Used to be that football was a nobleman's game. When Vince Lombardi took to the Green Bay field, he recalled a general marshalling his troops. Now, head coaches would seem disheveled at a tailgate party. To recapture the glory days, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan requested permission to suit up again—prohibited since the 1990s, when coaches' backs were sold to the highest bidder. Reebok, now the official outfitter, complied, coming up with a few suits last season, before wisely outsourcing the more formal wear to veteran athlete supporter Joseph Abboud. For 2007 home games, Abboud provided six suits, four sports coats, and fedoras, among other accessories, to Nolan and Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio, the only other coach who has so far retired his sweats. Four hours of pacing, yelling, and Gatorade–dunking can take their toll, so the suits have been vented and lined with an absorbent, elastic material in team colors. Despite this last point, Nolan believes he has accomplished his goal: "I feel the suit shows respect for the position," he says. With Michael Vick running a dogfighting ring and coach Bill Belichick accused of cheating, respect for the game has been scarce. Maybe a change of uniform can force these wayward men of war back into formation.

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