Stormy Kromer Benchwarmer MSU Michigan State Spartan edition wool hat

The Stormy Kromer cap is a wool hat manufactured by Stormy Kromer Mercantile. The hat is popular in the Midwest region of the United States and with hunters and outdoorsmen. It is named for George "Stormy" Kromer (1876-1970), a semi-professional baseball player who later worked as a railroad engineer. Kromer lost many hats to the wind while working on trains, and in 1903 he asked his wife Ida (1877-1960) to make him a warm hat that would stay on more securely. She modified a baseball cap into what became the Stormy Kromer cap by sewing on a pair of ear flaps.