Editing Team numbers


==Before 1997==
Official, canonical team numbers have been used since at least [[1993]] where they were used when placing orders with [[Small Parts]]. Teams were not required to use these numbers in any way on their robot and most teams did not include them at all. Only a handful of these team numbers survive today.

==1997==
In 1997 teams were assigned numbers alphabetically by sponsor and school name after teams had registered for the season. Teams were required to display these numbers on their robot on at least two side 180 degrees apart. [[frc-49|Team -49]], who was number 155 in 1997, registered later and received the highest team number that year. Some other teams had sponsors shift or change names through the season and thus their final position on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20000919171302/http://www.usfirst.org/1997comp/teamlist.html 1997 team list] is no longer in line with the original alphabetical list.

==1998==
Similar to 1997, after teams had registered the list was alphabetized and assigned sequentially, renumbering all returning teams from 1997 and reusing some 1997 numbers. These numbers were then "locked in" moving forward. Several teams registered for the 1998 season after normal registration had closed and were assigned numbers between [[frc194|194]] and [[frc206|206]].

==1999==
In 1999 teams that competed in 1998 could retain their 1998 numbers, although a not insignificant number re-registered and received new 1999 numbers. New numbers ranged from [[frc207|207]] who had previously competed as [[frc164|team 164]] and [[frc336|336]], who were an offshoot from [[frc116|team 116]]. Numbers were seemingly assigned sequentially as teams registered with relatively few gaps.

==2000==
2000 team numbers ranged from [[frc337|337]] to [[frc491|491]]. Additionally in 2000 FIRST assigned [https://web.archive.org/web/20000817031654/http://www.usfirst.org:80/teampages.html negative team numbers] to older teams that had competed before 1998 but not in 1998 when they would have received permanent team numbers. This list was seemingly compiled from a variety of older team lists, leading to some teams being given multiple team numbers, some teams from presumed preliminary lists that never officially competed being assigned negative team numbers, and teams that only competed in 1995 not receiving negative team numbers at all, presumably because a 1995 list was not available to work off of. For these special cases and a handful of others, the FRC archive refers to these 1995 only teams with a team number corresponding to their alphabetized position on the 1995 team list.