April 9, 1945

On April 9, 1945, National Football League Commissioner Elmer Layden decided that the football paying public no longer wanted to see a professional football player’s hairy, scarred legs. He decreed that all NFL players must wear long stockings that reach up to the knee. Unfortunately, while this did hide the hirsute extremities of the ape-men who played on the defensive line, it did allow the fashion faux pas of the 1970s uniforms, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Oilers. No professional football player should be forced to wear a pastel colored uniform. There was a reason the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a league record 25 games in a row in 1976 to 1977. It was the emasculating pastel colored uniforms and socks. It’s very hard to be threatening and menacing when you’re wearing bay orange and white.

About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
This entry was posted in 20th Century, Historical Facts and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *