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Varsity Jacket Trivia

The letterman jacket, known also as the varsity jacket, started with an athletic letter which originated through the start of organized sports and the adoption of an official uniform. There was a need for identification which was solved by adding a "letter" to the uniform. In 1865, the Harvard baseball team added an old English 'H' embroidered on their grey flannel shirts. It's interesting to note that for 25 years following introduction of the letter, it was the practice of the team captain to allow certain players who played in the most important games to keep the 'H' on their jersey as a reward. If a player did not play in an important game, they had to return the jersey at the end of the season. In the 1930's, the letter started to appear on leather sleeved, wool-bodied jackets and thus was born the modern day tradition of varsity letterman jackets. To this day, the letterman jacket has remained a popular feature of all American high schools.