[Editor’s Note: Paul is on his annual August break from site (although he’s still writing his weekly Substack column). Deputy editor Phil Hecken is in charge from now through the end of the month.]
Good morning, Uni Watchers. I hope you all had a very pleasant Monday.
I’m joined today by Derek Smith, who — as you’ll see — has quite the sardonic wit when it comes to a topic we don’t often broach on Uni Watch: coach attire. Other than baseball, coaches don’t wear a uniform per se, but that doesn’t mean their on-field attire isn’t a uniform. Maybe not a uniform in the classic sense of the word, but it’s still a particular outfit worn on game day. And my, how it has changed over the years.
Derek has done a fantastic deep dive on this, and I’m pleased to bring it to you today. I think you’ll really enjoy this one.
Here’s Derek and his unique take on …
by Derek Smith
Coach attire is one of the more intriguing, underexplored galaxies in the uni-verse. The players’ uniforms, understandably, attract the lion’s share of our attention.
What coaches wear on gameday is especially interesting to me as a commentary on power. Coaches are ostensibly the leader, the one in charge. And there is only one head coach. And they decide for themselves what to wear. The extent to which standards of dress for coaches in the major sports have changed since the dawn of the television age reflects the broader world of sports and culture. It also reveals some thorny questions about the expectations of what people in power wear in the workplace. How is it different for women and men? What are they trying to communicate to the millions of viewers? I will try to stay on topic…
Let’s start in the 1960s with some classic examples.
These guys looked like G-Men with their fedoras, four-in-hand knots and suits tailored to the centimeter. Are these coaches or members of the Kennedy DOJ?
This rigid look helped to cultivate a distinct image of American football. It is a game that demands militaristic discipline, laser precision, mechanical efficiency and total suppression of the individual self in pursuit of victory. Nothing less. Are we clear?
Sidelines got decidedly more funky in the ’70s.
Big, starched collars, and a whole lot of polyester. You’ll notice that some coaches in this era embodied their teams and the cities they played in.
Bum Phillips here looks like an oil magnate who took up coaching if for no other reason than that he didn’t trust any of the other yellow-bellied SOBs in town any more than he’d trust a wet fart (sic).
Basketball is best as a showcase of individual flare and swagger. Some ostentatious courtside get-ups fit the creative ethos of the game well. Jim Boeheim is willing to do whatever it takes to beat Georgetown and/or send you home in this shiny new Buick Regal TODAY.
Don Shula and Tom Flores strike a nice balance in sporty sweaters and real pants. They look like serious men without being too self-important.
NFL coaches’ apparel continues sliding down the formality scale into the ’80s and ’90s. By this point, they were pretty much done with any semblance of businesswear on the sidelines. Ditka’s iconic sweater vest represents the sublime fusion of sportswear and professional etiquette.
I think these should be mandatory for every NFL head coach.
Still, I have no qualms about these colorful starter jackets paired with an athletic, yet refined white mock turtleneck.
The NBA held onto their formalities quite a bit longer than did the NFL. As they began pursuing a global brand between the ’80s and 2000s, everything started to adopt a somewhat corporate PR flavor. One can draw their own conclusions about why this was and what exactly they were trying to project. I think we can all surmise that Pat Riley’s firm manages a number of lucrative stock portfolios.
Phil Jackson seemed to be having a little more fun in his bowtie. Though, I could venture a guess that most of the freshmen slept through his 9am lecture on Eastern Philosophy.
For me, a full worsted wool business suit is a tad stuffy for a basketball game taking place in a gymnasium. But I welcome something “put together,” in bold team colors.
Hard to believe this guy wasn’t on the up-and-up!
Now we find ourselves in what feels like a somewhat dark sartorial dead end for both sports. Coaches’ sideline outfits are another illustration of the automated descent of sports from a visually stimulating performance of world-class athletics to an algorithmic string of probabilities. It isn’t art. It’s a product. Coaches aren’t intrepid leaders anymore. They’re poindexters punching 1’s and 0’s into spreadsheets. They’re robots maximizing the probability of success by applying formulas to likely scenarios. Blah. More efficient? Sure. Better to look at? No.
