Hello & Welcome to our community. Is this your first visit? Register
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,974

    Spanjian Jerseys

    Hello folks, I just got a couple of emails that I thought I'd share with forum members. The emails reference a company called Spanjian who provided jerseys for HS, college and some professional teams. Below are the emails. They have been edited because some content is not relevent to this thread.

    I was a roommate of Mark Spanjian in college and workd at the Pasadena plant in the summer of 1971, the first year that Spanjain made the uniforms for the Colts. The day foreman wore Johnny Unitas' jersey almost everyday. I had a picture of myself in Bubba Smith's jersey which had more of the jersey on the flor than on me because it was so huge. Thats also the year that Spanjian opened its new plant just outside San Diego.

    I also got this email:

    I was actually looking for information about Mark Spanjian and what happened to him after Delong bought the company. I know the company was sold quite sometime ago. Myself and another friend from Pennsylvania spent the summer of 1971 with the Spanjian family and worked at both plants. We all went to school in Philadelphia. They were very generous people. I striped football pants with that new plastic type paint, the same as was used on the jerseys. The full time guys did the jerseys. Was interesting. The numbers were screenprinted on all the jerseys using numbers cut from paper. The name panels on the shirts were done with tackle twill lettering. The colts pants still had braid stripes, so i havd nothing to do with them.

    Spanjian designed the first uniforms for the San Diego Chargers, which are pretty much the same today. Also the Phoenix Suns, with the star burst on the side, and the Philadelphia Sixers at that time. They didnt do much for the pros because it wasnt cost effective and everything had to be custom fitted. Like today, there were some athletes you couldnt please no matter how many times you fitted them.

    So they concentrated on high school and colleges and did very well. Had most of the big name colleges back in the 70's.

    If any member has a specific question about Spanjian items, please post a thread and I'll be more than happy to forward any questions.

    Jim

  2. #2

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    Jim
    Thanks for posting...
    I happen to be a self-proclaimed Spanjian historian. I have contacted Robert Spanjian of Carlsbad, CA a few times over the past 12 years. He is the son of the founder of Spanjian. He also gave me much of the same information that was passed on to you. Mark must be his son.

    Any tag with "Pasadena" on the tag is pre-1971. As you stated, at this time they moved to San Marcos, CA. They originally started in Chicago in the 1950s. Spanjian patented "Span-dex". They made their fame by designing stretchy, spandex based football pants for college and high school teams. I have 100s of Spanjian-made jerseys in my collection (high school, college and pro).
    I will think of some questions for you to ask!



  3. #3

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys


  4. #4
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,974

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    BTPH: Would you happen to have any contact information on Mark Spanjian? The guy that has been giving me my information is trying to trake him down.

    I got this email today:


    Im from Easton, Pa and as I said went to college with Mark Spanjian, the oldest son of the one of the owners, Robert Spanjian. The other owner was Mark's uncle Richard, who is Robert's brother. I believe the company was started by the grandfahter, whos first name was Sarkis. The family was Armenian. A close family, both brothers and the mother lived next door to each other. I'd call it a developement, but the houses were on a side of a hill and were about twice as expensive as the other houses in the same area. All the Spanjians were down to earth and when we were in Pasadena, we lived in their home, and when we went to Escondido to the new plant, Mr. Spanjian rented us an apartment.. There were three of us. Myself, Mark and a freind of ours from Reading, Pa. We all went to Philadelphia Textile, which is now called Philadelphia University.

    I spent the summer striping football pants with plasticide which was the same substance that was used on the painted on numbers. It was a gel like paint that only dried if it was put through an oven. It was interesting and fun to do. I had like an oversized ironing board and i would get the pant panel before it was sewed. Id lie it on the ironing board and bring down a screen that had the stripe pattern on it. The plasticide paint was up in the corner of the screen and when the screen was in place I would squeegee the plasticide down the length of the screen. Everything was blocked out but the stripe pattern. When I lifted the screen you had a perfect stripe or stripes everytime. There was about ten different patterns which was on the purchase order, so i knew which one to use.

