Yale Bulldogs (1972-73); New Hampshire Wildcats (1993); Northeastern Huskies (1997)

Our last post, on Cornell's 100 years of football patch, had me thinking of other teams that celebrated their school's or program's centennial with a patch or decal.

Celebrating your team's 100th birthday is one thing ...
but your 101st? Check out the helmet on the Yale player
in this 1973 Yale Daily News pic.

The early 1970s Yale Bulldogs took perhaps took the most unorthodox method. The sons of old Eli simply took the famous "100" decal teams used in 1969 to celebrate college football's centennial and slapped it in front of the trademark "Y" on the side of the helmet. (Yale used the "100" decal on the helmet front in '69). Whether to be different -- or perhaps they were just too lazy to peel the decals off -- the Bulldogs replaced the "100" with a "101" in '73.

The UNH centennial logo, taken from an image in the 1994 Granite yearbook.

New Hampshire's decal celebrated the school's centennial with a patch using the trademark image of Thompson Hall that used to be part of the school's non-athletics logo (until it was replaced by the current "NH" seal, which set off a debate more intense than internet uniform arguments) and was frequently featured on the cover of the school yearbook, The Granite.

Northeastern's patch celebrated the school's 100th anniversary. The football team made it to only 76 years before it died in 2009. The patch was also used on the hockey jerseys during the 1997-98 season.

This was also the first year Northeastern went back to black jerseys after three seasons in red. In true Northeastern fashion, the Huskies went back to red in '99. That said, the "paw-on-shoulder" jerseys are among my favorite from the pooches.

A couple other centennials already have been observed here: Penn (1976) and Delaware (1989).

Yale uniforms: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2006-11, 1997-98, 1994, 1996, 1979-82, 1978, 1974-77, 1967-68, 1965, 1959-60, 1954-58, 1930. Rivalry Week: Harvard-Yale.

UNH uniforms: 2015, 2014, 2010-13, 1998, 1975, 1968-71 (part 1),  1969-71 (part 2), 1966-67, 1950, 1947-48, 1938, 1936. Rivalry Week: Maine-UNH.

Northeastern uniforms: 2008-09, 1994-96, 1989-90, 1982-86, 1976-77, 1973-75, 1963-68, 1936, 1935.

Cornell Big Red (1987)

This is an updated version of an earlier post, with the addition of a classy 100th anniversary patch to the 1987 Cornell jersey. Remember the days before teams started looking for the flimsiest excuses to wear a special patch? 

You can read more about the late-80s Cornell uniform here. And you can find tons of '87 Cornell pictures here.

Can't get enough from the Big Red? Check out these uniforms: 2013-14, 1999-2001, 1994, 1985-89, 1983-84, 1977-82, 1967-75,  1966, 1965, 1961-64, 1952, 1950-51. Rivalry week: Cornell-Penn.

Delaware Blue Hens (1950)

Apologies for the lack of updates lately -- I've been busy filling In the blanks as I try to complete the history of every team in this project going back to 1950. And speaking of 1950 ...

So, what did Delaware look like before it looked like Delaware? You know, before the Blue Hens adopted the winged Michigan-style helmets that they use to this day?

In 1950, the last year before the great changeover, Delaware wore plain yellow and/or gold helmets with white jerseys and gold pants. It appears that for night games, the Hens wore shinier helmets that were closer to a true gold than yellow and appear to have used a plastic shell, compared with the leather versions that Delaware used well into the 1960s.

Two images from the 1951 Blue Hen yearbook from 1950, the last year
before Delaware adopted the winged helmet. Note the shinier gold helmet
on the left used for night games.

In 1951, Delaware hired David Nelson away from Maine as its head coach. Nelson brought his famed Wing-T offense -- and the winged helmets, both of which he introduced during his two-year stint with the Black Bears.

There's more from the Delaware hen house: 2015, 2011-14, 2004-06, 1997-2003, 1989-92, 1980-88, 1975-79; 1973-74, 1972, 1965, 1967-71.