Look at this. Silicon Valley has hacked into the gridiron.
I knew all hope was lost when the NBA dropped the suit requirement for coaches during COVID-19.
Don’t mistake me for some prude insisting everyone go back to wearing three-piece suits in every job and every sport. Frankly, from the coaches’ perspective, I get it. The team-branded sweats are probably more comfortable. And if their objective is to win games, then what they wear on gameday has almost literally no bearing on the outcome whatsoever. There are still a select brave few willing to show some personality.
Even some of the coaches who dress like slobs maintain something of a trademark look.
For the rest of us burdened with the conscience of caring about these things, sports are a better product with some visual interest. That goes for coaches, too.
Think of it this way: You’re playing at War Memorial Stadium in January against a team of several 280+ lb. brutes wearing finger tape and a neck roll, missing half their teeth. Which one of these two guys is going to deliver the speech that gets you onto the field with gusto?
Readers? The floor is yours.
GTGFTS
2 Feb 1980
St. Joseph’s about to score the winning basket at the Palestra and beat LaSalle 58-57.
Seeing a Big Five game at the Palestra is on my bucket list.
An must-do experience for sure. We have family who attended all 5 Big Five schools and the old days of the doubleheaders (or tripleheaders!) and the streamers and the pageantry was amazing.
Wow – that was fast work, Marc!
As you noticed and noted, St. Joe’s made that game-winning bucket with just seconds on the clock.
The Hawk Will Never Die!
That Palestra board has since been replaced…but that’s how I remember it when my brother would take me to see Big 5 games involving Temple.
I don’t know, but the Steelers in all white is a great look.
Agreeing to disagree.
Now, if they wore their early 60s pants, I might be more open to the idea.
With that wide stripe, gold pants only, please.
Oh and the answer:
November 14, 1971
Dolphins 24
Steelers 21
There is no tricking the Jimmer! The Philadelphia Bell had their own Preston Pearson in RB John Land.
By the way, when I said yesterday that I don’t have an emotional connection to the WFL, that doesn’t mean I don’t love your stories about the league. I have a feeling you’ll turn me into a big time fan eventually. Keep ’em coming!
Awesome. I was a WFL huge fan from the beginning. Loved the Unis and seeing guys getting new chances to play. To this day I remember Ben Davidson playing with the Portland Storm wearing the same bent down facemask he wore with the Raiders.
Loved watching the Weds National TV games, the whole thing. Once I read a mid 1970s magazine article on your Dad and Coach DiFilippo (hope I got it right) and Pottstown and I was hooked, I think the article anticipated their going to the Philly Bell, but can’t remember.
Love your story on The King showing up in the Chargers’ locker room at RFK after Unitas’ disastrous debut and announcing to all concerned that ONLY he could salvage their doomed season. I can see the whole scene in my minds eye from your description. If only Coach Waller had wised up ….l
I kind of followed that year and was pulling for the Chargers, but they were a truly unique disaster in that era with crazy drug issues and Coach Harland Svare using psychiatrists and trances and then there were the insane crazy sex orgies at the training camp. Supposedly Unitas was so horrified and he kept to his room for weeks other than practice. Pretty sure Playboy actually did an article on that whole scene at the time or shortly afterwards.
Just tons of great 13 yr old memories at the peak of my fandom and while still playing in HS.
Love your posts too. You included a rare shot of the Three Rivers Stadium sidelines without some new car placed on the sidelines for Lord Knows what giveaway or promotion.
You just don’t see that stuff today.
The WFL played a big role getting me into obscure sports leagues and uniforms, but not in an obvious way.
We lived on US military bases across the Pacific, so I rarely saw sports on TV. But my parents had World Book encyclopedias and bought the yearbooks for each new year. Those always had articles and standings for the major pro sports seasons, including the WFL and ABA when I was reading them. Just seeing that there was a 2nd pro league in each sport was strange. It was impossible to get info on them from any other source. All I had were 3 or 4 photos.
