# NFL/College coaches attire **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 18, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749 "2018-11-18T22:45:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/1 "2018-11-18T22:45:21Z")
Are they just told what to wear for each game? This week appears to be some sort of “honor the troops theme” in the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/2 "2018-11-18T23:12:50Z")
They must wear gear from the league’s official clothing maker, which at the moment is Nike (IIRC). I think they can wear any type of pants. The online shop sells the same stuff, labeled sideline gear or whatnot. This week isn’t _just_ “honor the troops,” the game-worn clothes are going to be sold to benefit veterans groups. I don’t know if participation is mandatory, but it would be hard to imagine any not doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/3 "2018-11-18T23:22:49Z")
Not watching sports on a regular basis I haven’t really paid attention, but come to think of it, what do the coaches wear? I always assumed it was slacks and a blazer, or similar. Does Nike make “coach” clothes specifically? After all, I’m sure the coaches don’t appear in team logo T-shirts like the fans. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/4 "2018-11-19T04:11:20Z")
Moving to the Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/5 "2018-11-19T05:03:07Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Not watching sports on a regular basis I haven’t really paid attention, but come to think of it, what do the coaches wear? I always assumed it was slacks and a blazer, or similar. Does Nike make “coach” clothes specifically? After all, I’m sure the coaches don’t appear in team logo T-shirts like the fans. Actually, they do. Generally it’s windbreakers or Belichek’s famous sleeveless hoodies, but coaches will wear team logos. The slacks and suits from decades ago have fallen to the wayside. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/6 "2018-11-19T05:12:31Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Not watching sports on a regular basis I haven’t really paid attention, but come to think of it, what do the coaches wear? I always assumed it was slacks and a blazer, or similar. It used to be common for the coaches (the head coaches, at least) to wear suits. Since 1993, the NFL started making them wear licensed team attire on the sidelines – which, unless you’re Bill Belichick, who always looks like he put on something that he found in the hamper, means polo shirts in warm weather, and sweatshirts, jackets, or parkas in cold weather. In 2006, Mike Nolan (then coach of the 49ers) and Jack Del Rio (then coach of the Jaguars) got special permission to wear suits on the sidelines for a couple of games; Nolan had come up with the idea to honor his father, Dick, who had worn a suit while coaching the 49ers in the 1960s and 1970s. In order to do this, Nolan and Del Rio had suits specially designed by Reebok (which was, at that time, the NFL’s uniform supplier). I thought it was a neat touch, but I don’t think any NFL coach has done so since then. > **[Dress to impress: Nolan, Del Rio get OK to wear suits](https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2663580)** > > Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio are ready to suit up. > > The San Francisco coach and his Jacksonville counterpart have > the NFL's permission to wear dress suits designed by Reebok during > two games this season. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/7 "2018-11-19T11:46:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I don’t know if participation is mandatory, but it would be hard to imagine any not doing it. Belichick didn’t. He’s known as a staunch supporter of the military, and has strong connection to the naval academy so his motivation wasn’t questioned. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/8 "2018-11-19T15:17:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It used to be common for the coaches (the head coaches, at least) to wear suits. Since 1993, the NFL started making them wear licensed team attire on the sidelines – which, unless you’re Bill Belichick, who always looks like he put on something that he found in the hamper, means polo shirts in warm weather, and sweatshirts, jackets, or parkas in cold weather. to note, Belichick’s ridiculous attire is in direct protest to the “official gear” rule. He wants to wear a suit. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/9 "2018-11-19T15:55:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > to note, Belichick’s ridiculous attire is in direct protest to the “official gear” rule. He wants to wear a suit. I’m not sure that’s true. > **[Bill Belichick's real reason for dressing like a schlub on the sidelines](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/11/bill-belichicks-sweatshirt-cutoff-buy-why-does-he-wear-it-reason-nike-origin)** > > Shock: It’s because he thinks he’s more important than everyone else. Did he ever wear a suit in Cleveland or NY? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/10 "2018-11-19T16:10:46Z")
