Cornell Big Red (1931-35)

In an earlier post, I touched upon the antics of former Boston College coach Gloomy Gil Dobie, whose ability to win was surpassed only by his dour personality. Well, before he reached The Heights, Dobie manned the sidelines at Cornell from 1920-35, going 82-36-7 with three straight undefeated seasons while frothing at the mouth all the way (perhaps Dobie was short for Doberman?).

The uniforms from Dobie's final five years in Ithaca show the transitions football uniforms made in the 1930s: The big friction strips on the front (I've always thought of that style as the "Red Grange jersey" for some reason) were phased out for a blank front. As you can see, both styles were used in 1933; I believe there was a mid-season switch. In 1936, Cornell's first season post-Dobie, jersey numbers appeared on the front for the first time.

A really cool 1932 action photo from the 1933 Cornellian yearbook.
Note that No. 51 for Columbia is wearing No. 30's helmet.
"Line play what is?" Who's writing these captions? Yoda?

Gloomy Gil Dobie, flanked by the two jersey styles the Big Red wore that season.

Also note the leather patches on the elbows of the earlier jerseys; they look more at home on a bad 1970s sport coat. 

Ivy League teams are beholden to tradition, and Cornell is no exception: The two white stripes on the sleeves continue to be used well into the 21st century, and the white-striped socks saw several more decades of use, too.

Top: Cornell wears the striped jerseys early in the season (check
the guys on the left). Above: The Big Red, in dark jerseys,
switches to a plainer look against Dartmouth.

As for Gloomy Gil ... a favorite book of my youth, The Football Hall of Shame 2 (go ahead, pick up a copy, it's a perfect bathroom time-killer), has several funny anecdotes about Coach Dobie's days at Cornell and BC. Here are a few quickies:

• After the Big Red crushed Dartmouth, 59-7, in 1921, Dobie held a full-scale scrimmage right after the game. Why? "Those bums didn't expect to get away with that performance, did they?"
• After Cornell wrapped up its third straight undefeated season in 1923, Dobie's reaction was, well, Dobie-esque: "If this is a championship team, then the human race must be disintegrating!"
• In Dobie's final year, 1935 (when Cornell went 0-6-1), his team endured a 54-0 trouncing by Princeton and Dobie told his players to publicly absolve him of any blame. "After all, I'm just the coach," was his reasoning.

A big photo spread of the '34 Big Red,
complete with hokey-but-awesome poses.

After the '35 season, Dobie resigned with three years remaining on his contract. The '36 Cornellian yearbook noted the mixed reaction on campus to his departure, saying that "Ithaca bristled with excitement over the news," while also acknowledging that "the passing of Gilmour Dobie ... was regretted by a host of his loyal supporters, particularly by men who have played under him." I presume that includes those who were called "bums" or were considered signs of the human race's decline.

Can't get enough from the Big Red? Check out these uniforms: 2016, 2015, 2013-14, 1999-2001, 1994, 1985-89, 1987, 1983-84, 1977-82, 1967-75,  1966, 1965, 1961-64, 1952, 1950-51. Rivalry week: Cornell-Penn. Inside the Jersey: 1977-79. 

This unusual photo is from the 1934 Cornellian.
I guess this would be called "modern art" in '34.