1985 Cardinals-Saints game

[Blue Falcon]

According to a football encyclopedia, in the 1985 game between the Saints and Cardinals, the Cards wore knee-length maroon socks for some reason...and got fined for it. Anyone have pics or any insight on this?

Considering the uniform shenanigans we're subjected to on a weekly basis by the NFL, it's surprising something like this earned a fine.

[seahawk9]

Let me see if I can put my memory to work here as I heard about this back then. The Cardinals were still in St. Louis at the time. Their owner Bidwell, for some reason, gave the team red or "maroon" colored stockings or socks that had no white portion to them to wear. They were colored all the way down from the knee to the toe. Them team hated that look so much that players took the white medical tape from the trainers and wrapped the lower portion of the socks with the tape down into their cleats. This made Bidwell so mad that the next week he had the trainers replace the white medical tape with maroon colored tape. This got so out of hand the league stepped in and fined Bidwell.

[oldschoolvikings]

Let me see if I can put my memory to work here as I heard about this back then. The Cardinals were still in St. Louis at the time. Their owner Bidwell, for some reason, gave the team red or "maroon" colored stockings or socks that had no white portion to them to wear. They were colored all the way down from the knee to the toe. Them team hated that look so much that players took the white medical tape from the trainers and wrapped the lower portion of the socks with the tape down into their cleats. This made Bidwell so mad that the next week he had the trainers replace the white medical tape with maroon colored tape. This got so out of hand the league stepped in and fined Bidwell.

Yeah, i remember this. The players (get this!) hated the all dark look and used tape to fix it. So basically, only 25 years ago players DID NOT have horrible taste in uniforms and could actually trusted to get it right. Unlike today, when everytime the players are given a say in their uniforms, they decide to wear black from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet.

[BlueSky]

12/8/1985. Cards won 28-16. TE Greg LaFleur (#89) & RB Stump Mitchell (#30) look to have the tape job while the lineman blocking in the bottom pic has the mono-sock.

[oddball]

12/8/1985. Cards won 28-16. TE Greg LaFleur (#89) & RB Stump Mitchell (#30) look to have the tape job while the lineman blocking in the bottom pic has the mono-sock.

Is that a Neil Lomax sighting in the bottom pic?

[seahawk9]

And it does look like the Cardinal colors were more darker, "maroon" looking at the time. They tend to have a more lighter, red color now days.

[yh]

Good Lord. I was at that game and never noticed.

[cheo25]

Not uniform-related, but rather, related to the photo...

Greg Lafleur is now the athletic director at Southern University and his hand-picked head football coach is Stump Mitchell, who just completed his first season with a school-record nine-loss season.

[TruColor]

I knew that there was a supposed 1985 game, but the Cardinals certainly did do this again for one game some time in the early '90s. USA Today ran an article of sorts about it. The League told them not to do it again, so the idea was dropped. I had saved the article (which did have a picture of the socks), but it has gotten lost in all my interstate moves over the years.

From my research, here's a comparison of the different Reds used by the Cardinals:

<--->

Oh - and it's spelled B-I-D-W-I-L-L. Not B-I-D-W-E-L-L.

[TalktoChuck]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the mandatory white portion of the socks for NFL teams. It's unnecessary and I much prefer the socks that are colored fully from knee to toe.

[Chawls]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the mandatory white portion of the socks for NFL teams. It's unnecessary and I much prefer the socks that are colored fully from knee to toe.

Me too. It's the main reason I don't like black cleats on most teams. White socks + black shoes = hot mess.

As for the topic, I rather like the look. Did the lack of white socks matter as they were wearing white shoes anyway?

[Blue Falcon]

Let me see if I can put my memory to work here as I heard about this back then. The Cardinals were still in St. Louis at the time. Their owner Bidwell, for some reason, gave the team red or "maroon" colored stockings or socks that had no white portion to them to wear. They were colored all the way down from the knee to the toe. Them team hated that look so much that players took the white medical tape from the trainers and wrapped the lower portion of the socks with the tape down into their cleats. This made Bidwell so mad that the next week he had the trainers replace the white medical tape with maroon colored tape. This got so out of hand the league stepped in and fined Bidwell.

Thanks for the info! The fact that Bidwell threw such a hissy fit over SOCKS explains a lot about why he has been such a lousy and unsuccessful owner. I seem to remember hearing that he hired Larry Wilson as GM simply because Wilson wanted to bring back the red pants.

[oldschoolvikings]

Let me see if I can put my memory to work here as I heard about this back then. The Cardinals were still in St. Louis at the time. Their owner Bidwell, for some reason, gave the team red or "maroon" colored stockings or socks that had no white portion to them to wear. They were colored all the way down from the knee to the toe. Them team hated that look so much that players took the white medical tape from the trainers and wrapped the lower portion of the socks with the tape down into their cleats. This made Bidwell so mad that the next week he had the trainers replace the white medical tape with maroon colored tape. This got so out of hand the league stepped in and fined Bidwell.