So when I got back to the States for good in 1979, I started hunting down books and old magazines at libraries. And that lead to everything else.
“With that wide stripe, gold pants only, please.”
Agree 100%!
I’d forgotten that the Orange Bowl briefly had fake grass…looked like 3 Rivers but the Steelers never went white-over-white there.
Jimmer if my father didn’t play in the WFL I don’t know if I would have had a connection to the league? If I was wiser as a kid, I should have written a diary of what went down and as an adult turned it into a book or screenplay but even at 59 years old, I still remember quite a bit about the Bell. I couldn’t find my old high school locker if you paid me, but I remember where Vince Papale’s was with the Bell, four over to the right from my fathers.
Well Nick, since you followed the 1973 Chargers, I will tell you what my mother told me why Ron Waller would not bring my father out to San Diego, As you probably know he brought Firebird/Philadelphia Bell WR Ron Holiday out there but no one else. Dan Fouts was a rookie, Unitas was done, and my father was better than Wayne Clark their 3rd string QB.
Waller told my mother that if things went well and he got retained as the Chargers head coach in 1974 then he would bring him out to back up Dan Fouts. But that didn’t happen, the coaches were fired, and Waller ended up with the Bell. But my mother said to Ronny, the team sucked why didn’t you just bring him out there to finish the 1973 season, he would have had his dream of being back in the NFL. Remember my father was like a son to Waller, Ron would sometimes live with us between divorces.
Well after a few vodkas Ron was honest, he said I was in the middle of a shit show in San Diego, the whole team was on drugs, Unitas refused to believe he was washed up and argued that he could still play, remember Unitas came back in 1974 and retired in the summer. Waller said the last thing he needed was King Corcoran coming out to San Diego with his platform shoes, his flunkies and his big mouth and fucking things up even more. Plus, Ron told me he already had Tim Rossovich on that team, and he remembered all the trouble my father and Rossovich got in hanging out at Eagles camp in 1971.
I know it’s kind of the whole point of this site, but talk about judging a book by its cover…
I’ve never understood the idea that coaches wearing suits (something that millions of men across the country wear every single day to work) is somehow superior or more fitting for sports than what coaches wear these days.
As a soccer fan, I absolutely loved that Mauricio Pochettino was in a dark suit and tie with a dark grey undershirt, while Jurgen Klopp was literally wearing a t-shirt with a baseball cap during their teams’ season opener on Sunday. Coaches should be able to express themselves however they like.
This was fun! And for some reason I now have an urge to buy myself a Buick Regal…
Dressing up has gone downhill everywhere, not just in the NFL. It was so nice to see Landry in the suit on the sidelines back in the day. Now dressing down happens everywhere, not just in the NFL and it sucks. I had to wear a tie working at Kmart in the mid 1990’s and then they cut over to polo shirts. My corporate job is business casual, suits look so much better. I went to a funeral last summer and I’m wearing a suit, but some other men donned the T-shirt and shorts, like they’re going to mow their lawn. So pathetic.
John, I agree with you about funeral attire. As you said, some guys look like they just got done with yardwork, and some of the women look like they’re headed right to the gym afterward. Jeez, show a little respect for the dead, willya? I always wear my best suit and tie.
Agree completely. It’s also the same with other formal events such as weddings, baptisms/ christenings, and graduation ceremonies. Seriously, guts, if not a suit put on a jacket or sportcoat and hopefully a tie, and women wear a dress or a nice pantsuit or something….
Pathetic doesn’t even cover it. It’s disrespectful. It’s 2023. You can be comfortable and still dress like a grownup in most circumstances. I’m not saying you should have to put on a suit, tie and fedora to work in the sewers or anything like that but people need to get out of the practice of dressing like slobs. And that goes double or triple for important occasions – weddings, funerals, graduations, church, court appearances and so on. Show a little respect to those you’re going to run into, and have a little respect for yourself and a little pride in your appearance.
