HISTORY OF FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT
This section details the history and changes of equipment in football, as well as penalties and rule changes to make the game safer.
Football pads and equipment were first introduced in 1877 by LP Smock, a player at Princeton University at the time. His pads featured quilt-like materials stuffed and sewn to the underside of the shoulders of his jersey. These early shoulder pads provided minimal protection and were not worn by many players. Pants extended past the knee and did little to protect the legs of a football player.
In 1893, the earliest form of a football helmet was used in a game between Army and Navy. This helmet had no padding; it was essentially a head covering with slits for the nose, eyes and mouth, and was designed to protect the ears from injury. A year later, the safety of the game was dramatically improved when the "flying wedge" formation became illegal. This formation featured a v-shape of blockers leading the runner, and was directly responsible for the deaths of twenty players and injured over a hundred in the span of a single season.
Later in the 1890s the quality and protection provided by football pads increased as well. Two athletic manufacturing companies, Spalding and Victor, became the leaders in equipment when they introduced a leather pad system. These pads were designed to be worn on the exterior of the uniform, unlike LP Smock's version. Hip, knee, and thigh pads were also added to the canvas pants. Leather shoulder pads remained until the 1960s, and the basic design of the pants is still intact today.
Soft leather helmets came into the picture in 1915, which were designed to protect the head from injury. These did not have much more padding than the head harnesses that preceded them, even with the slight cushion on the inside. Hard, molded leather helmets were then created and patented by the John T. Riddell Company in 1939. The next season, the chinstrap was created. Chinstraps, at this time, had no purpose in regards to safety, but were responsible for keeping the helmet on the player's head during play. At this point, helmets were not mandated by either the NCAA or the NFL, and many players opted not to wear them out of comfort.
In 1943, the National Football League required all players to wear helmets during a game. The hard plastic helmets were officially adopted by the league in 1949, which were created just after the hard leather model. While plastic helmets were drastically safer than leather ones, they began to be used as projectiles by players. The age of improper tackling began, as players became accustomed to lowering their head in order to produce a more violent, harder, and more brutal hit.
While traces of a facemask lead back to the 1920s, the first true mask was created in 1953 by Riddell. Legendary quarterback Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns took an elbow to the face from a defender, breaking his jaw. His coach taped a clear piece of plastic to the front of his helmet to protect his mouth, and he was able to finish the game. By the end of the season, Riddell had manufactured a clear permanent mask made of Lucite. Lucite proved to be an unsafe material, as it would often shatter upon contact and cause the danger of cutting teammates and opponents alike. These clear facemasks were banned in 1957 by the NFL, and were succeeded by single bar masks, officially known as the BT-5 model. This style was worn notably by Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, even after Riddell seized production of that particular facemask. Double and triple bar facemasks were created soon after, and facemasks have since been customized to the player's request. By 1962, all players were required to wear a mask on their helmet.
In the mid-1900s, a handful of major safety rules were enacted that are still in place to this day. The first of this is the roughing the passer penalty, created in 1938 to protect the quarterback. According to the league, any defensive player cannot strike the passer after a considerable time of him releasing the ball. In 1955, a ball carrier was deemed "down by contact" if any part of his body, other than his hands or feet, made contact with the ground while in the grasp of a defender. Come 1956, the NFL banned grabbing the facemask of any player on the field, offensive or defensive--unless that player was carrying the ball. Six years later, that rule was expanded to include all players.
With advancements in the helmet industry came advancements in technology. The 1950s saw radios installed in the helmets of select players, allowing them to communicate with coaches on the sideline in the huddle and on the field, however these were banned by the NFL after a few short games. Radio helmets were reinstated by the league in 1995, as communication between the quarterback and play caller became hampered by crowd noise. These helmets are used by all NFL teams and many at the collegiate level. Each team is allowed only one radio-equipped helmet on the field at a time, which are typically worn by the quarterback on offense and a linebacker on defense. Radio helmets can be identified by the green sticker on the back side, and the radio is cut off with fifteen seconds on the play clock.
As previously mentioned, the 1960s brought about more significant changes to shoulder pads, a piece of equipment that had been relatively unaltered since the past millennium. The old versions of foam and leather were dumped for a plastic and fibershell combination, one that is still in use today. Since the turn of the century, two additional advancements were made in regards to shoulder pads. In 2002, a synthetic material originally designed for NASA was installed in pads with the intent of being lighter and sturdier. A few years later, the University of Florida created a pad system that allows players to be connected to an air pump. This pump sends cool air through the shoulder pads and allows for additional ventilation, a concept especially useful in the warm and humid south.