    I hand striped about 7500 pair of pants that summer. I remember the biggest order was from the University of Toledo. I did 600 pairs of pants, half away pants and half the home pants. Thats 2400 stripes along.

    Some teams had their own color. Michigan had Maize (yellow), Indiana had a special cream color. UCLA had there speacial color blue. Unfortunatley for me, the real biggies (Michigan, UCLA, Notre Dame, And eventually, Penn State, all had no stripes on their pants. I can tell you that the pants they wore were top of the line and extremely expensive for that time.

    Spanjian did not do USC's uniforms. They had some big time alumni who was high up in the Wilson company. Also Spanjian only did Notre Dames pants, Champion had the uniform tops.

    We were allowed to take a sample of a uniform home when we left. If I werent 20 at the time I would have taken the Johnny Kerr jersey from the Phoenix Suns. I was 5' 8 and skinny and Johnny Kerr was well over 6 feet so it was to big.

    I took a football jersey from the late sixties that was worn by both Washington State and Georgia. Same Jersey. Its red with white numbers, short sleeved with white 3 inch knit cuff with a 1 in black stripe in middle. Its a heavy double knit material, not mesh. Its a size 42 and has the Spanjian, Pasadena label. It also has the original Spanjian number style. Dont know how to explain it, but if you can picture the San Diego Chargers jersey back in the time of Lance Alford, you can get the picture. It wasnt as much of a block type number. Dont know about you, but after working there, I could always tell a Spanjian jersey by the numbers two and four. Today there are two many different style fancy numbers.

    I'm also trying to pinpoint down Mark Spanjian. Its been a long time, but he would only be 58 so hopefully he is still with us. It was thew best summer of my life. Ill write more as the information comes back to me.

    BTPH: If you can help me with some contact information on Mark, it would be very helpful. And, if you have any questions, please LMK and I'll be more than happy to forward your question (s).

    Jim

  5. #5

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    Jim
    It was at least 10 years ago that I spoke to Mr. Spanjian via telephone. I just called "Spanjian Enterprises" in Carlsbad, CA . I believe at the time, they just made money off the family's already valuable patents. I lost the contact information, but it may still be on the internet. These emails that you've posted are absolutely fascinating! Please keep contact with this gentleman. Ask if he has any knowledge of the Spanjian logo button with the name engraved on the snap button for warm up jackets.
    They also made jerseys for the San Diego Sails and San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA (some of the rarest in the hobby).

  6. #6

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    i just crunched the numbers...I think I actually spoke to "Mark" about 10 years ago. That would have made him about 50 at the time. I don't think the gentleman was old enough to be Richard or Robert. Maybe he said he was a "junior". He did say his family was close "knit"...that was an un-intentional pun.

  7. #7

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    Jim, sent you an e-mail

    Did Mark's attendance at the textile school in Pennsylvania have anything to do with Spanjian's design of 76ers jerseys? They also distributed Mitchell&Ness jerseys in the early 70s.

  8. #8

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    I would love to find a blank cream or scarlet Sanjian jersey, or fabric similar to it. I want to re-make a Nebraska jersey from the early to mid-1960s. I can make the numbers, but can't make the jersey.

  9. #9
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    1,974

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Cavanaugh View Post
    I would love to find a blank cream or scarlet Sanjian jersey, or fabric similar to it. I want to re-make a Nebraska jersey from the early to mid-1960s. I can make the numbers, but can't make the jersey.
    Tim - I can't help you out but if we keep this thread going, Warren will eventually see it and he may be your man.

    Jim

    flaa1a@comcast.net

  10. #10
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    1

    Re: Spanjian Jerseys

    Does anyone know where I can buy a pair of Spanjian shorts that were popular in the 80's that laced up in the front ? I have been looking for a pair for around a year and cannot find them anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated. brad.chessiebay@gmail.com

    Thanks Brad

 

 

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:12 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5
Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.
vBulletin Skin By: PurevB.com