My thinking is the Detroit Tigers never wore that beauty… At least in a game that counted…
I believe if NFL coaches want to wear suits they now have to petition the league in order to do so. My recollection is that Mike Nolan had to go through that when he was the coach of the 49ers. Seems like another stupid rule the NFL has…
Yeah, the NFL wants coaches in branded sideline stuff in order to help with merch sales.
IIRC that’s the whole reason bill has his sweatshirts to begin with. He was forced to wear the Reebok stuff due to a brand deal with the league, so he busted out the sloppiest look he could
Bay Area local, lifelong Niners fan, and Mike Nolan sideline apparel appreciator, here. It was the Reebok deal. Sideline personal including coaches had to wear Reebok brand gear during Nolan’s tenure. So what ended up happening was Reebok designed and manufactured some suits for Nolan as a solution to his petition, probably because he said he wanted to wear suits as an homage to his dad who wore suits on the sidelines, so he tugged on their heartstrings. I really appreciated the look, but agree with some here that say coaches should wear what they want. It gives us a chance to see some of their personality. Oddly, on the other end of the spectrum is current Niners coach, Kyle Shanahan. He loves his dude-bro trucker hat with the baby-sized team logo on it, but current rules state that coaches must be wearing “this year’s model” of team swag when applicable, and that hat was outdated. So I believe a licensed team apparel manufacturer got with him to design a trucker hat of his liking that would then be that year’s model of gear.
Three things from yesteryear’s NFL I miss-
1. Coaches wearing suits.
2. Teams actually wearing matching socks/shoes. Nowadays it’s whatever- some of the team is wearing neon sneakers, another third has black shoes, and some wearing white shoes. Don’t get me started on the socks- er, I mean tights- they don’t even match now.
3. A team being able to win a Super Bowl with a good run game & great defense. Now it’s ALL about your QB & receivers- NFL nowadays is more akin to flag or arena football.
Ol’ Roy always had the best sideline swag. Personally fitted by Alexander julian. Always crushed it.
Alexander Julian used to have a deal at his men’s store for UNC graduates. I think it was $1000 (this was a while ago, I graduated in 1998) but you got 2 suits, 2 shirts, a couple ties and a pair of shoes. Something to start your professional wardrobe.
That was a fun look at how coaches dress, I did miss the Tark with his signature towel (part of his outfit) and the best basketball coach to ever wear a Ditka like pullover: John Thompson. But personally I would respect a coach for his game tactics, not for him dressing like a CIA agent, an architect or a stockbroker. That baseball jersey with the red lettering could be of the University of Detroit Mercy when it was still named the University of Detroit. A fine institution of higher learning.
I’ll second this. I’d Bet that’s a University of Detroit jersey.
That was my guess as well.
Great photos and laughs, Derek. Thank you!
Oh, and what about another 80s-90s college basketball icon: the sweater of Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s was on display a couple of years ago, I remember.
In before too many of the “back in my day men were men!” comments…. the world has changed in the last 60 years. The things we wear evolve. There is nothing wrong with that. And while I believe there are certainly occasions to wear a suit and tie (or something of a similar level of formality), the decline of formal menswear does not signal any kind of social erosion. Clearly, based on Belichick’s success as a head coach and Mike Nolan’s lack thereof, a suit on the sidelines does not translate to success on the field.
All this to say: Coaches should wear whatever they want on the sidelines. To use the soccer example above: Pocchettino would occasionally wear a suit and tie, sweater and slacks, or full tracksuit when he was the coach at Tottenham. Antonio Conte similarly mixes it up. It doesn’t seem to align necessarily with the magnitude of the match being played–seems to be more about weather and comfort. My issue is with the NFL not allowing coaches to wear a suit and tie a few years back, and requiring them to wear whatever branded apparel they were trying to sell.
