Rhode Island State Rams (1931-32)

This uniform is a personal favorite that I've never gotten around to discussing. So let's discuss!

Back when most teams wore jerseys that were either plain or had friction strips on the front (a few were just starting to add numbers), Rhode Island State (the "State" went bye-bye around 1951) added some flair with a big ol' "RI" logo on the front, very similar to the one the Rams use today.

The 1931 Rhode Island (State) Rams strike a pose.
With only 16 players, I'm guessing these are just the lettermen
and not the full varsity.

Rhody wore this style from 1929-33 (I have only 1931-32 listed here because I'm uncertain about the helmets for the other years), then reduced the size of the "RI" to make room for a number, ditching the friction strips along the way.

A Rhody player goes airborne against Providence in 1931.
This is one of the better photos I've seen from this era, when so many
seem to be taken from three miles away and you have no idea which team is which.

Another unique bit about this uniform is the pants: While most other teams dressed in tan, brown or gray pants, Rhody came decked out in navy blue, a sharp contrast to the jerseys and helmets, which had no navy to speak of. (Something tells me the interwebs would go bonkers if a team did that today.)

Rhody and Maine butt heads in 1932.

I'm not always crazy about the modern phenomenon of college-football-as-fashion-show, but at least you can tell which team is which upon first glance. In the 1920s and '30s, an era of mostly plain, drab unis depicted in grainy black-and-white photos, Rhode Island is one of the few teams that stand out.

Ram on with more Rhody unis: 

2021 (spring), 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2003-07, 1997-99, 1983-92, 1982, 1976-82, 1967-71, 1966, 1963-65, 1962, 1957-61, 1955, 1951, 1947-50, 1936-39. Rivalry Week: UConn-Rhody. Yankee Conference: 1996, 1974, 1969, 1956, 1947.