Being "recommended for a numeral" as a badge of honor
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:49 am
In the December 8, 1927, Minneapolis Daily Star, there is an account of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team year-end awards banquet, and in that account it is mentioned that the freshman football coach had recommended certain freshmen players "for numerals." I assume this means that a) players on the freshmen team did not wear numbers on their jerseys, b) being "recommended for a numeral" meant you had been recommended to join the varsity team, and c) players on the varsity team wore numbers on their jerseys.
This made me wonder: did the pro teams always wear numbers on their jerseys? When they did begin wearing numbers of their jerseys, was the college crowd taken aback by the pro players' audacity to think that they had somehow earned the privilege of wearing numbers?
I know that until Red Grange lent his credibility to pro football that the pro players weren't seen as the real deal, so how did wearing jersey numbers play with fans?
This made me wonder: did the pro teams always wear numbers on their jerseys? When they did begin wearing numbers of their jerseys, was the college crowd taken aback by the pro players' audacity to think that they had somehow earned the privilege of wearing numbers?
I know that until Red Grange lent his credibility to pro football that the pro players weren't seen as the real deal, so how did wearing jersey numbers play with fans?