Back in the 1970s football players, mostly running backs, in college and in the NFL occasionally wore what was then known as the “tear-away jersey.”
It was exactly what it sounds like – a jersey that would literally “tear-away” when a defender grabbed on to it.
Here’s one example of this jersey being worn by Hall of Famer Earl Campbell.
.The most famous player to wear these jerseys was Cleveland Browns running back and College Football Hall of Famer Greg Pruitt. Pruitt, who began wearing the jersey while carving up defenses for the Sooners, would reportedly go through 4 or 5 jerseys per game while playing in the NFL. In fact, it happened to him so often that in 1979 the NFL finally implemented what is now known as “The Greg Pruitt Rule” prohibiting the wearing of these jerseys.
The reason for football players like Pruitt wearing flimsy jerseys like those was pretty obvious.
