It’s no surprise to anyone that today’s players are bigger, in general, than the players from decades ago.
For example, the biggest starter on the Broncos offensive line in 1965 was Ray Kubala. Ray played center and checked in at 6’5’ and 265 lbs.
Fast forward to the 2024 Broncos and the smallest starter on the offensive line, based on weight, is Garett Bolles at 6’5” and 300 lbs.
What may not be as obvious to some fans is that while the size or the players have increased immensely, the size of the jerseys they wear have decreased even more dramatically.
Here is an example.
In the first photo you’ll see Ray Kubala’s game used jersey from 1965/1966. It’s made of a heavy weight durene material - think waaay less breathable than cotton and has long sleeves.
In the next photo you’ll see Garett Bolles' game used jersey from the 2024 season. The material is light weight, somewhat stiff and has no sleeves.
Finally, here you can see the two jerseys together. The size difference is massive with the much smaller jersey having to stretch over a player that weighs 35 lbs more than the player that wore the bigger jersey.
You can also see the changes in how the jerseys are tailored. In the 1960’s and 1970s, jerseys had full sleeves and were looser fitting. In the 1990s, alternate ‘cuts’ were introduced - skill cut (still with sleeves) and lineman cut (sleeves removed). These adjustments were made to have jerseys for the offensive and defensive lines that had a tighter fit and as a result making them harder to grab. In today’s NFL, almost all jerseys have that sleeveless cut.
Talk about a second (Orange) skin!
GO BRONCOS!
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