Georgia football: The curious case of the black jersey’s from 1941

Theory One – Used to contrast an opponent

One thing I’ve often wondered is how confusing some games were to watch prior to the mid-1960’s. Nowadays, it’s a rule that both teams wear jersey’s that contrast. And in the 60’s a rule was passed requiring teams to wear white on the road.

But before that, what did teams do when they played an opponent who dressed similarly? As we all know, Georgia football wore red jersey’s at that time. So did South Carolina and Alabama, two teams that Georgia played in 1941.

Wally Butts was also an innovator in the passing game. It would make sense that Butts have his team wear different jerseys against teams with similar primary uniforms so his passers can scan the field easier.

This theory is also supported by the 1946 Alabama game in which Georgia wore white jerseys with three sleeve stripes.

Contrast for the passing game was also why Butts chose to have Georgia’s leather helmets painted silver. So clearly, making things easier for his passers was very important to coach Butts. That might explain the existence of the black jerseys.