More than anything, I like when a long time coach develops a trademark look over time. I actually think Jim Harbaugh looks pretty sharp on the sideline: khakis, team logo crewneck, simple logo hat. Pep Guardiola also usually gets it right on the sidelines these days–crew neck t-shirts, casual slacks, a v-neck sweater from time to time (occasional hoodie aside). I also appreciated how Roy Williams upped his blazer game when he was head coach at North Carolina.
AJ, I appreciate those comments. I try to be cautious about that reactionary approach to dress as if what coaches (or anybody) wear signals some existential social collapse. I think that is simplistic and potentially dangerous. It is of course a matter of preference for both wearer and viewer and should stay that way. I agree with you, the larger issue is the leagues stripping away any individuality to sell product.
I like some of your points AJ and some of the examples you used. I feel like the nba could at least allow the quarter zips to have unique patterns. Personal sidenote: Jim Boehim outfits are the pinnacle, the contrast of plaid and stripes is awesome.
Jimmy B got a little more conservative in his attire when he remarried in the late 90s, but he was still a pretty sharp dresser until the end of his coaching days.
But my larger point is that pro and college sports coaches are grown adults, and the idea that there should be some draconian, outdated dress code for that job—or any job—is simply an older generation who’s relevance and influence over social trends attempting to exert control over younger generations with different priorities. “People used to dress nicer” is just “kids these days” in different words.
If a coach succeeds in doing his job, his attire is irrelevant.
Missed an important word above. Correct phrase:
“simply an older generation who’s fading relevance and influence over social trends”
If you’re a fan of coaches still dressed like they’re going to a downtown office, the NHL is still like that.
It looks strange when an NHL coach does not have a suit and tie. As seen here with Tortorella in the hoodie for a game back in 2018. Looks like one of the trainers.
link
Coaches were not the only professionals to dress down beginning in the 1970s. You’d have a hard time pinpointing Patient Zero who gave permission to all those following that casual was the new paradigm. Also, no hockey coaches were profiled: When I started to follow hockey in 1977, all wore suits with the exception of Rangers’ Jean-Guy Talbot, who wore the same blue sweatsuit he wore during practices.
“Dr. Jack” Ramsey may not have been first…but may have been worst!
NHL coaches are by-and-large cut for the same cloth in many ways, but I’ll always remember Roger Neilson for his snazzy ties and theatrical tendencies.
Belichick has said before he would prefer to wear a suit, I can’t find the source but I did find sources saying how he chooses to look disheveled in protest of being told what he can and cant wear.
link
Not sure if this story is actually true, but I either heard or read it somewhere. When the NFL reportedly mandated coaches had to dress in certain attire on the sidelines (ahem, to sell and promote products for sale) Bill Belichick essentially said, “OK, you are going to make me dress in certain clothing? I will, but I’ll make it look as crappy as possible.” That was the impetus re the hobo look he seems to like. He did formerly wear team logo gear before, so I’m not sure what league request specifically made him mad at the time. Maybe this is all just lore.
Good article, but disappointed that Hank Stram wasn’t included. He was a dapper dresser, at least for his time.
Yeah I was expecting to see ol’ Hank just below the fold.
On the other end of the spectrum, I was disappointed there were no Doug Moe pics.
My first thought on that Detroit baseball jersey is that, maybe it’s from the University of Detroit Titans from when they had a baseball team?
My though exactly, Rob. School colors are red, white, and blue, so it’s not impossible.
Detroit Stars Negro League throwback maybe?
Not likely. The Stars throwbacks have pretty consistently used a pinstriped design with a blue placket and Tuscan-style lettering.
I was also thinking U of Detroit, although I don’t know how long it’s been since they fielded a team.
Apparently U-D/UDM fielded a team between 1965 and 2004, from what I could find.
Does dressing up still show respect for an institution or is that idea passé? Someone said it’s irrelevant as far as winning or losing is concerned. I don’t think that’s the issue at all.
