Columbia Lions (1955-56)

For many years, Columbia wore one light blue jersey home and away, even as everyone else was adding white jerseys to better contrast opposing teams. But in the mid-50s, the Lions sported white roads before oddly returning to its single-jersey ways until the mid-60s.

Sid Pinch (not to be confused with Sidd Finch) turns Columbia
and Princeton players into fallen bowling pins in 1955. Daily Princetonian pic.

The 1955 uni is pretty conventional, although the road jersey's pattern bears no resemblance to the home model (a common occurrence then). The '56 design, with the curved numbers, is one of my favorites of the period, and it's too bad the Lions didn't stick with the roads for a few more years (the home shirt was revived in the '60s). It's different, but classy, which is a hard tightrope to walk. The road socks, whose stripes match those on the shirts, are a nice touch, too. Oddly, the Lions didn't appear to wear long socks at home.

The '56 uniform kinda reminds me of the first-year Houston Oilers, with the similar font and light blue motif.

The '56 Columbia home uniform Columbia Spectator pic
-- well, sort of (check the credit line).

The classy '56 roads, from the Daily Princetonian.

Alas, nothing good lasts forever and a million other similar cliches, and Columbia reverted to a more traditional jersey -- without a matching road model -- for '57.

Other Lions unis that'll make you roar: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2003-05, 1996, 1983, 1974-76, 1971-73, 1970, 1965-67, 1952-54.