Ipswich Town
After almost 60 years of genteel and unambitious existence, the winds of change blew through the club in
1936 with the decision to finally turn professional and join the Southern League. The old striped shirts were replaced with smart new blue ones with white sleeves, complete with a club crest, basically the town's coat of arms. Ipswich's first professional players were signed, led by former Scottish international Jimmie McLuckie. Over 14,000 fans took time off from the harvest to cheer the club on in their first fixture against Tunbridge Wells Rangers on 29 August 1936, which Town won 4-1. Having won the Southern League championship at the first attempt, Ipswich made a confident application to join the Football League but they were rejected. Chairman Capt. "Ivan" Cobbold instructed the manager, Mick O'Brien to recruit the best players available so that the team could not be ignored and the following season they were elected to Division Three (South).
The town crest was worn between 1933 and 1957 although photographic evidence indicates it was absent for at least part of the 1953-54 and 1955-56 seasons.
In 1954, Ipswich were promoted to Division Two but the following season they came straight back down again. In 1955 Alf Ramsey was appointed manager. He led the club back into Division Two in 1957 and then, in 1961, to the Division Two title. To everyone's astonishment, the unfashionable club from East Anglia then won the First Division title at the first attempt. In 1963 European Cup football came to Portman Road for the first time, the club being eliminated by AC Milan who went on to win the competition. Ramsey was appointed England manager and went on to earn his knighthood in 1966.
In 1964 the famous blue and white shirts were replaced with more modern, self-coloured tops (although they would be revived briefly in 1997). The change was no doubt prompted by the club's relegation at the end of 1963-64, following which they spent four years in the lower division before clinching the Second Division championship in 1968.
The crest worn during this period consisted of the shield at the centre of Ipswich's traditional coat of arms.
Bobby Robson arrived and under his management, Ipswich embarked on a period of prolonged and consistent success. In the League the club finished in the top six nine times between 1973 and 1983: their worst position was 18th in 1978, the year that they won the FA Cup. In 1981 and 1982 they were runners up in the League and in 1981 they won the UEFA Cup. Two years later Robson left the club to follow in Ramsey's footsteps and become England coach. Inevitably the side he built broke up and in 1986, the "Tractorboys" found themselves back in Division Two.
To mark their centenary season (1988-89) Ipswich added a scroll below their badge. The badge itself had been introduced in 1972 following a competition and featured a "Suffolk Punch", a local breed of heavy horse (although the dainty steed in the original would have been more at home at a Suffolk gymkhana than pulling a plough). This popular crest was given a facelift in 1995.
In 1992, Ipswich won the Second Division championship for the third time and took their place in the Premier League in its first season. After three difficult seasons, they were relegated in 1995. After reaching the play-offs four times, they returned to the top in 2000 and when they qualified for Europe by finishing in fifth place in 2001, it seemed that the great days had returned. Sadly, relegation in 2002 ended that particular dream.