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]]. Some years team numbers were also used when picking up the [[kit of parts]] at [[kickoff]]. 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.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:44509 - 1994 1994cmp frc191 match robot.png|[[frc191|Team 191]] wearing 27 in 1994 [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/44509]
File:15322 - 1995 frc191 robot team.gif|[[frc191|Team 191]] showing their team number in 1995 [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/15322]
File:4554 - 1996 1996cmp frc191 pit robot.jpg|[[frc191|Team 191]] in 1996 [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/4554]
</gallery>

Numbers were used in [[Best|Texas BEST]] at least as early as 1995, and some teams, like [[frc-112| team -112]], sponsored by Texas Instruments after winning BEST in 1995, used their BEST number on their FIRST robot.

==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.

<gallery perrow=3 heights=250px widths=300px>
File:3584 - 1997 1997frc47 1997il frc67 pit robot shipping crate.jpg|[[frc67|Team 67]] wearing 47 in 1997. [[frc47|Team 47]] wore 32 in 1997 [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3584]
File:3593 - 1997 1997frc81 1997il frc111 pit robot.jpg|[[frc111|Team 111]] wearing 81 in 1997 [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3593]
File:3587 - 1997 1997frc155 1997il frc-49 pit robot.jpg|[[frc-49|Team -49]] was given the number 155 in 1997, the highest that year [https://www.frcarchive.com/index.php?q=post/view/3587]
</gallery>

==1998==
Similar to 1997, after teams had registered, the list of teams was alphabetized by sponsors and schools and numbers were assigned sequentially, renumbering all returning teams from 1997 and reusing some 1997 numbers for new teams. 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, as the official 1995 numbering list as well as other pre-1997 lists are unknown.