1872 Maple Leaf, Guelph ON (Maple Leafs)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:

Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated May 1872 to October 1872. Photo date suggested by appearance of player Jackson, who played for the Maple Leaf team in 1872 and was subsequently not on the 1873 team roster. Jackson started the 1872 season with Atlantic, Brooklyn, but played his last game for Atlantic in early May 1872. Players wore a shield bid with a maple leaf in the center in this photo. A newspaper report from 1872 described the shirt as being “trimmed in green.” Newspapers described the stockings as a “neat pattern of plaid” and as “dark tartan.”

Top row, from left: J Goldie, T Smith (69-71, 73-75, 77, 78) and C Maddock (69, 71-75, 78). Middle: G Keerl (72-76), W Jones (72-75), Cameron and S Jackson (72). Front: J Coulson (69, 73-75) and W Smith (70, 71, 73-75, 77, 78). Player IDs from back of original photo print. Year Jackson played with team from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012). Jackson info with Atlantic, Brooklyn, from Bill Nowlin, SABR BioProject, retrieved March 3, 2019. Years others played with team from various sources: 1871 info from the New York Clipper, September 2, 1871, game box score. 1872 info from Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 16, 1872 and New York Clipper, August 24, 1872, game box scores. 1873 team roster from the 1873 Guelph Town Register, research from William Humber. 1874 info from New York Clipper, July 11 1874, game box scores. 1875 info from Bryce’s Canadian Base Ball Guide (1876). 1875 Keerl info from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012). 1876 info from New York Clipper, Sept 23, 1876, game box score. 1877 info from the New York Clipper, June 9, 1877, game box score. 1878 info from the New York Clipper, June 8, 1878, game box score. Contributing research from Will Sheibler. Photo shown with permission of the Guelph Public Library Archives, Guelph, Ontario, (image C6-0-0-0-0-839).

Written documentation on this uniform:
August 1872, Maple Leaf v. Lord Baltimore, at Baltimore: “The uniform of the [Maple Leaf] club differs somewhat from those generally worn in the United States. It consists of a white shirt trimmed with green on the bosom of which is a maple leaf, gray pants and stockings of a particular but very neat pattern of plaid, which gives a picturesque effect to the nine.” From the Baltimore American and Commercial Advertiser, August 13, 1872. Research from Brian McKenna. Note, photo A does not seem to show the team wearing gray pants.

August 1872, Maple Leaf v. Mutual, New York, at Brooklyn: “[The Maple Leaf] uniform consists of white flannel shirts and caps, black and white check knickerbocker pants, and dark tartan stockings.” From the Brooklyn Daily Union, August 16, 1872.

Team genealogy: Coming soon