Michigan Football 1960's Throwback Jerseys

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

With every game this football season featuring a former great being honored, I might as well put this up on the board for the 2013 season. Former coach Bump Elliott has never been welcomed back to Michigan Stadium and honored. Sure, things weren't great under Bump, but he had a near-National Championship in 1964, going 9-1-0 and winning the Big Ten and Rose Bowl. He was also a player on the 1947 & 1948 National Championship teams with his brother Pete who he would eventually coach against when Michigan played Illinois.

In 1965, Michigan signed a bruiser of a running back out Northwestern High School in Detroit by the name of Ron Johnson. Johnson set single game records for rushing yards and touchdowns at 347 and 5 respectively in a 34-9 senior day drubbing of wisconsin in 1968. Those records still stand to this day. Ron Johnson is the only player from 1941-1978 to have a picture on the hallway walls of the Michigan Stadium media deck-

A sad article came out a little under a year ago about Ron and how he has Alzheimer's and lives in a residential care facility. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/sports/football/ex-giants-case-is-a-window-on-nfl-aid.html?pagewanted=all

Dave Brandon has said that there most likely will be a night game in 2013 at Michigan Stadium. And it being a special game, I'm sure there will be some kind of special jersey that Brandon wants the team to wear to obviously make the kids happy but sell some of them. Why not do a real 1960s Throwback uniform and welcome back Bump, Ron and any memeber of the Michigan football teams from that era who hasn't been back?

Here my concept design for what they could do-

  • Helmet numbers, gray facemasks and white chinstraps. Aka the Legacy helmets.
  • No jersey numbers on sleeves or shoulders.
  • Long sleeve Blue adidas undershirts to simulate the baggy sleeves/long sleeves the jerseys back then had.
  • Maize Block M on shoulders.
  • Blue jersey with bigger Maize numbers.
  • PLAIN Maize pants that resemble those worn for UTL.
  • Two-tone socks. White socks with retro Michigan logo on them as seen on the blocker in front Ron Johnson in the picture aboves left leg. Blue socks underneath the White ones.
  • Black shoes

Now in the picture above, you don't see the Maize block M on the shoulders. This is because this picture was taken in 1967. Sleeve Ms weren't added until 1968. As seen in the 1968 team photo-

IMO, I think it would be MUCH better to do an actual throwback uniform instead of making new ones or doing a fusion of different eras like have seen so far.

Bump Elliott is 87 and Ron Johnson is 64. Michigan already missed out on honoring LEGEND from the Mad Magician 1947 team, the late Bob Chappuis. I think Michigan should at the very least bring Bump back and honor him for all that he did in his time at Michigan as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

Would love to hear feedback on this. I just think if Michigan is going to anymore special uniforms, they need to do some kind of thing like this. Because it is sad how they have not really brought back great players from that era like Bob Timberlake, Ron Johnson etc.

Welcoming back greats, wearing TRUE throwbacks and not imaginary ones, Dave Brandon making profits from jerseys sales. Everyone wins, IMO.

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Hard Gay

August 13th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^

I don't think our main uniform has changed enough throughout the years to warrant a throwback.  They kind of already are throwbacks.  The change you described would be barely noticable.

Joined: 10/01/2008

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Section 1

August 13th, 2012 at 7:42 PM ^

I talked to Dave Brandon once very briefly about Bump.  There had been a plan two years ago to bring him in to honor him at an Iowa game (very appropriate) but Bump's wife was ill back in Iowa City.  I got the impression that Brandon wanted very much to do it; but that the Elliotts were a bit fragile.  I am guessing that there are some people here who know even more about this; Bump's nephew Bruce (football letterwinner himself) practices law in Ann Arbor.

If it happened, and Bump Elliott took the field in Ann Arbor at an Iowa game, the roar from the crowd ought to be one of the greatest in Stadium history.  There was never a better M Man in history.

There was a different style to the mid-sixties numbers (they were smaller, too) that I wish they'd go back to.  As seen in this photo of the great Ron Johnson:

Joined: 06/29/2009

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931 S State

August 13th, 2012 at 10:55 PM ^

It's really too bad the reunion for Bump never happened for the 2010 Iowa game.  I don't think it was cancelled until very close (weeks) to the game.  All players who played for Bump were invited to come back and honor him.  Would have been great to get all those guys together to honor them, their coach, and the era, with 110k in the Big House.  

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 1964

rob f

August 13th, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^

I think it's a great idea, but when you realize Bump is already 87, it's something that Dave Brandon really needs to try to do this season for the Iowa game or even sooner.  I also think there's enough difference in the uniforms to do a true retro-uniform, including making the helmet wings larger like they were back then and wearing (what looks like in the above photos) two-tone blue-and-white socks.

Are there any MgoBloggers with enough influence to tug on Brandon's ear regarding this great idea?   Make it happen!

Joined: 11/11/2010

MGoPoints: 195022

death by wolverine

August 13th, 2012 at 8:00 PM ^

I love the Block M on the sleeves. Watching the Countdown to Kickoff 20, the practice jerseys with M on them looked great. Its simple but better than all of the " retro" jerseys of last year.

Joined: 09/24/2009

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ST3

August 13th, 2012 at 10:14 PM ^

If you really want to have an authentic throwback uniform, you've got to thicken up the wings on the helmet. Look at the size of those things.

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BumpNRun

August 14th, 2012 at 7:16 AM ^

Part of what makes these 60s jerseys look so great is the "weight" and material of the jersey. I don't think it is going to translate that well in the new techfit materials players wear. It may be a nice nod to the 60s, or it may just register as a dud of an effort.

It certainly wouldn't be drastic enough of a change to excite recruits or the demographic that loves jerseys.

Joined: 08/09/2012

MGoPoints: 125

jsimms

August 14th, 2012 at 8:30 AM ^

I am afraid that the current adminstration thinks that an authentic throwback would irreparably harm the Michigan "brand".  The modern uniform example to be followed is that of Oregon or Michigan State, not the New York Yankees, or even Alabama.

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