Houndstooth hat

The houndstooth hat is a patterned hat worn frequently by Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Bear Bryant, which became associated with Alabama's successful football program. Partly because the pattern is identifiable without being trademarked by the University, houndstooth patterns can be found on numerous products sold to Alabama fans.

Origins

The houndstooth pattern, called a "duotone, balanced twill weave" originated in Scotland and became popular in the early 1800s when pattern-books were published, and again in the early 20th century when Edward VIII, then the Prince of Wales, sported a tightly-woven "glen plaid" houndstooth.

The pattern enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s, with designers Geoffrey Beene and Anne Klein featuring it in their collections. Chevrolet even offered colored houndstooth upholstery for their Camaro sports car.

Bryant's hat

Bryant customarily wore a sport jacket and hat on the sidelines, using any of a number of hats, most of which were solid-colors. New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin and/or coach Weeb Ewbank is credited with giving Bryant a green and white plaid hat after they selected Joe Namath with the first pick of the 1965 American Football League draft. The patterned hat caught the eye of Tuscaloosa retailers, who began stocking hats with bolder weaves.

The coach's first actual houndstooth hat, however, was purchased for him at one of those Tuscaloosa shops by his tailor, Birmingham's Butch Baldone, to go with a black cashmere jacket and silver flannel pair of pants that he made for Bryant in 1968 or 1969. Baldone recommended to Bryant that he wear the houndstooth only with solid-color suits, but Bryant liked the hat and sometimes paired it with plaid, creating a fashion statement recognizable by sports media and fans.

After the 1971 Iron Bowl an Auburn fan snatched Bryant's houndstooth hat as the coach left the field. Tide assistant Jack Rutledge took off after the thief and recovered the hat, which had fallen as the culprit leapt over a fence. Rutledge returned the hat to Bryant in the locker room. Nevertheless, fans had witnessed the crime and Bryant received boxes and boxes of hats from Alabama fans hoping their gift would be worn by the coach. Bryant handed out some of the surplus to media members during the Orange Bowl press conference later that year.

Around 1980 Brombergs jewelers commissioned a Waterford crystal "houndstooth" hat as a tribute to Coach Bryant. Around the same time, another firm marketed a line of houndstooth hats with a reproduction of Bryant's signature in the band. After Bryant's final victory against Illinois in the 1982 Liberty Bowl, Baldone swapped out the suede baseball cap Bryant had been wearing with his houndstooth hat before the post-game press conference, further cementing the trademark look in the public mind.

Two of the coach's "houndstooth" hats are displayed at the Paul Bryant Museum, one is a red and white plaid and the other a black and white houndstooth with a red feather accent.

Popularity

Despite the well-remembered association with Coach Bryant, the wearing of houndstooth by Alabama fans was relatively uncommon until the 2000s. Sports apparel manufacturer Nike, Inc. brought a line of houndstooth hats to a University of Alabama football game to give away to fans in the student section. Outside Bryant Denny Stadium, other fans offered large sums to buy the free hats. Sophomore business management student Chris Starnes latched onto the frenzy and began marketing a houndstooth beer koozy which became a hot seller on The Strip.

Beginning with a home win against Florida in 2005, twins Ashley and Maegan Bailey became well-known for wearing matching houndstooth hats in the stands at Alabama games. Though they were both students at UAB, the pair began attending Alabama games when Ashley was dating a Crimson Tide trainer. Easily spotted with their long blond hair and matching outfits, the "Houndstooth Twins" earned mentions on national telecasts and spent much of their time in the stadium signing autographs. They also took part in marketing promotions around the state.

With the resurgence of championship football under Coach Nick Saban, the popularity of houndstooth spiked again. Terry Saban wore an over-scaled houndstooth coat during the team's celebratory visit to the White House. In the aftermath of the April 2011 tornado outbreak which caused heavy damage to the Tuscaloosa area, a houndstooth patterned ribbon was used as an emblem to unite supporters of the recovery effort, and was painted on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the 2012 season.

References

• Marshall, Mike (March 27, 2008) "Houndstooth twins." Huntsville Times
• Cummings, Meredith ( ) "Alabama's Houndstooth History". Crimson Magazine
• Gast, Phil (September 3, 2011) "Crimson Tide fans remember tornado victims." CNN
• "Third Color" (n.d.) Paul Bryant Museum - accessed January 27, 2013
• Carlton, Bob (January 24, 2013) "Paul 'Bear' Bryant went shopping for a new wardrobe and found a tailor-made friend." The Birmingham News