Full Name on Jersey

[sportsfan7]

I stumbled upon this video today of the North Stars-Bruins brawl and I noticed something peciluar. At 3:36 the back of Bobby Smith's jersey is seen clearly with "Bobby Smith" as the NoB. At 5:32 the NoB of Greg Smith's jersey is visible with "Greg Smith" on the back. How common is it for players to have their first and last name on the back of their jerseys? Below are my best efforts to capture the moments.

[BBTV]

Definitely not common, but also not super uncommon.  Used to see it a lot in the NFL since they had a rule where if two players had the same last name, they had to have their first initial added, and if that was the same, they had to have full NOB.  Also other example from hockey:

 

    

 

[Hat Boy]

 

Jack and Jim Youngblood

[TheRealPepman]

Zeke

[dmmdoublem]

Here are a couple of other NFL examples, from when the Browns had both Andra Davis and Andre Davis on the roster.

 

 

[pepis21]

Marquess Johnson:

 

Mr. Hockey:

[nash61]

47 minutes ago, pepis21 said:

Mr. Hockey:

[Cujo]

RIP

[leopard88]

15 hours ago, Hat Boy said:

 

Jack and Jim Youngblood

 

This is the first example that came to mind for me.

 

The example that never came to pass was Mississippi Mike Smith and Texas Mike Smith of the 1989 Orioles.  If memory serves me, they were never on the major league roster at the same time, so it never became an issue, but the story behind the nicknames is interesting.

 

http://www.greatest21days.com/2011/01/texas-mike-smith-next-time-out-309.html

 

Quote

Smith went on to pitch in 13 games for the Orioles in 1989, pitching well in all but three outings. Smith would return to Baltimore for two more games in 1990, concluding his brief major league career.

Smith's professional career, however, would be far from over. Smith later hit the independent circuits, being credited with his final game as a player in 2006.

Taken in the fifth round of the 1984 draft by the Reds, Smith began his career with Cincinnati in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He first made AA Vermont in 1987, returning to AA for 1988. The second year, at Chattanooga, Smith went 9-10 with a 3.20 ERA. One of his losses came in a June 26 game at Charlotte.

He moved to the Orioles system for 1989, selected in the rule 5 draft. It was that next spring where Smith got his nickname, Texas.

The nickname came more out of necessity than anything. A native of San Antonio, Smith became one of two in Orioles camp with the same name: Michael Anthony Smith. The other Michael Anthony Smith, with a longer major league record, became Mississippi Mike Smith, for his state of origin.

The two Mike Smiths also played together at Rochester, often being put in the same room. "Saved a lot of trouble," Mississippi Mike Smith told The Pittsburgh Press in August 1989. "At least all of the phone calls went to the same room."

 

 

[Ark]

The Mark and Marty Howe one is interesting because you HAVE to spell out Mark Howe if you want to distinguish his name.

 

I like full names on jerseys. You don't see it too much anymore.

[Discogod]

On 2/5/2021 at 4:02 PM, Ark said:

The Mark and Marty Howe one is interesting because you HAVE to spell out Mark Howe if you want to distinguish his name.

 

I like full names on jerseys. You don't see it too much anymore.

 

That's why Marques Johnson had FNOB, the Bucks also had Mickey Johnson on the roster - he too wore FNOB.

 

It's not quite the same, but in the 1980 All-Star game there were 4 Johnsons - Dennis, Marques, Eddie and Magic. Each player had their first initial before their surname, except Magic - he had "E.M.".

[pepis21]

1 hour ago, Discogod said:

That's why Marques Johnson had FNOB, the Bucks also had Mickey Johnson on the roster - he too wore FNOB.

 

I couldn't remember who was second M.Johnson in Bucks at that time so thanks for remind. Here is Mickey photo:

 

Back to Marques he also had weird jersey with M on top instead of typical M.Johnson in one row:

[Gobbi]

I can't find a picture of him wearing it where you can see the back of the jersey but Mike Patterson on the Eagles is the first one that comes to mind for me.

 

[Gobbi]

With respect to the topic overall, I don't see the point of a first name or first initial on a jersey. The number should be enough to differentiate.

[MJWalker45]

29 minutes ago, Gobbi said:

With respect to the topic overall, I don't see the point of a first name or first initial on a jersey. The number should be enough to differentiate.

If players have numbers that are pretty close to each other, the extra letter helps when calling fouls or penalties in the TV booth. It also helps keep my uncle from stealing my jerseys if I have my first initial on the nameplate.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

4 hours ago, Gobbi said:

With respect to the topic overall, I don't see the point of a first name or first initial on a jersey. The number should be enough to differentiate.

 

That indeed became the practice of some teams later on.

 

 

 

The Mets of the late 1980s split the difference, with Howard Johnson wearing "H. Johnson" and manager Davey Johnson wearing just "Johnson".

 

   

 

[BBTV]

Yes, but for a long time, the NFL actually legislated the use of one initial, two initials, or a full name on the back.  Teams couldn't choose how to do it.

[tBBP]

Couple more examples from back in the day:

 

 

(R.I.P.)

 

 

 

 

(You're looking for Aaron Brooks, QB#2.)

 

I remember several more but can't find pictures; I do remember at one point the Cardinals had two Johnsons, Brandon and Bryant; one of them if not both had their FNOB. The Saints also had two linebackers, Keith and Kevin Mitchell go FNOB (or at least Keith did for a while). 

[DrJack]

Former Las Vegas Outlaws running back He Me not only included his first and last names, but his middle name Hate as well.

 

 

 

[RBronish]

I couldn’t find any good pictures, but Dave and Doug Widell played on the same offensive line for the Broncos in the very early 90’s