Auction Gold, Part II - Another Hutson Jersey?

Following up on my previous post concerning extant Packers jerseys from the 1940s, I heard a rumor yesterday that another is about to surface.

The word is that Robert Edward Auctions' Spring 2009 auction will include... a Don Hutson jersey.

Robert Edward Auctions is the same outfit which auctioned off the Ken Keuper jersey last year - they only do one auction a year, but sure seem to make them count. And if true, this would make three known Hutson jerseys: one in Canton, one in the Packers Hall of Fame in Green Bay, and one in private hands.

More details as they become available - bidding begins approximately April 10, and the auction ends May 2, 2009.

Man, I'd love to own this. An authentic gamer from the greatest Packer of them all? But something tells me that it'll be just a little out of my price range. Estimates put it perhaps upwards of $100K. Ten times what the Ken Keuper jersey brought at auction last year.

Heck, if nothing else - we should get some great photos out of it. Exemplars from this period are awfully hard to come by.

A Grand Opportunity

The NFL gave us a peek at the upcoming 2009 schedule today, revealing that the Packers will open the season at Lambeau Field against the Chicago Bears in a Sunday Night Football game on Sept. 13, and will visit the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving used to have a special place in the Packers/Lions rivalry - the boys from Green Bay used to visit Detroit every Thanksgiving from 1951 through 1963, when Lombardi pulled out of the traditional matchup. His 1962 Packers, one of the greatest teams of all time, went into Detroit in Week 11 undefeated. There was little for Vince to be thankful for that day, as the Lions handed the Packers their first (and only) loss of the season, 26-14. They would play one more Thanksgiving game against the Lions before the NFL started rotating Detroit's opponents.

It's a real shame that the NFL doesn't do Thanksgiving throwbacks anymore - I'd love to see the Pack adopt one of their classic looks for that game, as they did in 2001 and 2003.

And FWIW, the Lions will be sporting new duds (in an attempt to cleanse themselves of the Millen stink) - the new logo, a 25% fiercer rendering of "Bubbles", has already been leaked by the NFL online shop.

The Uniform Change That Wasn't

Today, the talk on Paul Lukas' indispensable Uni Watch blog turned to mention of Ron Wolf's proposed 1994 uniform change, thanks to his ESPN.com Page 2 column.

I'll let Paul talk about it in his own words:

"(I) once sent a letter to the Green Bay Packers, urging them to reconsider their plans to change their uniforms and color scheme (this was in 1993, six years before the advent of Uni Watch), and was surprised to get a phone call and a note from Packers CEO Bob Harlan (who, fortunately, later changed his mind about all the uniform changes described in that letter)."

He included a scan of the letter (click to enlarge):

The uniform Harlan describes jives with a contemporaneous account published in the Packer Report, September 18, 1993:

Possible Color Change Outlined

There was a rumor Sunday the Packers would have a press conference concerning their uniforms colors during the week following the Eagle game. This, however, seemed certain: The Packers plan to change their uniforms next season, retaining the current dark green, but switching pants and helmets from the present yellow to metallic gold.

The Packers hope the changes will be approved by the NFL Properties by the beginning of next month so they can wear the new uniforms next season. Among other changes are the removal of stripes now on the helmet, jersey, and pants.

Packer President Bob Harlan told the Milwaukee Journal the gold was not the same as that worn by any other team and that it was selected by General Manager Ron Wolf and Coach Mike Holmgren. Harlan said the helmet would be switched from yellow to gold and have a large green "G" on each side and the jersey would have a smaller green "G" on each sleeve. The white numbers on the green home jerseys and the green numbers on the white road jerseys will also have a gold outline. The pants will be plain gold.

"Years and years ago, we wore a gold helmet and gold pants," Harlan said. "And I think that's what Ron wanted, a simpler uniform. They didn't want to look like New Orleans or the 49ers. They looked at different golds and picked out what they liked."

Of course, the 49ers have since changed their gold, and New Orleans wears about a dozen different shades of gold, so it's not a huge help in determining the shade Wolf and Holmgren picked out.

Here's my interpretation of what this might have looked like, based on those descriptions:

Personally, as a longtime Packer fan... I'd have been okay with this. Heck, I'd be okay with this today. Don't like the plain shell, but add a single gold stripe down the side of the pants and across the seam of the helmet, and it's beautiful. Honors Lombardi's legacy with echoes of Lambeau's. I know, I'm probably the only Packer fan who thinks so, but there you have it.

I also have a recollection of them publicly considering a switch back to Curly Lambeau's navy and gold, but that's probably my faulty memory conflating the 1994 uniform change, announced in late 1993, with the 1994 NFL 75th Anniversary throwbacks.

