History of the Spurs Crest
In 1921, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the second time wearing, for the first time, the cockerel motif mounted on a shield. Due to this success, the crest became a permanent feature on Spurs' shirts from the following season.
In 1922 Spurs were Division One runners-up. 1928 brought relegation, 1933 promotion and 1935 relegation once more. During this period Spurs' shirts were made from cashmere and seem to have been slightly off-white.
When the League resumed after World War Two Spurs enjoyed a meteoric rise under manager Arthur Rowe who pioneered the "push and run" style. Promoted in 1950, they were League champions in 1951.
In
1951, the famous club crest was given a face lift and now featured a
rather less portly cockerel.
In
1961, Bill Nicholson, a member of the 1951 championship team and now manager,
led Spurs to the first League and FA Cup double of the twentieth century.
A year later, Spurs won the FA Cup again and in 1963 they became the first
British team to take European honours when they won the European Cup-Winners'
Cup. Inevitably this glorious side, featuring Jimmy Greaves, Danny Blanchflower,
Dave Mackay broke up. In their European campaigns, Spurs wore all-white strips,
a tradition that was extended to FA Cup ties later on. Incidentally the normal
short sleeved shirts worn in 1962-63 were replaced by long sleeved versions
in cold weather - these became the team's first choice from 1963-64.
In 1966 a new, more modern crest was adopted. A streamlined cockerel now stood upon a football without a surrounding shield. An interesting feature of the design was the old-fashioned football, a reminder of Spurs long history.
While League honours eluded the club, Spurs became formidable cup competitors. The FA Cup was won in 1967, the League Cup in 1971 and 1973 while the UEFA Cup found its way to White Hart Lane in 1972.
After
a brief sojourn in Division Two (1977-1978), Spurs achieved a transfer
coup by signing Argentine World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky
Villa. Villa inspired a dramatic FA Cup win in 1981 and in 1982 the
club retained the cup. In the 1982 final the club unveiled their new
shadow striped kit, an innovation that was quickly copied by other manufacturers.
To celebrate their centenary in 1982, the club crest was suitably embellished.
To
combat the growing threat of illegally made pirate replica kits, the decision
was taken to introduce a new crest in 1983. The design was deliberately more
complex and now included two lions supporting the club's monogramme as well
as the club's Latin motto, which translates as "To dare is to do."
This version was used until 1995.
In 1984 Spurs won the UEFA Cup for the second time and in 1987 they were beaten FA Cup finalists.
In 1987 Terry Venables was recruited from CF Barcelona as the new manager. After surviving a financial crisis, Spurs won their seventh FA Cup in 1991 and once again marked the occasion by introducing another innovative strip, featuring long, generously cut shorts. Venables was controversially sacked by Executive Chairman Alan Sugar in 1993, an affair that rumbled through the courts for several years.
In
1995 another new crest was introduced, resembling the one worn in the Fifties
but on a rather oddly shaped shield.
This appeared for two seasons before it was replaced by a very much more complicated
coat of arms. In addition to the usual motifs, this crest featured a castle,
alluding to Bruce Castle, a local land mark, and a group of trees, referring
to the Seven Sisters of Tottenham after whom Seven Sisters Road is named.
This badge was also used for two seasons before the 1983 crest was reintroduced.
In
1999 ex-Arsenal boss George Graham became manager in a move that most fans
saw as a betrayal of the club's heritage of open, attacking football but which
did bring a League Cup win in 1999. Graham left, also in controversial circumstances
a year later and since then a succession of high profile managers have attempted
to bring back the glory days but with limited success.
In 2006, as part of an exercise to modernise the club's image, a smart new crest was introduced. To all intents and purpose, this was very similar to the popular badge worn between 1967 and 1982 but with cleaner, more streamlined lines. Although the official crest has the words "Tottenham Hotspur" below the ball, this wording is not present on the players' shirts.
In 2007 Spurs celebrated their 125th anniversary, adopting a special kit for some games modeled on their 1884 halved shirts. For the 2007-08 season the legend "125 Years" was embroidered below the badge. The crowning achievement of the season was the team victory in the League Cup final over Chelsea, a reminder of Spurs long cup-winning tradition.