Derby County Football Club are one of the most historic clubs in English football history, for a number of reasons. Founded in 1884, the Rams would go on to become one of the founding clubs of the English Football League, paving the way for modern football as we know it.
Club name
Derby County were founded as part of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club to begin with as a way to keep busy over the winter months. The initial plan was to be called Derbyshire County Football Club, however this was denied by the Derbyshire FA due to the name being too long.
They eventually stuck with Derby County Football Club, which has been the name ever since their initial inception.
Derby County badge
Derby County have had a number of different looks to their club crests over the years, but they have always stuck with the tried and tested Ram being the main focus. The current crest contains simply the Ram itself.
Before that recent change, there had been a number of slight adjustments throughout the years to keep it up to date. Most may remember a circular design around the ram that included the club name and founding year.
There were others that had included a different design over the circle around the outside, though the oldest of which was simply a stylised ram head.
Kit history
Derby County are known for playing in black and white, but that wasn’t actually their original colours. The club used to play in a mix of blue, amber and brown in the 1880s, similar to the colours used by the cricket club. By the 1890s, that had changed to the now familiar black and white, while their away kits have often been in a number of different colours.
League history
Derby County have featured in the top three divisions in their recent history, spending most of their time in the Championship after a short spell in the Premier League. After some ownership troubles, the club now find themselves in League One.
The Rams narrowly missed out on the play-offs in their first campaign back in the third tier, with hopes they can make a return the following season.
Derby County trophies
Derby County have won three major trophies in the club’s history so far, cementing some glory in their years. The Rams added their first piece of silverware in 1946, winning the FA Cup against Charlton at Wembley in a 4-1 thriller.
League titles would evade them until the 1970s, when Brian Clough and Peter Taylor guided the East Midlands side to a First Division triumph. Despite the management duo leaving, there would be a second league title shortly after, cementing the side as Champions of England.