Let’s cut to the chase, nobody thinks these jackets are cool anymore. These days, you might find a vintage 49ers pullover in a TJ Maxx. But I don’t think you could convince Steve Young’s 11-year nephew to wear it. If you attempt to check out the merchandise on Starter’s website, you get punted over to Walmart.com! (Man, that’s not a good sign).

Alas, not every fashion statement gets to be transcendent. Which leads us to today’s blogger poll…

A bunch of sports bloggers - who probably still have these things hanging in their closets (no matter what the wife might say, right Adam Tracey?) - remember the hey-day of the Starter pullover.

Cecilio’s Scribe (Legend of Cecilio Guante)

At times, I was the bandwagon Starter kid, even sinking as low as to convince my poor mother to purchase a Dallas Cowboys model complete with the requisite obnoxious star and five or six colors incorporated into a hideous, nonsensical design. My ties to Big D and America’s team? Absolutely none, I didn’t even like them. Total poser. However, before that turn down the wrong path, I received what is to this day one of my all-time favorite X-mas gifts: the UNLV starter jacket. Unlike my later transgressions, snagging this classic made me the cool kid in class. To the best of my recollection, I received my Running’ Rebs jacket on Christmas day back in 1990 at age 13. It was a thing of beauty — fire engine red and that crinkly material that made noises each time your arms crossed or you made a motion of any kind. But there was one element that made it undeniably awesome: the mug of the rebel dude on the back complete with white handlebar mustache that stretched across its width. I even want to say he was toting a six-shooter on each hip. I was so hard core.

Adam Tracey, (Windy City Gridiron)

I don’t really have a story from the past to share, but what do you mean “once had”. Try still have! The wife keeps trying to get it out of my closet, but I fight the good fight. One day I will proudly hang it in some room of the house.

Adam’s wife takes offense to this coat hanging in the closet. Does anyone see him pulling off adorning the wall with it? I’m rooting for you man, but you may have overestimated here (you got a tool shed maybe?)

Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy)

I had a New Jersey Devils black starter jacket, with the red and green colors. The green sort of made the logo look moldy.

Later, when the Devils changed their colors to red and black I changed my jacket to red and black. Now that was pimp. I felt like I could hang with the fake Raiders fans in my school. Well, maybe not hang … at least appear in the background of the hooded-jacket Caucasian rap group photo pose they all seemed to strike outside of the cafeteria.

Drawback to both jackets: The way the hood would make my David Puddy facepaint smear.

Those hoods were enviably massive.

Adam Best (Arrowhead Addict, Lakeshowlife.com)

I was a Chiefs and Pacers/Lakers fan growing up. But…none of those teams were quite cool enough to rep every day with a starter jacket. I had a Chiefs one, but I needed something a little edgier for school. The Lakers? They were on their Pre-Kobe/Shaq downswing. I got a giant Charlotte Hornets parka that went almost all the way down to my knees for my Birthday back in 1993. Not going to lie, the thing was badass. Or at least I thought it was back in the day. Remember, this is when Charlotte had Alonzo and L.J. — besides Bulls stuff, their merchandise was the hottest in the league. What a little clown I was. Threw on my Girbaud hoody and jeans with some matching purple and teal Vans. Totally thought I was the man. In retrospect, I should have just rolled with my white Chiefs starter jacket everyday. That way I could have gotten some more Sega and Super Nintendo games. Stupid.

We all appreciate Adam admitting his mistakes here. Teal is sort of a regrettable color.

Dan Lamothe (Red Sox Monster)

As a pre-teen basketball player in New England in the mid-1990s, I had only one love: the Boston Celtics. Naturally, that’s the route I chose to go with my Starter jacket, which I begged my poor parents for until, magically, it appeared on Christmas (1993, I believe).

The jacket, complete with green sleeves and a foot-wide Celtics logo on the back, made me a mockery in my Catholic school, where (cruel!) classmates pointed out at recess that not only were the Chicago Bulls far superior to the recently Reggie Lewis-less Celtics, but that the Celtics would, in fact, never have hope again.

To that, I say one thing.

Suckers.

Royce Young (The Thunderworld)

My starter jacket was a 1994 Dallas Cowboys beauty. And I feel victim to the Starter Jacket fan birth. I had no affiliation with the Cowboys. I had no previous feelings for the team. But my grandma bought me a Starter jacket and bam, I was immediately part of America’s Team. My jacket went beautifully with my Reebok pumps and bowl-cut ‘do. I was totally awesome. I remember also, the jackets were SO popular, that everybody was wearing them in August. It didn’t matter how hot it was outside, your Starter jacket was every bit part of a “normal” wardrobe as shoes, socks or underwear. All my friends had their jackets too - but only a few of them actually possessed a jacket of their favorite team. You see, the jackets were so popular that it was near impossible to land your favorite team when you walked out of JC Penny. My older brother was a 49ers fan, but got a Chiefs jacket. My friend Cody got a Florida Seminole one and was now a Charlie Ward fan. Strange how much power the Starter jacket had. But nothing made me feel better than putting on my Penny Hardaway jersey and then tossing my Big D puffcoat over it. I was a walking cornucopia of sport. Man, I miss my Starter jacket.

H/T to Royce for invoking several other haphazard fashion cliches from the 90’s.

Steve Melfi (NY Hoosier)

Contrary to popular belief, I’ve been a life-long UConn Huskies Men’s basketball fan. I was raised in CT until my family moved to Indiana when I was 8. In 4th grade, my parents bought me a UConn Starter jacket with the Huskies’ logo on the back. There aren’t many UConn fans in Indiana and as children tend to do with something “strange” to them, I was mocked mercilessly. “Nice Lassie jacket” I would hear from all of my classmates. “Timmy is down in a well. Why don’t you go help him boy?” While these might not seem that bad now, to a 10 year old it can cause quite a complex. The most harassing I received was from a Duke fan. I wore my jacket with pride, even though UConn would always lose back then. I’d endure the torment from the UK fans, IU fans, and that one Duke fan. Little kids can really be dicks to each other.

I did get my own personal gratification however in 1999 when UConn won its first NCAA Men’s Basketball title. Through my dad’s company, I was able to attend the Naismith Awards dinner where Elton Brand was being honor as the Player of the Year. After the dinner, we had a meet and greet where I had Brand sign my SI UConn commemorative edition with Khalid El-Amin on the cover.

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There it is! Thanks for all the submission this week guys. Check back next Friday, when we’ll do it again.