The Packers take a loss they can ill afford, and Clay Matthews injured his right thumb while sacking Ben Roethlisberger.

Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews walks off the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Look what the super-sretchy fabric continues to do to his jersey numbers. Ugh. I do like the pom-pom sideline tuque, though.