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How to get college jerseys


Bobcat1988

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I was not traditionally excited by college jerseys but recently I've really grown fond of some of them. I've starting following college hockey a lot more closely this year and been to a number of games. As such, I'd love to get my hands on some recent jerseys, and ideally I'd love to acquire 2011-12 season jerseys (when the season ends).

Thinking about college jerseys got me wondering, how does one go about it? Do players generally keep their jerseys? Do college teams ever have sales? Is it possible to buy authentic jerseys through some schools? Who is the best contact to get a jersey (coach, players, etc)? I am particularly interested in ECAC (Brown University, in particular) jerseys. Anyone have any experience trying to get college jerseys or tips? Thanks.

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The equipment manager is the best route. It seems that a lot of colleges recycle their jerseys, but I've also seen auctions here and there. I'm going to stop there since I feel I've been of little help here!

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Coming from someone who doesn't live in a portion of the US with college hockey, but who works in college athletics, I'd say it's not easy to get college jerseys.

Players, unless they're seniors and have no eligibility, can't sell them - it's an NCAA rules violation (think AJ Green, former Georgia WR). Of course, there could be backdoor dealings, but a lot of schools won't put the jerseys in the hands of the players, in order to avoid these compliance issues.

Coaches don't typically deal with the jerseys - if the teams have managers or operations directors, those are the folks that deal with uniforms, equipment, etc. But they aren't typically in a position to sell. Getting in touch with athletic fund-raising and development personnel is one way to go - the school can stand to benefit from the sale or auction of jerseys, and those funds can become departmental donations.

Larger schools with apparel/equipment deals (some department-wide, some hockey specific) are where you are likely to be able to collect from - they have more flexibility to sell/auction used products. Obviously, special event jerseys are almost universally auctioned off at the collegiate level to raise funds. Many auctions are on the school's websites.

Smaller D-I schools and other levels typically have to recycle, and if the schools are public, they have to give the used equipment to a college "surplus" - that's where the items are eventually and publically auctioned off, and you can sometimes find jerseys. Many schools sell their used equipment this way. The institution, not the athletic department, handles surplus.

Again, I don't know much about the college hockey landscape, but those are some of my best guesses.

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Reed, thanks for the info. I am going to use that advice and see if I can go after some NCAA jerseys. Not specifically hockey, rather "lesser" olympic sports. I'll let you guys know how it turns out!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hate to bump an older thread, but any idea where i could pick up an older OSU Replica for cheap to make a Kesler?

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Hate to bump an older thread, but any idea where i could pick up an older OSU Replica for cheap to make a Kesler?

You can find Nike replicas on eBay from time to time well under $30, the red or gray versions. Nike always seem to botch some element of every replica, like using red school name lettering on the front instead of white on the grays.

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You can usually find replicas through team shops or some places do sell them online as well. Only teams I know that sell authentics are UMD (Bauer) and North Dakota (Reebok), there may be more but those are two that I know of. Can't specify whether they are exactly what is used on-ice or if they are retail authentics. Some schools also have auctions for gamers as well.

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  • 2 weeks later...

North Dakota does have retail authentics and are exactly what the players use. Most schools have some sort of auction system, whether it's online or silent auctions. Every school does it differently, so there is no common generalization.

Another item to note, a few schools have game-worn jerseys valued much higher than your average game-worn NHL jersey. North Dakota jerseys, for example, range anywhere from $500 to $5000 in the auctions I've witnessed. If a Toews college gamer ever popped up for sale, or any other significant jersey, it would go even higher yet.

IMO, college jerseys are the best out there. That's starting to change with some schools trending towards more fashionable jerseys, but many keep their classic appearance.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know for a fact Clarkson sells jerseys at the end of the season most years. This past season, they sold off their senior's jerseys for $150 each, with nameplates removed, unfortunately. I picked up a Bryan Rufenach (Red Wings prospect) jersey for $150, the #89 is still there, but no nameplate. They also occasionally auction off jerseys, such as the Pink in the Rink and other special games. Not sure what Brown does, though.

(ps; Around the Bowl, down the Hole: Go Brown Go! :-P Sorry, couldn't resist.)

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  • 8 months later...
  • 6 months later...

My local school is D3, and usually has a few gamers from the previous season for sale at the snack bar.

Of course, the snack bar was barely ever open towards the end of this past season. I'll have to wait until the fall to pick one up.

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  • 3 years later...

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