1934 - 1946
Departure from the school colors with gold and black jerseys and winged helmets. Winged helmets worn a year before Crisler at Princeton.
Charlie Bachman
Charlie Bachman was the head coach during 1933 – 1946
For Charlie Bachman’s second year as head coach of Michigan State in 1934, he outfitted his teams in gold and black. He was the only head coach in Michigan State football history to ignore the school colors when changing the styles of the uniforms.
Being a former Notre Dame football player alongside Knute Rockne, Charlie Bachman brought the color gold to Michigan State, known back then as Michigan State College (MSC). Because of his color choice, Charlie Bachman’s teams were nicknamed “The Black Knights of the Red Cedar.”
The jerseys were black with gold numbers and the pants were gold. The helmets were gold with a black wing design, with the Block S Logo emblazoned in the center.
Charlie Bachman’s final record at Michigan State was 70 – 34 – 10 with an appearance in the 1938 Orange Bowl. Bachman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978. Bachman’s teams defeated University of Michigan four consecutive seasons (1934 – 1937) after an 18-year losing streak (1916 – 1933).
View the styles that Charlie Bachman’s teams wore during his era:
Photography Credits: Masthead image and 1934 – 1946 image are courtesy of Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections. Spartan Jerseys claims no ownership to these images.