Again, I'd still have been okay with that. I love the gold yoke, and it would help focus attention on the Packers' glorious pre-Lombardi history, which tends to get ignored in the NFL's general amnesia surrounding the pre-Super Bowl era.

But Wolf eventually decided that he couldn't go through with it. According to an interview he gave the St Petersburg Times:

"I never liked the yellow color in the Packers scheme," Wolf said. "NFL books say it's 'green and gold' but anybody can see it's a Michigan kind of yellow, of maize, which didn't sit well with me.

"I put together a proposal to change Green Bay uniforms, replacing the yellow with a gold much like we see on Rams uniforms and helmets. There were some other changes but I wasn't messing with the "G' on Packers helmets."

Everything was approved by the seven-member executive committee that operates the Packers. All I had to do was give the go-ahead."

I repeatedly looked over drawings of the new Packers uniform, thinking I would soon be pulling the trigger on changes. But, after a little more thought, decided it just didn't fly. We needed to fix what was truly broken. What we really had to have was better people on the field."

If the Packers were ever to move away from Lombardi's uniform, this would have been the time. The Favre era was right around the corner, and Wolf's uniform would be viewed now as the one in which they won a Super Bowl, the one in which they brought glory back to Green Bay.

I'd love to see those drawings Wolf mentioned.

UPDATE: Jeff Ash, assistant online editor of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, mentioned this story on his excellent blog "Out of Bounds" (and was kind enough to give a hat tip). He had something new to add:

"Here's one more little detail I remember from that time:

Wolf wanted to see what the new uniform looked like on the players, but he wanted to keep it quiet. So he enlisted one of his assistants to put on the gear. You might know the guy. He used to be an NFL player. At the time, he was the Packers' director of pro personnel. It was Ted Thompson."

Outstanding. Wonder what Ted remembers of that fashion show?

Goodbye, Gridiron Man

Well, it looks like this time he's really done it.

Sure, we've heard it before. But if Favre really has declined to have the surgery on his arm, that indicates he's not intending to throw a football with it anytime soon.

So he retires with 3 consecutive MVPs, not to mention 65,127 passing yards, 464 passing touchdowns, 9,280 attempts, 5,720 completions, and 291 consecutive starts (including playoffs), all of which are the most by any player in NFL history. But let's get to the really important number in Brett Favre's pro career - 15.

Not counting individual game or partial-season patches and tributes, or changes in manufacturer's marks, these are the uniforms Brett has worn in the pros:

1. 1991 Atlanta Falcons home
   
2. 1991 Atlanta Falcons away
   
3. 1992-1996 Green Bay Packers home
   
4. 1992-1996 Green Bay Packers away
   
5. 1994 Green Bay Packers home throwback (09/18/1994 v. Philadelphia, 10/02/1994 v. New England and 09/25/1994 v. Tampa Bay)
   
6. 1994 Green Bay Packers road throwback (10/31/1994 at Chicago)
   
7. 1997-2007 Green Bay Packers home (eliminating the sleeve stripes pushes this into a new uniform in my universe, and therefore in this blog)
   
8. 1997-2007 Green Bay Packers road
   
9. 2001 Green Bay Packers road throwback (11/22/2001 at Detroit)
   
10. 2003 Green Bay Packers road throwback (09/27/2003 at Detroit)
    
11. 2008 New York Jets home (green jerseys/white pants)
    
12. 2008 New York Jets away (white jerseys/green pants)
    
13. 2008 New York Jets away alternate (white jerseys/white pants, 09/22/2008 at San Diego)
    
14. 2008 New York Jets home alternate (green jerseys/green pants, 12/14/2008 v. Buffalo)
    
15. 2008 New York Jets/Titans home throwback (09/28/2008 v. Arizona and 10/12/2008 v. Cincinnati)

That's a pretty decent list (and for what it's worth, the Packers and Jets use the exact same shade of Pantone green). What's surprising to me is that one-third of his uniforms were worn in the final year of his career.

Had Favre stuck around for one more season, he would have worn the New York Titans road throwback the Jets are about to unveil. And yet, when I think of his career, I'll always see him wearing the green and gold at Lambeau. I suspect that in a couple years, the image of him as a Jet will seem as strange to our eyes as a picture of him in Atlanta black does now.

Goodbye, Gridiron Man. Looking forward to the inevitable ceremony taking #4 out of circulation, and a trip to Canton in 2014.

Getting Ugly, Chapter 2: Getting Uglier

Following up on the new prototype jerseys that the Packers have been testing in practice comes this article about the Pro Bowl jerseys:

Reebok tests "stretch mesh" jersey at NFL Pro Bowl
By JAYMES SONG

HONOLULU - National Football League players were outfitted on Sunday with Pro Bowl jerseys made from a new material Reebok is testing and believes can improve athletic performance.

