Green jackets are synonymous with the Masters, orange jackets with the Orange Bowl and cardinal jackets with USC's program pictures.
OK, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.
In light of Thursday's post about Matt Barkley's profile picture, we received a question about the coats the players wear, and upon further investigation, the story goes much deeper than a simple answer.
While other programs take their head shots in jerseys or polo shirts, the Trojans don a cardinal coat and tie for theirs to continue a decades-long tradition, one that spans at least to the '70s when the players traveled in cardinal-colored polyester suits. The custom for profile pictures started then and has continued to this day.
"We've always felt it's a lot classier in a coat and tie," said sports information director Tim Tessalone, who's been in his role for more than 25 years.
It's not always an easy task getting the players all gussied up, though. The players share a handful of coats (anything from size 40 to 52), shirts (neck sizes range from 15 to 21.5) and ties, and the sizes have to fit the smallest of kickers to the biggest of linemen. The sports information office provides the attire, making picture day each August "pretty hairy," Tessalone said, as the players change in and out of a small selection of coats, shirts and ties.
"But the hardest thing isn't getting them into a coat and tie -- it's getting them to smile since football players don't like to smile," Tessalone said.
Every once in a while, there is one major challenge in getting the players into the attire. It started when 330-plus-pound offensive lineman Faaesea Mailo, whose last season at USC was in 2001, came through and needed a coat for the picture. Only problem was that none of the coats fit, so the sports information staff tore the back (see the picture below) so Mailo could squeeze in and take the photo.
All in a day's work for the sports information department.
The sports information staff keeps a torn coat on hand for oversized linemen who can't fit in the normal coats on picture day.
OK, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.
In light of Thursday's post about Matt Barkley's profile picture, we received a question about the coats the players wear, and upon further investigation, the story goes much deeper than a simple answer.
While other programs take their head shots in jerseys or polo shirts, the Trojans don a cardinal coat and tie for theirs to continue a decades-long tradition, one that spans at least to the '70s when the players traveled in cardinal-colored polyester suits. The custom for profile pictures started then and has continued to this day.
"We've always felt it's a lot classier in a coat and tie," said sports information director Tim Tessalone, who's been in his role for more than 25 years.
It's not always an easy task getting the players all gussied up, though. The players share a handful of coats (anything from size 40 to 52), shirts (neck sizes range from 15 to 21.5) and ties, and the sizes have to fit the smallest of kickers to the biggest of linemen. The sports information office provides the attire, making picture day each August "pretty hairy," Tessalone said, as the players change in and out of a small selection of coats, shirts and ties.
"But the hardest thing isn't getting them into a coat and tie -- it's getting them to smile since football players don't like to smile," Tessalone said.
Every once in a while, there is one major challenge in getting the players into the attire. It started when 330-plus-pound offensive lineman Faaesea Mailo, whose last season at USC was in 2001, came through and needed a coat for the picture. Only problem was that none of the coats fit, so the sports information staff tore the back (see the picture below) so Mailo could squeeze in and take the photo.
All in a day's work for the sports information department.
The sports information staff keeps a torn coat on hand for oversized linemen who can't fit in the normal coats on picture day.
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