Detailed Jersey Set Notes
1932-33
Comments:
This jersey is one of several on display in the hallway behind the suites at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The photo below is from the 1978-79 yearbook, however no year is listed with that photo. Further research in the Michigan Tech Athletics photo archives provided a photo of a player wearing this style of jersey who played for the Huskies from 1931-35. Based on this photo, we believe that this jersey is attributed to Paul Swift and the 1932-33 season. There is a plaque which states this, but it was incorrectly attached to the wrong frame in the display. See the Early 1950s style below for more details.
Close-up Detail Images:
Early 1950s
Comments:
When this jersey was initially displayed (as shown at the left) the era of this jersey was unknown. Later, a small plaque was added to the frame which attributed this jersey to Paul Swift and the 1932-33 season. However we believe this plaque is incorrect and it should have been applied to the jersey cream color, striped jersey above.
This jersey closely matches those worn in the early 1950s. It is in amazing condition considering its age and the neck tagging is still present. This style was brought back by the team for the 2017-18 season as the primary road jersey.
Close-up Detail Images:
Neck tagging
Frame Plaque
Era Unknown - Research in Progress
Comments:
A jersey on displayed at Dee Stadium in Houghton, MI. At this time, this is NOT believe to be a Michigan Tech varsity team jersey. The cresting (Army Corps of Engineers) would suggest a possible connection to Army ROTC. Regardless, a beautiful vintage sweater.
Photo by Jim Rosvold
Close-up Detail Images:
Pre-1964
Michigan College
of Mining and Technology
Practice Jersey
Comments:
An awesome item from the long history of Huskies Hockey at Michigan Tech. At first glance this sweater can simply be appreciated for its vintage nature and over 70 hand sewn repairs. However, when the jersey is
photographed with a flash,
the real history of this peice comes to light. Just below the neckline on the front appears to be the letters "M C M" and also a single digit number. This is significant because from 1927-1964 the insitution was known as Michigan College of Mining and Technology. In 1964 it was changed to the current name of Michigan Technological University, meaning this sweater predates that name change. Given the significant amount of wear, it very likely dates back to the 1950s or at the very least the early 1960s.
The only other marking or tagging remaining on the jersey is a
small banner tag
on the left front, lower hem which reads "McGregor."
Huge thanks to the long-time in-arena voice of the Huskies, Mitch Lake (who obtained this sweater during his time as a student at Michigan Tech) for making this historical item available.
Close-up Detail Images:
Front Cresting (w/ Flash)
Front Hem Tagging
1964-65
NCAA National Championship Ring
Comments:
This is by far the rarest item in our collection and has an even better story of how it came to be in our collection. A few years after obtaining my degree from Michigan Tech, and in the very early days of Ebay, this ring was offered for sale. Very few people knew about Ebay at the time and there were some real deals. In fact, the gold #26 jersey below was also purchased on Ebay only one month later after this ring was first offered.
The ring was auctioned along with a small plaque. At the time I did not think to save a copy of the plaque image, but if memory serves it was a smaller version of the team trophy without a base. Being a recent college graduate with plenty of loans to pay back, and still in the early days of building this collection, I was unable to win it.
Close-up Detail Images:
Ebay Auction (Dec 2000)
LoA (Jan 2001)
However only a short time later, the ring and plaque were again offered for sale again on Ebay. This time the two items were in their own unique auctions. Again, I was not successful in winning either item, but I do remember that the ring sold for more than the seller had previously paid for the plaque and ring together. Frustrated that I had missed the ring again, I printed a hard copy of the auction results with the intention that when I had the funds, I would contact the winning bidder and try to purchase it from them. That was December of 2000...
As the years went by, I would contact the winning bidder from time to time, hoping they still owned it and for a chance at adding this ring to the collection. Each contact attempt went unanswered but I kept the auction results because Ebay showed the bidder was still active. Finally in November 2012 I found a saved copy of the ring image on my computer hard drive and it once again motivated me to reach out to the winning bidder. The next day a reply came back that not only did they still have the ring, but they would consider selling it as well. After a few emails and phone calls, a deal was struck and the sale was completed.
The links at the left show scanned copies of the Ebay auction results I held on to for so many years trying to track this ring down as well as the LoA which was presented to the prior owner. In both documents I have removed some key details to not only protect the previous owners of the ring, but also the player who was the original owner. The ownership of the ring can be traced back to the player and their initials are engraved inside the band as well. However, I have not been able to learn why the player sold the ring, so out of respect for their privacy I have chosen to not name the player who was the original owner. None the less, it is an honor to share this ring with all fans of the Michigan Tech Huskies and the players who have worn the black and gold over the years.