The "stretch mesh" jerseys are nearly 20 percent lighter than the standard NFL jersey and aim to allow for more range of motion, better ventilation and temperature control.

If all goes well, a number of teams will use the material next season.

The jerseys are also supposed to provide better fit and comfort, but don't tell that to New York Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins.

The 6-foot-4, 349-pound Jenkins first put on his AFC jersey for photo day and practice Friday, and it appeared two XL sizes too small, looking more like a crop top.

"I've been holding my breath since the pictures," Jenkins said.

And this great video from NBC's coverage of the game:

Don't mince words, Kris. How do you really feel? This highlights one of the concerns I've had about the move to spandex unitards: for every cut wide receiver on the field for any given play, there are several linemen who won't be exactly flattered by the body-paint look.

I'm very wary about the new jerseys. Design-wise, I'm wary about everything that has anything to do with the Pro Bowl:

The worst thing about moving the Pro Bowl to the week before Super Bowl is that the game, and its uniforms, will be much harder to ignore. Which I guess is the point from the NFL's perspective but sure seems like a lose-lose to me.

Where did Don's jersey go?

In an earlier post, I wrote about the known Lambeau-era Packers jerseys still in existence. There are two Hutson jerseys of which I am aware - one in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and one in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Well, it looks like something has happened in Canton. Here's how I remember it from my last visit (which was admittedly several years ago):

Look at the three jerseys in the middle: from left, there's Don Hutson's #14, Sid Luckman's #42, and Bob Waterfield's #7.

But that was then, this is now. The photo below was taken just over a month ago, on December 8, 2008, by Flickr user KaylynStar:

(click to super-enlarge)

The Hutson jersey is gone, with Waterfield's LA Rams jersey moved over to take its place and a Mel Hein Giants jersey now on the right. Waterfield's still has the Packers posters surrounding and overlapping it, making for a slightly incongruous display.

So what happened to take Hutson's jersey off display? Any other Canton visitors able to tell me when it was removed?

UPDATE 02/08/09: I called the Hall of Fame, and they informed me that the Hutson jersey is still in the Hall, just in a new exhibit. It was moved last May to the new "Moments, Memories & Mementos Gallery".

The Moments, Memories & Mementos Gallery climaxes with a dramatic bench scene featuring nine iconic members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The stories of Johnny Unitas, Don Hutson, Sammy Baugh, Reggie White, Walter Payton, Joe Greene, Jim Brown, Anthony Muñoz and George Halas are displayed through life-sized figures clad with authentic mementos from the Hall’s collection. The careers of these Hall of Famers are summarized through touch-screen video presentations.

The jersey's partially obscured by the sideline cape, but there it is:

And here's a reverse of the bench (although you can't see the jersey):

There's a (very tiny) picture of the complete bench display on the HoF's site. You can just make out the jersey, second from left.

Mystery solved.

Auction Gold

Cruising around past auction archives can net some real treasures. From Robert Edward Auctions' 2008 auction comes this beauty.

The auction description:

This museum-quality NFL jersey holds the significant distinction of being, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest known Green Bay Packers jersey in existence and can be narrowly dated to the three-year period 1945-1947, when it was worn by defensive back Ken Keuper. Graded A9.5 by MEARS. The black knit jersey is trimmed in gold along the collar and sleeves, and features full-length sleeves (with padded elbows). The number "18" is appliquéd in gold tackle twill on the front and reverse. An "O'Shea" manufacturer's label appears in the collar, and a "46" size tag is located on the crotch piece. Original and unaltered, the jersey displays moderate -to-heavy wear including a number of small holes on the front, and a vintage team repair on the reverse. The dating of this jersey, as well as its attribution to a specific player, was determined by a combined analysis of the manufacturer's tag, jersey style, and size/number (a comparison was made between the size of this jersey to the height and weight of the only two players who wore this number during its years of possible use). Based upon all three criteria, the jersey could only have been worn by defensive back Ken Keuper between the years 1945 and 1947, his only three seasons with the club. During Keuper's three years with the club he appeared in a total of thirty-eight games and recorded six interceptions. The Packers finished in third place in the Western Division each season between the years 1945 and 1947. The Green Bay Packers are the third-oldest team in the NFL and also the most successful. The Packers won a record eleven NFL Championships between the years 1922 and 1965, as well as three Super Bowls. Despite their storied history, pre-1960 Green Bay Packers jerseys are exceedingly rare and this is what we believe to be the earliest example known. It is also the fourth-oldest NFL jersey for any team listed in the MEARS census (the earliest is a circa 1933-1934 Bears jersey). This is a remarkable jersey in all respects and, given the legendary status of the franchise, one of the most significant surviving relics in NFL history. Graded A9.5 by MEARS (10 point base grade, but minus a half point for the small holes on the front). This jersey has been consigned to this auction directly from the personal collection/inventory of world-renowned bat and jersey authenticators David Bushing and/or Troy Kinunen. LOAs from Dave Bushing & Troy Kinunen/MEARS. Reserve $2,500. Estimate $5,000+. SOLD FOR $9,987.50

Wow. $10K. A little out of my price range, but I love the photos.

