In honor of National Corduroy Day on Nov. 11, read on for a selection of favorite facts about the iconic blue corduroy jacket. A few will probably surprise you.
- The blue jacket’s origin dates to 1933 when FFA advisor Gus Linter saw a blue corduroy jacket in the window of a hardware store in Fredericktown, Ohio. He connected with the jacket supplier, Universal Uniform Company, and had his chapter’s name stitched on the back of the jackets with gold thread.
- At the 1933 National FFA Convention in Kansas City, the members of Linter’s chapter – Fredericktown FFA – debuted their blue jackets. They were so popular, the convention’s official delegates made them part of the official FFA attire.
- The millionth FFA jacket was sold in 1964, and by 1976, 2 million jackets had been sold. Today, more than 80,000 jackets are sold annually.
- It requires 1.6 yards of corduroy to create one FFA jacket. Over the course of a year, that’s approximately 128,000 yards of corduroy devoted to FFA jackets.
- Over time, the jackets have evolved to offer a better fit and feature zippers rather than snaps, and the pockets are now rounded instead of squared.
- FFA members can earn pins for their jackets, but there should never be more than three pins on the front. The three medals worn should represent the highest degree earned, the highest office held, and the highest award earned by the member. If members have a State or American degree, they may place that pin above their name, with the other two pins displayed below the name.
Give the Gift of Blue
Thanks to the Give the Gift of Blue program, funded by individual donors, foundations and corporate sponsors, the National FFA Organization gives jackets to members who wouldn’t otherwise be able to own one. Since 2014, National FFA has gifted more than 12,000 jackets. Learn more at FFA.org/GiveBlue.
Browse the ShopFFA Look Book in this issue or ShopFFA.org for your very own blue corduroy jacket.