Thanks for the info! The fact that Bidwell threw such a hissy fit over SOCKS explains a lot about why he has been such a lousy and unsuccessful owner. I seem to remember hearing that he hired Larry Wilson as GM simply because Wilson wanted to bring back the red pants.

i guess I'd be a lousy owner, too, cuz I'd spend everyday having a hissy fit over tiny details about my team's uniform!

[TruColor]

Thanks for the info! The fact that Bidwell threw such a hissy fit over SOCKS explains a lot about why he has been such a lousy and unsuccessful owner. I seem to remember hearing that he hired Larry Wilson as GM simply because Wilson wanted to bring back the red pants.

B-I-D-W-I-L-L. I don't deny that he has a few weird quirks, but that story just cannot be true. Kinda like the story about Bidwill locking up the Gatorade after practices. Also not true.

Larry Wilson was one of the all-time greats for the franchise...he served as GM from 1980 through 1993 after also serving as an interim coach in '79. He was a part of the franchises' front office from the time he retired as a player in 1973.

[andrewharrington]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the mandatory white portion of the socks for NFL teams. It's unnecessary and I much prefer the socks that are colored fully from knee to toe.

Me too. It's the main reason I don't like black cleats on most teams. White socks + black shoes = hot mess.

As for the topic, I rather like the look. Did the lack of white socks matter as they were wearing white shoes anyway?

White socks + black shoes is fine. Really, any color socks + black shoes is fine, but white shoes can look strange paired with dark socks from knee to ankle, which is probably part of the reason the NFL kept the bottom portion of the sock white even after the stirrup + crew sock system went out in favor of the lower-maintenance one-piece socks.

I can't get behind the white bottoms on the socks unless everyone wears them the same way, and even then, I still like seeing full color from knee to ankle. Those Lions throwbacks remind me of how great that looks every time they wear them.

[Sec19Row53]

White socks + black shoes is fine. Really, any color socks + black shoes is fine, but white shoes can look strange paired with dark socks from knee to ankle, which is probably part of the reason the NFL kept the bottom portion of the sock white even after the stirrup + crew sock system went out in favor of the lower-maintenance one-piece socks.

I can't get behind the white bottoms on the socks unless everyone wears them the same way, and even then, I still like seeing full color from knee to ankle. Those Lions throwbacks remind me of how great that looks every time they wear them.

Is the reason that those Lions throwbacks work because there's no white anywhere in the uniform? I ordinarily can't stand the solid color sock look, but I enjoy this Lions look.

PS - Bidwill, just to try to get it right

[Blue Falcon]

PS - Bidwill, just to try to get it right

I'll work on that...strangely, I used to confuse ol' Packers QB Ernie Harber with Arnie Herber, and deceased Metallica bassist Cliff Burton with Burt Clifton.

[Sec19Row53]

PS - Bidwill, just to try to get it right

I'll work on that...strangely, I used to confuse ol' Packers QB Ernie Harber with Arnie Herber, and deceased Metallica bassist Cliff Burton with Burt Clifton.

The QB WAS Arnie Herber.

Heh - for me it was "Dale Carroll" at wide receiver for the Packers

[guest23]

White socks + black shoes is fine. Really, any color socks + black shoes is fine, but white shoes can look strange paired with dark socks from knee to ankle, which is probably part of the reason the NFL kept the bottom portion of the sock white even after the stirrup + crew sock system went out in favor of the lower-maintenance one-piece socks.

I can't get behind the white bottoms on the socks unless everyone wears them the same way, and even then, I still like seeing full color from knee to ankle. Those Lions throwbacks remind me of how great that looks every time they wear them.

Is the reason that those Lions throwbacks work because there's no white anywhere in the uniform? I ordinarily can't stand the solid color sock look, but I enjoy this Lions look.

PS - Bidwill, just to try to get it right

the lions' throwback socks are one of the best parts of that uniform...if the nfl historically featured teams wearing socks without white each team should be allowed to choose...it would add some variety to the mix

[BrandMooreArt]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't like the mandatory white portion of the socks for NFL teams. It's unnecessary and I much prefer the socks that are colored fully from knee to toe.

Me too. It's the main reason I don't like black cleats on most teams. White socks + black shoes = hot mess.

As for the topic, I rather like the look. Did the lack of white socks matter as they were wearing white shoes anyway?

White socks + black shoes is fine. Really, any color socks + black shoes is fine, but white shoes can look strange paired with dark socks from knee to ankle, which is probably part of the reason the NFL kept the bottom portion of the sock white even after the stirrup + crew sock system went out in favor of the lower-maintenance one-piece socks.

I can't get behind the white bottoms on the socks unless everyone wears them the same way, and even then, I still like seeing full color from knee to ankle. Those Lions throwbacks remind me of how great that looks every time they wear them.

i agree 100%. i dont see the point in having a sock be half white, half solid color. its different if theres some stripes, but i still prefer a solid sock color. stripes or not