• History

See How Football Uniforms Have Changed Over a Century

1 minute read

When the Denver Broncos take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday night, the players will be decked out in the latest technology: super-lightweight pads, moisture-wicking jerseys and radio-equipped helmets. That wasn’t always the case. As these photos show, football uniforms have come a long way from the heavy sweaters and baggy pants of the sport’s early days.

Some of the evolution has been driven by innovation: In the 1920s, one new idea was to have players wear silk pants, on the thought that they were lighter than other options—or, on the other side of the spectrum, to have players wear shoulder pads reinforced with sheet metal, an innovation of the famed Jim Thorpe. In the 1940s, walkie-talkie-type helmets were patented, to let coaches speak directly in players’ ears. And, for the last few decades, protecting players from head trauma has been the top priority—not that early football games weren’t dangerous too.

The NFL on the Cover of TIME

Nov. 29, 1954: Bobby Layne, Detroit LionsTIME
Nov. 30, 1959: Sam Huff, New York GiantsTIME
Nov. 26, 1965: Jimmy Brown, Cleveland BrownsTIME
Jan. 17, 1972: Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys, and Bob Griese, Miami DolphinsTIME
Oct. 16, 1972: Joe Namath, New York JetsTIME
Dec. 8, 1975: Ernie Holmes, Joe Green, L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White, Pittsburgh SteelersTIME
Jan. 25, 1982: Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ersTIME
Jan. 27, 1986: "Refrigerator" Perry and Walter Payton, Chicago BearsTIME
Princeton University championship football team. Circa 1885.
Princeton University championship football team. Circa 1885.Sports Studio Photos—Getty Images
Glenn "Pop" Warner 1894
Glenn "Pop" Warner was a famous college football coach who had 319 major NCAA wins during his 44 year long career. Here he is seen wearing his football uniform during the time he was a player on the Cornell University football team. Circa 1894.Bettmann/Corbis
University Football Players 1904
University of Minnesota football players standing outdoors in the Hyde Park community area of Chicago, circa 1904. Chicago History Museum—Getty Images
College Football Players 1916
Two offensive lineman from Columbia University, Healy and Brown, run straight at the camera, Sept. 21, 1916.Corbis
Football Players Red Grange and Earl Britton, 1925.
Football Players Red Grange and Earl Britton, 1925. Bettmann/Corbis
George Halas in Football Uniform on Field
George Halas, player/coach of the Chicago Bears, 1933.AS400 DB—Corbis
Notre Dame's Angelo Bartelli, 1943.
Notre Dame's Angelo Bartelli, 1943.Bettmann/Corbis
Football player Charlie Conerly (right), quarterback for the New York Giants, attempts to assist his teammate, halfback Kyle Rote, by untangling the back of his jersey that has gotten caught in his shoulder pad, circa 1950s.
New York Giants quarterback Charlie Conerly (right), attempts to assist his teammate, halfback Kyle Rote, by untangling the back of his jersey that has gotten caught in his shoulder pad, circa 1950s.Robert Riger—Getty Images
Dallas Texans Dick Szymanski, 1965.
Dallas Texans Dick Szymanski, 1965. William Greene—Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images
University of Toledo Quarterback Chuck Ealey
University of Toledo QB Chuck Ealey (16) putting on shoulder pads in the locker room before practice at Glass Bowl. Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 1, 1971. Tony Tomsic—Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers adjusts his shoulder pads during a practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1989.
Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers adjusts his shoulder pads during a practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1989.Hank Young—The Sporting News/Getty Images
NY Giants Michael Strahan, 1998.
NY Giants Michael Strahan, 1998.Kimberly Butler—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Carolina Panthers v New England Patriots 2009
Matt Moore of the Carolina Panthers readjusts his shoulder pad during a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 13, 2009 in Foxboro, Mass. Jim Rogash—Getty Images
Radio-Frequency Identification by Zebra Technologies 2015
Closeup view of RFID player-tracking technology chip on shoulder pads from Zebra Technologies, in Holtsville, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2015. Michael J. LeBrecht II—Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com