Gone are the days of coaches with style and flair in American sports. For the most part, fashion in American sports has become a lost art, with the Pat Rileys and Mike Ditkas of the world considered relics of another time. So what happened? For the National Football League, the answer is clear-cut.
In the late 1980s, many coaches, including Ditka, began wearing team-branded sweaters. However, when Ditka would wear a sweater, a button-up and tie were nearly always included. According to ESPN , the official death of the suit came around 1990, when the NFL mandated that all sideline personnel wear officially licensed NFL gear.
In 2007, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio got permission from the league to wear suits for home matchups after Nolan spent three years negotiating with Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s merchandising partner, Reebok. According to Nolan, Reebok was not exactly helpful in the process. “They wish it would go away, but I try to keep it alive as much as I can,” said Nolan when speaking to ESPN .
Nolan wore his signature black suit as a tribute to his dad, the late great Dick Nolan. Unfortunately, for the sanctity of fashion in the NFL, these suits had to be designed by Reebok, and the trend eventually died out alongside Noland and Del Rio’s respective stints as head coaches. Since then, the average NFL coach dresses no differently than a training staff member, wrapped up in a cocoon of athleisure.