Outstanding in all its details:

But the real gem is the authentication paper:

An amazing opportunity to get actual data on the classic jerseys, especially the numeral measurements. Helpful for making those replicas.

So few of these old jerseys still exist, although MEARS is wrong on one point - if their attribution is correct, this is not the oldest known Packers jersey in existence.

I don't know which one is the extant packers jerseys is the oldest, but I do know of at least two Don Hutson jerseys in museums. Hutson played until 1945, which would make them at the very least as old as the earliest date they've assigned to the Keuper jersey.

The Packers Hall of Fame has one of those Hutson jerseys, donated a couple years ago by the family which used to run the Rockwood Lodge.

The second one's in Canton (kind of hard to see - it's the jersey on the left, you can make out the "4"):The Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame has other old jerseys, including this beauty worn by Ted Fritsch in the 1944 Championship Game against the Giants (Lambeau's sixth and last World Championship).

The memorabilia store All-American Sports in Milwaukee (on National, right around the corner from Miller Park) has a framed 1940s jersey in its store, or did about five years ago. How many other jerseys are in private hands may never be known, but the number can't be that high.

I don't know which one is oldest, and maybe we never will. They're all gorgeous, though. Such an elegant design. Navy and gold compliment each other, and the gold yoke is pure class. The 1994 throwbacks didn't even come close to capturing its spirit.

A Little Public Notice

Just found out that the Database got a mention in this article in the Marketplace (Northeast Wisconsin’s business magazine) "Marketplace of Ideas" blog.

The green (formerly blue) and gold

It's not quite the nice review that the North County Times (Escondido, CA) gave us a couple years back before a Chargers game, but still. Nice to get a little notice.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turducken Day to all. No throwback game against the Lions this year, unfortunately. Maybe we'll get lucky in 2009.

Week 11: A Brief Stroll Through History

Ah, a very satisfying win against the Bears. Nothing like a 37-3 home shellacking of your biggest rival to wipe away the memories of prior weeks. 5 and 5 now, tied with the Vikings and Bears for the division. I think we're going to enjoy the rest of this season.

As part of my research, I love browsing the Green Bay Press-Gazette's incredible photo archives, and more information about early Packers uniforms becomes available every day. They recently uploaded three new galleries featuring Packers/Bears games from 1941, 1942, and 1951.

We get a couple great shots of the classic Lambeau-era uniform in action. Gold helmets, gold pants, navy jerseys with gold numbers and yoke defined the Packers for so long:

The Press-Gazette also gives us a glimpse into the oft-overlooked days between Lambeau and Lombardi, such as this shot of head coach Gene Ronzani with quarterback Bobby Thomason from 1951:

The gold helmet with green stripe/gold jersey with green numbers/green pants uniform was introduced by Ronzani as an alternate in 1950, his first season at the helm. I've never seen a color photo, but I'm still looking. During his tenure the Packers seem to have worn green/gold and blue/gold in rotation.

As much as I hate to say anything nice about the Bears, I have to give them credit for consistency. They've managed to maintain the same basic uniform design from the leather helmet era through the body armor look of today's NFL.

Recently, a new resource has gone online. Google announced a deal to host millions of photograpghs from Life magazine. Not only does this mean that some of the 20th Century's most famous photographs may be found there, but it also includes photos from the same sessions never before published. Not surprisingly, the site has a wealth of material for those of us interested in sports aesthetics.

These shots from 1962 are a particular favorite of mine - check out Vince's team jacket!

Mitchell & Ness used to make a reproduction of that jacket in beautiful blue and gold, but it was dated 1954-1957. Was it possible that Lombardi was wearing those jackets as late as 1962, or did M&N goof on the dates, the color, or both? Time to dig mine out of the closet anyway, I'll post some pictures soon. I've long been interested in the sideline wear, especially old capes and dusters - that might be worth an entry of its own.

Back to the gallery, I'm really excited about seeing some of the earlier photos - Life did a great feature on the Packers in their December 18, 1939 issue. None of that content appears to be online, but when it is....