For every dapper sideline dresser like Tom Landry or Hank Stram there was a guy like John Madden, who was much better served by the NFL coaching ranks going more casual: link
I’m a “wear what you’re most comfortable in” guy. Those jobs are high-pressure enough; why make the coaches chafe in a suit on game days.
Ditto for Temple coach John Chaney – rarely were the sleeves not rolled up, the top button of his dress shirts ‘always’ remained unfastened…and the tie was perpetually pulled down.
America is a nation of fat slobs. Slovenly people who hide behind the idea of comfort to cover for their complete lack of caring or effort.
Is this meant to be a joke? Because…wow.
No. It’s a true comment on reality. Open your eyes and look around.
Sir this is a Wendy’s.
Check out the homemade CBS Sports signs in the background of the Tom Landry picture. Someone was going all out with their banner display.
Many men in the 80s went out and bought Armani suits and slicked their hair back because of Riley. When did baseball managers start wearing uniforms, or did they always do so?
I did it because of Gordon Gekko
And Gordon did it because of Riley.
I hardly noticed what Allen and Adams were wearing because the Washington and Houston uniforms are GORGEOUS. The sleeves! The socks! The helmet stripes!
I’ve always loved Washington’s uniform – partly because I grew up in the DC suburbs and partly because that burgundy/gold combination isn’t as ubiquitous as blue/white, red/white or even green/white. The only good thing the team did when they rebranded was keep those colors (although curse them for adding BFBS).
As a kid I didn’t like the Oilers’ uniform, mostly because I really didn’t understand their logo – you don’t see a whole lot of oil derricks in Maryland. But the red/blue/red stripes on the sleeves, pants and socks really make up for what I still think is one of the NFL’s all-time weakest logos.
Regarding the coaches: 1) I hate that so many of them wear branded merchandise now, and 2) I hope baseball managers continue to wear uniforms.
The old Washington burgundy was truly distinctive. Browner than USC or anyone else’s. Lombardi switched it when he got to change the uniform contract to his brother-in-law’s employer, Rawlings.
link.
I was hoping that when the Padres finally brought back the brown, it would be that reddish-brown shade instead, not just referencing the friars’ robes but the wines they made.
I would like to suggest a theory that the carpet in the Washington Football Team’s locker room in the 70’s was the reason why they were not very good.
They were in the 1973 Super Bowl, but I agree about that carpet.
I’d have to put Phil Jackson’s look more as the 1980’s kids birthday magician, still hungover from the previous night.
Sports is also one of a few places where “fashion” is slanted in a women’s favor. If I am reporting on a game in the middle of a heat wave? Suit with sports jacket, tie,and dress shoes(mandatory). A female reporter? A party dress and flip flops are allowed.
When the inevitable war with China happens, there MUST be (assuming we win) remuneration from the CCP for all of their crimes the last 3+ years, including causing a situation in which NBA and college basketball coaches were given free reign to dress like they were coaching their daughter’s UPWARD league at the local church’s sanctuasium on a Saturday morning.
Well, if we’re going to normalize world wars that ruin civilization for petty revenge and money grabs, when does China finally get to sue Britain for the crimes of the East India Company, which conquered India to grow narcotics, then flooded China with it, then got Britain to send its Navy to force China to legalize those narcotics at gunpoint? Leading to the occupation of all Chinese ports by foreigners, the ruin of Chinese society, and 90 years of civil wars that killed tens of millions and turned the world’s largest nation into Big Afghanistan. A mountain of Chinese gold ended up in London. And Britain was the USA’s #1 investor during its industrialization. Where did the gold all go?
It’s not really a joke when you imply that your inconveniences are acts of war while practical genocide by your ancestors is ignored. You know the Chinese have justified their violence in the name of vengeance all these years, and now you’re accepting that we are the only ones who deserve revenge on them. The only thing that can be inevitable is extinction.
Over my 24 years coaching HS football, at least 15 of them found me as ‘head’ coach of either the JV or Freshman teams.. As a classroom teacher who still wears a suit and tie every day, I would just keep my suit on for the game after school.
