Thursday, January 22, 2009

Rebel Jacket

Well I can still do up the ol' high school football jacket after 40 years. Although being 40 lbs heavier it does not sit quite like it used to. I don't think I could get the stubbies in the pocket anymore.

Base Borden had quite the team that year. There were about 20 of us and many played both ways. I played right offensive and defensive tackle. Doug Falkner was QB and defensive back. He designed the jacket. It was a grand occasion as we swept the season and won the central GBSSA title beating Barrie North Collegiate. I believe we played Milton for GBSSA but lost in overtime. Yes 1968 was a great year of Gully Parties and rock and roll. Anyway. Here are some interesting details about the Jacket.




Although a tight fit you can see it had six snaps up the front. You could do it up all the way and have the collar up or down or open it to get this dress lapel look. It was a little longer than the standard bomber style although my new dimension has pulled it up a bit.

The back was a nice fit and the curved name of our team was a great effect.

The sleeves were quite roomy. I guess it was to accommodate our large biceps and to ensure good elbow movement. Nice cuffs with two snaps for tight or more open fit.

Hmmm. I seem to remember the chest measurement was bigger than the gut:)

Here is the collar. Double click on the image to see details of the stitch work. The back of the collar is 8 1/2 cm. the font is 7 cm. The collar sits 3 cm from the edge of the jacket.

This photo shows the insert on the side of the jacket. This allows the manufacturer to adjust the girth of the jacket for different sized football players



Here is a shot of the arm pit piece. The top of the insert meets the yoke seam and the bottom meets the front sied seam. The top of the insert is 20 cm along the seam and10 1/2 cm along the bottom seam.



The cuff is very interesting. Two positions the closing bit came to a point. The cuff is 6 1/2 cm in depth. The length of the point is 3 1/2 cm.



The pockets were angled and were deep enough to hold a stubby. The pocket opening is 14cm in length. The finished edge is 1 1/2 cm in depth.


Doug designed the BBCI crest. Place midway between the second and third button and located 7 1/2 cm from the seam. It really was a fine design. The measure from top to bottom were 17cm and across 14 cm.

The letters consisted of the school colours. Over the red a dark blue line and a light blue centre. These three colours represent the three Canadian Forces Colours of Army Red, Navy Midnight Blue and Air Force Sky blue. The measures of the letters are 7 1/2 cm by 6 1/2 cm.


This photo really shows off the blue colour of the jacket. It was quite distinctive and you could be recognized as a Borden Brat from BBCI. I think the girls liked it to and it was a bit of a chick magnet at the dances.


A very strong curve on this cresting followed across the shoulders. Dimensions of the letters were 7 1/2 cm by 6 1/2 cm.

The order for the jackets were placed through Garner's Sports in Barrie. They did a great deal of work for all the sports teams in the area and the quality was second to none. The lining is a blue black.

Here is a closeup of the darts in the lower back. The darts are 11 cm in length and located 5 cm from the side seam.
The yoke of the jacket is 11 cm in depth with the back length 66 cm in total.
If you want to get more info re the dimensions of this jacket or other details leave a comment or contact me at cnlyon@sympatico.ca