Letterman Sweaters & The Varsity Jacket

This past weekend I was at a CFL game (Canadian Football league) for the Toronto Argonauts and it just happened to have been their 150th anniversary (1873 they were formed). Amazing timing!

150 years is a long time to have been around and the vintage photos & videos they showed during the game, was a thrill for this vintage loving gal! Especially the letterman sweaters and varsity jackets that made appearances in the early days.

(1906 Toronto Argonauts – Canadian Encylopedia)

After the game was over, I was so inspired by what I saw that I thought it would be fun to take a look at vintage photos of people IN these “badge of honour” jackets & letterman sweaters and share them all with you.

So let’s take a look at what I found!

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Note: If the item you clicked on is no longer available, just do a search for like items. There are loads of vintage items being added to Etsy and eBay daily!

Source: eBay

Brief History of the Letterman Sweater & Varsity Jacket

The word varsity is a shortening of the word “university.”

Varsity jackets, in general, are traced back to letter sweaters (“Letterman Sweaters”) worn by athletes from the Harvard University Baseball Team back in 1865.

Having the letter “H” stitched into the center of your sweater was a mark of honor. Back then, it was incredibly prestigious, and you were seen to be in the elite few!

Some of the best schools will only reward students with patches if they are outstanding in other academic classes, and the badges display a well-rounded player.

The letterman sweater trend eventually trickled into high schools with the earliest known example appearing on an Arizona student in the 1911 Phoenix Union High School yearbook sporting high school letterman jackets.

Varsity jackets didn’t come about until the 1930s; the sleeves were leather, while the trunk of the jacket was wool-bodied. This resulted from athletes complaining about being cold in their letter sweaters (Source).

1936 photo: Millsaps Majors Varsity Jacket – Jackson Mississippi (source: eBay)

Vintage Photos of Men & Women in Letterman Sweaters & Varsity Jackets

Note: A few of the photos below I have shared in previous posts, but they were so good I needed to add them to this post.

A young man in his letterman sweater is popular with our stylish 1920s ladies at the University of Chicago (what stunning 1920s fashions..the hats are fantastic!).

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of Student Life 1920s-1950s

1939 yearbook photo of ‘The Varsity Club’ at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

“The members of this club have given us many thrills on the several athletic club”.

Further Reading: Vintage School Clubs Part 1 & Part 2.

Source: digitalnc.org

Two handsome college men posing together with their matching “T” letterman sweaters under lovely long winter coats. Late 1930s/ early 1940s photo.

Source: eBay

1940s photo. Western Connecticut State University students share a chat beside a bicycle. The young man is proudly sporting his letterman sweater.

Source: Western CT State University Archives

1940s Photo: Date night! Curly wears his letterman sweater with an “M” patch and bowtie to impress Ann in front of a 1940s four door sedan.

Further Reading: Vintage photos of date night in the 1940s & 1950s

Twin brothers sporting their Fort Frances high school sweaters. 1940s vintage photo.

Source: Etsy – maclancy

Early 1950s photo of 4 young women with absolutely stunning hairstyles and fantastic college fashions (including that letterman jacket) posing for a photo on the front lawn of what I’m going to assume is a sorority house.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

1950s photo of a man in a Baseball letterman jacket at a bar posing for a picture with a happy woman.

Source: Etsy-iloveyourmorephotos

1950s photo of a young Black woman, proudly wearing her Cheerleader varsity jacket for a school photo.

Source: Etsy-JakeRoebucks

1950s Vintage Photo of Cheerleaders at Wayne State University.

Further Reading: Vintage Cheerleading Photos

Varsity jackets everywhere in this 1950s highschool sports team photo.

Too cool for school! “A” patch on this jacket. 1950s photo.

Source: eBay

1950s vintage photo of two teenagers sitting on the back of a car. The young man is wearing a “F” Letterman Jacket. Photo is from 1954.

Fall Fashion 2023 Trend: The Varsity Jacket is a hit for this season. If you have one, break it out.

Don’t own one? No worries, I have started a vintage collection of “for sale” letterman / varsity jackets and sweaters on Etsy (updated monthly).

Question Time: Did you own a letterman sweater or varsity jacket? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below. I love hearing from my readers!

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz