Pummill Sporting Goods

Become a part of history

Nothing completes the high school experience like a letter jacket! At Pummill’s we want to make your letter jacket experience as simple as possible. We have several pre-defined jackets for local schools, which you can order online. We can also build a custom letter jacket, just give us a call and we can help you build the jacket of your dreams.

We feel the ordering process should be simple and as inexpensive as possible.  We require no minimums to order, 1 item or 100 items. However, many of our products do have a discount for quantity purchases. If you want a custom design, we can match virtually any design that you have.

We feel that shipping of your product should be as fast as possible. We usually ship letterman jackets in 3-4 weeks. Shipment time is determined by how complex your order is and the time of the year.

All items are made especially to your specifications and we want you to be happy. Happy and satisfied customers have been the lifeblood of our 40 year business. Above all we want the product to be the best quality possible, we may not have the lowest price but our quality will rank at the top. Your student athlete is probably making a once in a lifetime purchase and we want that to be an excellent experience.

Over the years we have shipped products to China, Hong Kong, England, Spain, France, Russia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Romania, Germany, Puerto Rico, Guam and many others. We have also shipped to all 50 states.

History

Varsity jackets trace their origins to letter sweaters, first introduced by the Harvard University baseball team in 1865. The letter was usually quite large and centered (if the sweater was a pullover); stripes on one sleeve designated the number of letters won, with a star indicating a team captain.

A letter jacket is a jacket traditionally worn by high school and college students in the United States to represent school and team pride as well as to display personal awards earned in athletics, academics or activities. Letter jackets are also known as “varsity jackets” and “baseball jackets” in reference to their American origins.

The body of the jacket is usually boiled wool and the sleeves of leather with banded wrists and waistband. Letter jackets are usually produced in the school colors with the body of the jacket in the school’s primary color and sleeves in the secondary color. Although sometimes, the colors of the Jacket may be customized to a certain extent by the student. There could be cases where a student could change the color so much that it doesn’t differentiate too much from school colors. They usually feature a banded collar for men or a hood for women.

Decorations

The letter jacket derives its name from the varsity letter chenille patch on its left breast, which is almost always the first letter or initials of the high school or college the jacket came from. The letter itself can also be custom fitted to the particular sport or activity.

The name of the owner usually appears either in chenille or is embroidered on the jacket itself. The owner’s graduation year usually appears in matching chenille. Placement of the name and year of graduation depends on school tradition. The year is most often sewn on the right sleeve or just above the right pocket. The school logo and symbols representing the student’s activities may also be sewn on the jacket.

Lettermen who play on a championship team often receive a large patch commemorating their championship that is worn on the back of the jacket.

Lettermen who participate in a sport in which medals are awarded often sew the medals onto their jackets to display their accomplishments.

Sporting goods store established in 1976 by brothers Larry and Terry Pummill.

Pummill brothers, Larry and Terry (both former teachers and coaches), opened Pummill’s Sporting Goods, Inc., in 1976.

Terry left the business in 1978 for a different career.

That same year, a third brother, Gary, began working at Pummill’s.  Six years later, 1984, Dennis Hagedorn came on board.

Pummill’s Sporting Goods, Inc. is now owned and operated by Dennis and Gary.

Pummill’s furnishes sports apparel, uniforms and equipment for teams, individuals, schools, businesses, organizations and military groups, as well as work clothing and safety shoes for many companies.

Pummill’s also does custom screen printing, trophies and plaques.

Pummill’s Sporting Goods can meet all your athletic and team needs!

Pummill Sports is your screen printing solution!

Team and workplace screen printing examples

Screen printing is a printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed.

Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of polyester or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance. Ink is forced into the mesh openings by the fill blade or squeegee and by wetting the substrate, transferred onto the printing surface during the squeegee stroke. As the screen rebounds away from the substrate the ink remains on the substrate. It is also known as silk-screen, screen, serigraphy, and serigraph printing. One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multi-colored image or design.

There are various terms used for what is essentially the same technique. Traditionally the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used in the process prior to the invention of polyester mesh. Currently, synthetic threads are commonly used in the screen printing process. The most popular mesh in general use is made of polyester. There are special-use mesh materials of nylon and stainless steel available to the screen printer. There are also different types of mesh size which will determine the outcome and look of the finished design on the material.

Trophies, Medals, Ribbons and Awards

Nothing brings a smile to a child’s face like a trophy!

A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in North America, rings) are often given out either as the trophy or along with more traditional trophies.

Originally the word trophy, derived from the Greek tropaion, referred to arms, standards, other property captured in battle. Trophies have marked victories since ancient times. The word trophy coined in English in 1550, was derived from the French trophée in 1513, “a prize of war”, from Old French trophee, from Latin trophaeum, monument to victory, variant of tropaeum.

In ancient Greece, trophies were made on the battlefields of victorious battles, from captured arms and standards, and were hung upon a tree or a large stake made to resemble a warrior. Often, these ancient trophies were inscribed with a story of the battle and were dedicated to various gods. Trophies made about naval victories sometimes consisted of entire ships (or what remained of them) laid out on the beach. To destroy a trophy was considered a sacrilege.

The ancient Romans kept their trophies closer to home. The Romans built magnificent trophies in Rome, including columns and arches atop a foundation. Most of the stone trophies that once adorned huge stone memorials in Rome have been long since stolen.