don’t think there are requirements for college coaches but almost all wear team logo outfits. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/11 "2018-11-19T16:12:02Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Did he (Belichick) ever wear a suit in Cleveland or NY? I’m not sure, but I suspect not – pictures I can find of him with the Browns show him with either a [polo shirt](https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/bill-belichick-browns-stroh2.jpg), [a jacket](http://cdn.chatsports.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/16754248-mmmain.jpg), or [a sweatshirt](https://cdn.chatsports.com/cache/7f/c3/7fc3b24cdd8094fb6bd0bcb8ae76c8d7-original.jpg). He was head coach of the Browns from '91 through '95 – the final three years of those were after the NFL mandated that coaches wear official gear, anyway. When he was with the Giants, he was an assistant coach, and my recollection of those days was that, if anyone was wearing a suit on the sidelines, it was usually only the head coach. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/12 "2018-11-19T17:07:25Z")
indoor sports like NBA and NHL the coach still wears a suit. and of course baseball managers wear the same uniform as players. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/13 "2018-11-19T17:12:23Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Belichick didn’t. He’s known as a staunch supporter of the military, and has strong connection to the naval academy so his motivation wasn’t questioned. The Patriots are on a bye this week. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/14 "2018-11-19T17:25:21Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > indoor sports like NBA and NHL the coach still wears a suit. and of course baseball managers wear the same uniform as players. Used to be true for MLB but now the fashion is for the manager to wear a sweatshirt with some sort of team logo instead of (or over) the team jersey that the players wear) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/15 "2018-11-19T17:41:46Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > When he was with the Giants, he was an assistant coach, and my recollection of those days was that, if anyone was wearing a suit on the sidelines, it was usually only the head coach. Parcells definitely didn’t wear a suit on the sidelines though. By the 1980s, the days of coaches wearing suits was pretty much over anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/16 "2018-11-19T17:54:44Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The Patriots are on a bye this week. It’s all month. Last week he didn’t wear camo. > **[No camo ‘Salute to Service' gear for Belichick; here's why](https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/no-camo-salute-to-service-gear-for-belichick-heres-why/388101/)** > > The influence of the Naval Academy on the life and career of Bill Belichick and his appreciation of the military and history are well-documented. green-bay-packers-coach-mike-mccarthy-110518.jpg “I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I usually wear the same... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/17 "2018-11-19T18:05:29Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Parcells definitely didn’t wear a suit on the sidelines though. By the 1980s, the days of coaches wearing suits was pretty much over anyways. Agreed. Here’s [a shot of Parcells and Belichick on the sidelines](https://usatgiantswire.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/gettyimages-71157603.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1); Parcells is wearing a team sweater\*, and Belichick is wearing a warmup jacket. - - The team sweaters were common in the '80s – see [Mike Ditka](https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/fan/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbeargoggleson.com%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F09%2Fditka-in-sweater.jpg&c=sc&w=850&h=560) (who did wear it with a tie, and sometimes a [sportcoat](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZrCWqcj5L.jpg)) and [Bill Walsh](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2007/07/30/sports/30walsh-600.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/18 "2018-11-19T18:28:34Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Agreed. Here’s [a shot of Parcells and Belichick on the sidelines](https://usatgiantswire.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/gettyimages-71157603.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1); Parcells is wearing a team sweater\*, and Belichick is wearing a warmup jacket. > > - > - The team sweaters were common in the '80s – see [Mike Ditka](https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/fan/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbeargoggleson.com%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F09%2Fditka-in-sweater.jpg&c=sc&w=850&h=560) (who did wear it with a tie, and sometimes a [sportcoat](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZrCWqcj5L.jpg)) and [Bill Walsh](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2007/07/30/sports/30walsh-600.jpg). I rather like those team sweater looks. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/19 "2018-11-19T18:53:43Z")
of course baseball has a tradition of player-managers which is very rare in other sports. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-college-coaches-attire/824749/20 "2018-11-19T19:21:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > - > - The team sweaters were common in the '80s – see [Mike Ditka](https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/fan/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbeargoggleson.com%2Ffiles%2F2014%2F09%2Fditka-in-sweater.jpg&c=sc&w=850&h=560) (who did wear it with a tie, and sometimes a [sportcoat](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZrCWqcj5L.jpg)) and [Bill Walsh](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2007/07/30/sports/30walsh-600.jpg). The team sweaters aren’t quite gone yet. 😃 [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Q5xjCGfg4)