More to a jersey number than meets the eye
- col-aaron-dorksen
- October 11, 2023
- 1359
A few thoughts from the week in sports …
A simple comment while watching NFL highlights that I made recently got me thinking a lot about jersey numbers in sports.
After watching one great wide receiver after another wearing jersey numbers under 20 on the highlights, I said casually to my 12-year-old son Arch, who’s a big fan, “Don’t any receivers wear numbers in the 80s anymore?”
“No dad!” he replied. “The receivers say higher numbers make them slower!”
“Huh?” I replied.
A few hours later, I did what many people do in the year 2023 to fact check a statement. I took to Google and typed, “Do jersey numbers make a player faster in NFL?”
Lo and behold, the first thing that popped up stated, “Study shows NFL jersey numbers are linked to perceptions of body type. A UCLA study finds that lower NFL jersey numbers tend to be associated with the idea that a player’s body is slimmer and faster.”
Nothing surprises me anymore, whether it be politics, things I see while out on a shopping trip or even the idea that someone might think that wearing No. 10, like the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill, instead of 80 will make him slimmer and faster.
A check of FoxSports.com’s seven top-ranked wideouts of 2023 shows they all want “lighter” jerseys: 1. Justin Jefferson, Vikings, No. 18; 2. Tyreek Hill, Dolphins, No. 10; 3. Davante Adams, Raiders, No. 17; 4. (tied) Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals, No. 1 (that’s really light) and Stefon Diggs, Bills, No. 14; 6. A.J. Brown, Eagles, No. 11; and 7. Cooper Kupp, Rams, No. 10.
Close to home, the Browns’ WR1 Amari Cooper is No. 2.
Traditionally, wide receivers have often been associated with jersey numbers in the 80s, but a new trend has emerged where they are now donning lower numbers typically reserved for running backs, defensive backs and quarterbacks.
A big reason behind the shift in wide receiver jersey numbers is a rule change made by the NFL in April 2021. The league decided to relax jersey number restrictions, allowing players in different positions to choose from a wider range of numbers.
Previously, certain positions were limited to specific number ranges. For example, wide receivers were mostly confined to numbers in the 10s and 80s. However, the new rule permits wide receivers to choose numbers between 1 and 49, as well as 80-89.
For NFL wide receivers, wearing lower jersey numbers is probably more about breaking the mold and creating a unique identity.
NFL Hall of Famers such as Jerry Rice, best known for his days wearing No. 80 for the 49ers, and Randy Moss (84 for the Vikings) certainly weren’t slowed down lugging around 80s numbers.
Ask any longtime Browns fan who wore Nos. 82, 84 and 88 in the 1980s and they should be able to reply “Ozzie Newsome (tight end), Webster Slaughter and Reggie Langhorne.”
They say the only constant is change, and I don’t have any issues with a team’s wideouts wearing lower numbers.
From 1946-51, Browns quarterback Otto Graham actually wore No. 60 before switching to 14 for the final three years of his career.
We’ve seen this low-numbers trend popular with high school and college players before it was adopted by the NFL. It’s also great for NFL jersey sales.
Numbers game
Casey Howard is one of my son’s seventh-grade classmates at Edgewood Middle School and showed me an interesting book this summer that I recommend to sports fans: “Any Given Number: Who wore it best from 00 to 99” from Sports Illustrated.
John Elway or Mickey Mantle at No. 7, Tom Brady or Terry Bradshaw at No. 12, Michael Jordan or LeBron James at No. 23, and Jim Brown or Magic Johnson at No. 32 are some of the many debates listed in the book.
When I think of area high schools and see players who I covered many years ago, I sometimes remember their jersey numbers. At Triway, No. 12 is synonymous with the Carmichael family, starting with the late Sean and continued with his children Derek, Parker and Zoe.
One of the most memorable players in area history was Adam Wallace, who stood out even more by wearing No. 45 as a state champion quarterback for Norwayne. It suited him perfectly because he also was a great linebacker.
The area’s all-time football great, the late Dick Schafrath, wore No. 33 for Wooster High School in the 1950s. He was a standout tackle for championship teams at Ohio State and No. 77 for the Cleveland Browns.
There are lots more great athletes whose numbers I’ll long remember, but that could take up another entire column.
It’s fun to see colleges have special numbers that are only given out to highly touted players.
If someone’s a true legend, one of the ultimate sports honors is seeing their jersey number retired.
Playing jersey numbers trivia with a fellow sports fan is a fun way to pass the time on road trips or while sitting by a campfire.
I’m sure some readers of this column have jersey numbers that are special to their families or at the schools they root for.
Family number
No. 24 has been special to me since my sophomore year at Chardon High School. I was thrilled to have earned a starting spot on the varsity as the center fielder but couldn’t stand the No. 36 jersey my coach had handed me. I couldn’t think of a single good MLB player who wore that number.
On the way to a scrimmage, I was scouting out numbers worn by teammates for a possible trade and saw a JV pitcher wearing No. 24 (varsity and JV had the same jerseys). After asking to trade, a classmate gave me a quick “no,” but I offered up the $5 I had in my pocket, and he said “OK.”
At the time, 24 was donned by Rickey Henderson and had been worn by Willie Mays. I’d worn 21 in football and basketball, so it also was pretty close. Seeing Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez wear 24 soon after only made it more special, and that was my number for about 25 years in slowpitch softball.
After my grandpa Robert Pierce died in his 80s, we were given his scrapbook, and I got chills to see he had worn No. 24 in high school in Kansas City for football and basketball. I’m proud to see Arch continue the family tradition in baseball.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.