Rare Vintage University of Cincinnati Varsity Jacket, college swimming team wool fleece jacket, University of Cincinnati Ohio 1970s. The iconic varsity jacket’s origins trace all the way back to Harvard University in the year 1865.
Harvard’s baseball team at the time was the first known group of students to sew large old English “H” patches onto their uniforms.
But these uniforms weren’t varsity jackets, so to speak. Not yet, at least.
The Harvard uniform was basically a thick-knitted gray flannel pullover and, with the giant “H” sewn right onto the center, these soon came to be known as “letterman” sweaters.
In 1962, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music was acquired by the university. The Ohio legislature in Columbus declared the university a "municipally-sponsored, state-affiliated" institution in 1968. During this time, the University of Cincinnati was the second oldest and second-largest municipal university in the United States.