I did it as a nod to the lost tradition of NFL/College coaches who dressed professionally prior to the ’70’s. Team loved it, as did the officials!
I always loved that Mike Nolan and Jack DelRio broke the mold in the early 2000’s and suited up on the sideline… Nolan, in honor of his Dad, Dick, and DelRio as homage to Tom Landry (as did Dan Reeves). It was typical NFL bullshit when the league told the 2 that they needed to wear more ‘team-licensed gear’, so they stopped.
Everyone on NFL sidelines today look amateurish.
“It was typical…when the league told the 2 that they needed to wear more ‘team-licensed gear’,”
Weren’t their suits tailored by the official outfitter of the league at that time?
Yes… for a couple seasons the NFL and those 2 coaches struck a deal to have their suits ‘licensed’.. As I remember, the inside of the suit jacket was lined with team logo/branding.. But, if I remember correctly, sadly that only lasted a couple years..
If they only proposed a “Hank Stram” compromise…!!
Great job by Derek. Surprised there was no mention of Hank Stram or Louie Carnesecca.
I’m a geezer, but I have no problem with coaches dressing casually.
I’m sure deion is going to wear something that screams “Everybody please look at me!”
this year at Colorado.
To paraphrase the great George Carlin- Football coaches wear baseball hats. Why doesn’t Walter Alston wear a football helmet?
Spectacular writing, Derek.
“Just let ’em wear what they want” is how we ended up with pajama pants and mismatched shoes, and might be how we end up with a President inaugurated in khakis and a pullover. Landry and Belichick are at opposite ends of the sartorial spectrum, but the middle has moved way too far towards the latter.
And while I could do without seeing Bum in his Texas plaid ever again, I’ll never tire of the Luv Ya Blue … and I’m a Steelers fan.
is a wet fart ever really trustworthy?
Simple. Effective. Not bad, Bugeaters.
Whoops, retract that, posted to the wrong tab!
Maybe I missed it, but he NFL refuses to let coaches wear suits on the sidelines anymore without an Act of Congress, too busy trying to sell Coach’s Polo Shirts in the Team Shops.
Mike Nolan has to get permission to wear a suit for ONE GAME in a sideline to honor his father Dick Nolan who regularly worse a suit when he coached the 49ers ( he wore coaches’ polos and jackets later when he was Head Coach of the Saints 1978-1980).
It’s a shame, they should let coaches wear what they want, at least the Head Coaches.
HANK STRAM – Best Dressed NFL Head Coach Ever
In early 1976, Hank Stram was introduced at a gala Press Conference by ownership to New Orleans as the Saints’ new Head Coach. After Stram was introduced, and all questions answered, various business in New Orleans one by one approached Stram and announced gifts to him in welcome. Club memberships, gift certificates, etc.
A good friend who spent his life working for one of New Orlean’s top flight Men’s Clothing Stores was deputized to approach Stram and present him a $100.00 Gift Certificate to the store. As my friend approached Stram, he noticed that Stram was wearing a suit worth at LEAST $700-$1,000 in 1976!
The suit was a bespoke, tailored suit with the matching vest and pants all one connected garment, like a jumpsuit, with a matching jacket. Highest End available. Worth at LEAST $700.
My friend was stricken and embarrassed to give him the $100 certificate.
Maybe it bought Hank Stram two ties. Maybe.
Hank Stram “Got It”. He was hand-on with the uniforms and details from the day he got to New Orleans. He made the team stand at attention in numerical order on the sidelines for the intros and Anthem. Shirts were tucked in, socks worn properly. The Saints were the second or third team with colored facemasks. He brought that in. He was serious about how his team and sidelines dressed, and he truly “Got It”. Had he not been fired by an idiot owner in a temper tantrum, Stram’s teams would have been successful.
What might have been ….
A day late on this, and a nice job by Derek, but don’t know how you can write about coaches’ attire and not include Don Nelson’s fish ties when he coached the Bucks.