Blacksburg Virginia Virginia Tech Football Team 1906 Real Photo Postcard

Organized football teams, like the one captured here, became a significant part of American collegiate and high school life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The sport, then still evolving from its rugby antecedents, featured uniforms characterized by heavy sweaters and minimal protective gear, reflecting the physical nature of the game and the early stages of equipment development. Such squads fostered school spirit and camaraderie, often becoming focal points of campus identity.