Maine Black Bears (1957-59)

Ah, Maine football. Crisp (dare we say brisk) fall afternoons, gorgeous foliage, the marching band in good form blasting out the Stein Song, the Black Bears taking the field in the blue uniforms with red trim ...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's rewind there. RED trim?

Yup, it's true. On and off from 1958-72, Maine's socks used red trim. Why, I have no idea, but it's pretty strange, especially when light blue trim was used on the jerseys and pants in the late '60s and early '70s. Maybe Maine got a good deal on them?

A panoramic view of Alumni Field in 1959, from the 1961 Prism yearbook.
If you look verrrry closely, you can sport the red trim on Maine's socks.

In '57, Maine joined the growing trend in college football and placed numbers on the helmets, a look the Bears used through 1975, although a couple of font changes were made along the way; block numbers were used from 1957-59, which is the focus of today's uniform.

Another color shot, this from 1960.

A few other things:

* The smallish numbers used before '57 were noticeably super-sized. 

* Check out the '57-58 socks; a small "M" was on the sides, a la Delaware's "D." This was a carryover from a style first used in 1953.

* In '57, a short-sleeved alternate jersey with light blue trim was used. I'm guessing this was for early-season warm-weather games.

Maine at home in 1958 ...

... and on the road in '59.

Can't bear to be without Black Bear uniforms? Here are some more: 2014, 2011-13, 1997-99, 1976-84, 1974, 1965, 1949-50. Rivalry week: Maine-New Hampshire.