Yale Football Unveils Eye-Popping Alternate Uniforms That Are 150 Years Old, Kind Of
Yale football is celebrating a big birthday this fall. To celebrate, it is breaking out some very unique uniforms.
The Bulldogs announced on Monday that they will be wearing alternate kits against Dartmouth on Saturday. They are unlike anything that you have ever seen before— unless you were alive in the late 1800s.
Yale football, believe it or not, is the most decorated program in college football. The university claims 18 national championships: 1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1909 and 1927. That is two more than Alabama.
In addition, the distinguished academic institution boasts two of the first three Heisman Trophy winners. It also includes 100 All-Americans and 28 Hall of Fame inductees. While it has been a while since the Bulldogs were competing for national championships, the history within the program is deep.
Of the many prominent players to take the field at Yale, Walter Camp is the most famous. He is widely considered the "Father of American Football". He played in New Haven from 1876 to 1881, coached the program from 1888-1992, and was a big part of the sport's development.
Camp came up with the first use of a quarterback, the idea of the snap, implemented the modern points system, set plays, formation rules, and a system of downs. Perhaps most notably, he is credited with the creation of a line of scrimmage.
Needless to say, football as we know it today would not be what it is without Camp.
Yale will honor Walter Camp and the program's deep roots in college football history with alternate uniforms.
When the Bulldogs take the field against the Big Green on Saturday, their uniforms will be hard to miss. They are unique.
The lace-up front and old school numbers are a throwback to the very same uniforms worn by Camp in the late 1870s/early 1880s. The cream color is the same as Yale's famed varsity sweaters.
In addition, if you look closely, Camp's rules of football from his famous 1893 book are actually written within the jersey numbers.
As for the helmets, they also carry historic significance. Within each Yale 'Y' is a silhouette of the Heisman Trophy. This is in honor of Larry Kelley's win in 1937 and Clint Frank's win in 1938. The two stripes on the helmet list the last name of every Yale football captain since 1872.
In their renowned history, the Bulldogs won 922 games. That is the seventh-most of any program in the nation and the most by any Ivy League or FCS school. The history is rich within Yale football and as the program turns 150 this year, it will be reflected and honored in its uniform.