1966-67
Comments:
Like some of the other rare items in the collection, this #1 jersey was also found on Ebay. It was acquired from a vintage clothing dealer in the Chicago area. The jersey was listed as a 1950s or 1960s "Western Michigan Huskies Hockey Jersey". This is the second MTU jersey I've picked up which was listed as Western Michigan. Aside from people thinking that every college team in Michigan is the Wolverines, I'm not sure why Huskies jerseys seem to turn up as Western Michigan.
One item about this jersey that caught my eye right away was the crest and the way the "H" is standing alone from "uskies". I had never seen this crest style before on a jersey or in photographs. There is no tagging left in the jersey that hints at the manufacturer. The only remaining tag is a "48" which is beginning to come apart and the "8" is only partially present.
The big breaks in researching this jersey came from fellow MTU alumni. I shared photos of the jersey with the MTU alumni newsletter and asked if anyone had memories or photos of a similar style. Two key photos were submitted by readers. The first was a
1967 Michigan Tech yearbook photo
showing Tony Esposito wearing a jersey with the seperated "H" crest with a black outline. This photo is important because it also showed a defect in the cresting's black outline on the left side of the letter "k". A second photo of a
similar #19 gold jersey owned by a former MTU student
confirmed the photo match. The #19 jersey did not have the same defect making the #1 jersey a conclusive match to the Esposito yearbook photo. Many years later I was able to acquire the #19 jersey as well.
While the previous owner had purchased the jersey from an estate sale and had no previous history of the jersey, the fact that it turned up in Chicago is not a suprise given Tony's long career with the Chicago Blackhawks and his strong alumni ties to the organization.
Close-up Detail Images:
Lack up neckline
Front number
Back number
Striping (arms & body)
Typical repairs
Neck tagging #1 (48)
Neck tagging #19 (44)
Cresting #1 (outside)
Cresting #1 (inside)
Cresting #19 (outside)
Cresting #19 (inside)
Interior of #19
Era Unknown - Research in Progress
Comments:
These two jerseys were displayed in the Student Development Complex hallway. These images were taken in December 2003 and the jerseys were removed after being displayed for a few seasons. The years of use for these two styles are unknown but they appear to be from the same era as the materials and features are nearly identical. The gold jersey also appeared to be from the same set as the #26.
Close-up Detail Images:
Front numbers
Neck Tagging
Sleeve numbers
1974-75 National Champions
Comments:
These two jerseys, which appear to be from the same set, are on display behind the suites in "The Mac."
The #19 jersey appeared many years before the #8 and it was a bit of a mystery trying to pinpoint the exact year(s). However when the #8 was put on display, most assumptions went away as the framing included a
plaque
attributing the jersey to Bob D'Alvise and the 1975 National Championship team.
The jerseys feature two-color twill numbers on the front and shoulders as well as two-color twill cresting and lace-up necks.
Rawlings tagging
is clearly visible in the neckline. Remarkable peices of Michigan Tech Hockey history!
Close-up Detail Images:
Display plaque
Cresting
Neck tagging
Hem striping
Sleeve striping
Image #1 is from the 1974-75 yearbook and based on the players in the photo (5-Lorimer, 8-D'Alvise, 20-Younger) this must be the 1973-74 season. Image #2 is circa 1974-77 taken from the 1977-78 yearbook featuring 9-Furguson. Image #3 is 20-Younger accepting the 1976 GLIT championship trophy
Circa 1974-1975
Comments:
The history of Michigan Tech Hockey preserved!... In January 2001 this jersey
was purchase on eBay from a sporting goods store in British Columbia. The seller said it was from the 1988-89 season.
However, when the jersey was inspected in person, the era in which the
seller placed this jersey became questionable. The material is a tightly woven heavy cotton/nylon and the jersey
shows a few repairs. The biggest eye opener is that the jersey shows a number change
at all locations: front, back and shoulders. It appears that this jersey was #6 when first numbered
and may also have had an "A" on the left chest.
In March 2001, I visited the Michigan Tech campus and spent an afternoon browsing through the photo
archives of the sports information department. After several hours of searching I began to find
matches in the 1974-75 season, the year of MTU's 3rd NCAA championship. I also received info from
former player Richard Novak (1984-89), who provided the following:
"I also have one of those jerseys...We did not wear them from 84-89, they are older than that.
They were given to the graduating players in 89... The jersey has a lace up neck, correct?
That in itself leads me to believe it could be really old, like early 70s..."
The jerseys being given to the players in 1989 would back the dealer thinking the jersey was
from the 1988-89 season. A very historic item to say the least!
Close-up Detail Images:
Wash tag
Lace-up neck
Front numbers
Back numbers
Sleeve numbers
Circa Late 1970s
