football Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Oct182013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Sports Graveyard: Indianapolis Capitols

I ran across this interesting pin while looking for old sports memorabilia, and was immediately intrigued. The only football team I ever thought called Indianapolis home is the Colts. So who were the Indianapolis Caps? Turns out the Caps -- actually the Indianapolis Capitols -- were a member of the short-lived Continental Football League. The CFL began play in 1965, five seasons after the American Football League, and folded after the 1969 season. The Caps joined the league in 1966 as the Montreal Beavers before moving to Indiana two years later. In their first year in Indianapolis, the Caps won the Central Division with an 8-4 record. They repeated that record in the league's final season, but managed to also win the last-ever CFL championship by beating the San Antonio Toros. ...

Oct72013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Book Report — Football Nation: Four Hundred Years of America’s Game

Books

The last few years have been conflicting ones for football fans. While NFL devotees wrestle with their collective conscience regarding the impact of football on it's participants' long-term health, the sport has arguably never been more popular (or certainly more financially successful). While not ignoring the troubling revelations coming out almost daily on the medical front, the rich history of football in the United States is still worthy of celebration. It is in the spirit of this celebration that we now have the fantastic visually striking Football Nation: Four Hundred Years of America's Game (Abrams Books 2013). The book was written by Library of Congress author Susan Reyburn, and it is this association that is Football Nation's greatest strength. So let's talk about that. ...

Apr262013 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Here’s Joe Namath Wearing a 1964 New York Jets Helmet

Football Friday, Sports

As originally seen on UniWatch, here's a very cool photo of Joe Namath in a New York Jets uniform. It's notable for a few reasons, which I'll get into shortly. What makes this interesting is that Broadway Joe is wearing a helmet with an altered version the mostly white Jets logo that was used for the 1964 season only, but didn't play his first game for New York until 1965. By that time the team had adopted a helmet logo that was essentially the same but with the colors reversed. Here's a replica of that version: And here's the '64 version as well: So based on the Namath pic, it looks like the helmet he wore for that shoot is a prototype of some sort. Perhaps the team had already decided to move in a new direction for '65? Makes sense, considering what a landmark signin...

Feb52013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s the New Jacksonville Jaguars Logo

Sports

Well, I guess I'll have to do some updating of my AFC South NFL logo ranking before the 2013 season gets underway. That's because the Jacksonville Jaguars today unveiled their first new primary logo since the team joined the league in 1995. Here it is: For comparison, here's the previous version: On the whole, this is a step in the right direction. Obviously this new jaguar is more realistic, and looks like an actual cat rather than a conglomeration of geometric shapes assembled to resemble one. The color scheme of the fur is improved, but then again, there's that green tongue. It's like the big cat had a watermelon lollipop before the modeling session. As overall logos go, this is pretty good. As Jaguars logos go, it's a step up for certain. Even better is the team's new ...

Sep282012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Football Friday: Life Magazine’s Look at the NFL of 1960

Football Friday, Sports

This is one of the cooler sports photo galleries I've put together for you. This is a combination of published and unpublished images for a Life magazine article on the NFL and the ascent of pro football as a spectator sport. It ran in their December 5, 1960 issue and was called "Fans Go Ga-Ga Over Pro Football." The pictures in this gallery were taken by George Silk during the 1960 NFL season and seem to come from X main sources -- four New York Giants home games (against the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Redskins), a Giants film session, and a game between the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Colts (which I believe to be a home game for the Colts). Included here is a photo of Eagles linebacker creaming the Giants' Frank Gifford. I don'...

Sep122012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday: A Pair of Football Kicks

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Via the Smithsonian American Art Museum, here's a pair of outstanding vintage stop-motion photographs by Harold E. Edgerton. They both capture the moment when a player kicks a football on a tee, and I love the effect of the feet pushing in the football. Here's a black and white from 1934: And a nifty color one from 1938. I love the shiny gold pants almost as much as the shot of the football. Related articles Vintage Photo Wednesday: Labor Day Parades and Celebrations of the Past (grayflannelsuit.net) Vintage Photo Wednesday: Back to Old School (grayflannelsuit.net) Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 4 - Baseball Images of Yesteryear (grayflannelsuit.net) Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 6 - The 1912 Summer Olympics (grayflannelsuit.net)

Jan232012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Super Bowl XLVI — This Fan Space For Rent

Sports

I can't believe I'm saying this as a football fan of three decades, but I've seriously given thought to not watching the Super Bowl this year. Not because I don't think it will be a good game, and certainly not because it lacks for good story lines. It's just that I'm not the kind of football fan who will watch a game just because it's football. I need some kind of rooting interest -- some reason to pull for one team over the other, even if it's a silly one. But with Super Bowl XLVI, I am struggling to think of one so far. Unlike the last time the Patriots and Giants faced each other, in Super Bowl XLII. It was easy to root for New York then. I, like 99% of decent-minded sports fans, wanted desperately for a season's worth of Boston-centric hubris and obnoxiousness to come crashing down...

Nov162011 by Chris Holmes3 Comments

Cork it, 1972 Dolphins

Sports

This post originally ran in November 2005, when the Indianapolis Colts looked poised to unseat the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only undefeated team in the modern NFL era. They ultimately failed, and so this year the 9-0 Green Bay Packers are next in line for a shot at sports immortality. And wouldn't you know it, the '72 Dolphins just can't shut the hell up. Same crap, different year. I'd like to take a moment to delve into the world of sports. Last night, the Indianapolis Colts beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to go to 11-0 this season. And just like all the other times a team has gone undefeated this deep into the season, we have to watch the graying, braying remnants of the 1972 Dolphins (who finished 17-0) celebrate whenever the last undefeated team loses. And I, for one, have...

Oct192011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Carson Palmer — The next Jim Plunkett or Jeff George?

Sports

It's been a day since the Raiders landed Carson Palmer in a trade with the Bengals, and I'm still not sure what to think (hot dog jokes aside). While I can't get on board yet with the idea that Oakland will ride Palmer to the AFC title, I also can't agree with the pundits and fans who instantly declared this a swindle on Cincy's part. In terms of the trade terms -- it will be a lot easier to tell if a first-round draft pick next year and a first or second rounder in 2013 is too steep a price to pay for a QB many think is past his prime. After all, if Palmer can lead the Raiders into the AFC championship, won't that be worth the loss of two picks that may or may not work out anyway? I have to say that what makes me most uneasy is that I remember watching post-knee injury Palmer strugg...