The 1931 Chicago Cubs Were the Oregon Ducks of Their Era

The usage of alternate uniforms in sports is nothing new. Manager John McGraw famously trotted his New York Giants out in special all-black uniforms for the 1905 World Series. But the first example of a team intentionally rotating completely different home and road uniforms during a season seems to be the 1931 Chicago Cubs.

A February 1931 item by sportswriter Francis J. Powers stated the following: "(I)t is the plan of the Cub management to have the team alternate uniforms from day to day and present a different ensemble twice in each series."

The Cubs continued to rotate alternate uniforms through the 1936 season, adding a few new variations (and dropping others) along the way. The following year they went with a look that closely aligns with what they wear today—home jerseys with a circular royal blue and scarlet red "CUBS" logo, and road jerseys with royal blue block "CHICAGO" lettering.