Recent rules have been added in both the collegiate and professional levels in regards to player safety. Intentional helmet-to-helmet contact, as of 2010, brings up a personal foul penalty, hoping to prevent players from leading with their helmet when they tackle. Flagrant penalties against defenseless receivers have been more frequently called as well. College football has especially stressed the importance of protecting their players from vicious hits with their targeting rule. Created in 2013, targeting may be called when an official believes a player made helmet-to-helmet contact with vicious intent or with the intent of injuring an opposing player. Not only is a fifteen yard personal foul assessed, but the guilty player is disqualified from the remainder of the game.
Today, knowledge of football-related concussions and their severity has increased, and more and more research has been done to prevent concussions. Riddell has become the most popular helmet manufacturer among NFL players, and arguably offers the safest of models. In a study performed earlier in 2014, four Riddell helmets were tested for both concussions and overall closed head injury, along with models from four other manufacturers. In this test, the Adams A2000 helmet tested the best in preventing a concussion, but was rated the worst out of ten models against closed head injury. The Riddell 360 ranked as the best against the overall closed head injury. The 360, which debuted in 2011, features no screws above the forehead, providing for more flexibility in the plastic shell. Prior to the 2014 NCAA and NFL seasons, Riddell launched another shell, the Speed Flex. A horseshoe-shaped crease allows the helmet to flex even more than before. Riddell claims that these helmets can decrease the risk of a concussion, although they acknowledge the research that proves no helmet will truly eliminate the risk of a concussion or brain trauma. Although no helmet is perfect, imperfection is safer than a lack of a helmet--wearing a helmet decreases the risk of brain injury by as much as 70 or 80 percent, according to the same study.
This section details the history and changes of equipment in football, as well as penalties and rule changes to make the game safer.
Football pads and equipment were first introduced in 1877 by LP Smock, a player at Princeton University at the time. His pads featured quilt-like materials stuffed and sewn to the underside of the shoulders of his jersey. These early shoulder pads provided minimal protection and were not worn by many players. Pants extended past the knee and did little to protect the legs of a football player.
In 1893, the earliest form of a football helmet was used in a game between Army and Navy. This helmet had no padding; it was essentially a head covering with slits for the nose, eyes and mouth, and was designed to protect the ears from injury. A year later, the safety of the game was dramatically improved when the "flying wedge" formation became illegal. This formation featured a v-shape of blockers leading the runner, and was directly responsible for the deaths of twenty players and injured over a hundred in the span of a single season.
Later in the 1890s the quality and protection provided by football pads increased as well. Two athletic manufacturing companies, Spalding and Victor, became the leaders in equipment when they introduced a leather pad system. These pads were designed to be worn on the exterior of the uniform, unlike LP Smock's version. Hip, knee, and thigh pads were also added to the canvas pants. Leather shoulder pads remained until the 1960s, and the basic design of the pants is still intact today.
Soft leather helmets came into the picture in 1915, which were designed to protect the head from injury. These did not have much more padding than the head harnesses that preceded them, even with the slight cushion on the inside. Hard, molded leather helmets were then created and patented by the John T. Riddell Company in 1939. The next season, the chinstrap was created. Chinstraps, at this time, had no purpose in regards to safety, but were responsible for keeping the helmet on the player's head during play. At this point, helmets were not mandated by either the NCAA or the NFL, and many players opted not to wear them out of comfort.
In 1943, the National Football League required all players to wear helmets during a game. The hard plastic helmets were officially adopted by the league in 1949, which were created just after the hard leather model. While plastic helmets were drastically safer than leather ones, they began to be used as projectiles by players. The age of improper tackling began, as players became accustomed to lowering their head in order to produce a more violent, harder, and more brutal hit.
While traces of a facemask lead back to the 1920s, the first true mask was created in 1953 by Riddell. Legendary quarterback Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns took an elbow to the face from a defender, breaking his jaw. His coach taped a clear piece of plastic to the front of his helmet to protect his mouth, and he was able to finish the game. By the end of the season, Riddell had manufactured a clear permanent mask made of Lucite. Lucite proved to be an unsafe material, as it would often shatter upon contact and cause the danger of cutting teammates and opponents alike. These clear facemasks were banned in 1957 by the NFL, and were succeeded by single bar masks, officially known as the BT-5 model. This style was worn notably by Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, even after Riddell seized production of that particular facemask. Double and triple bar facemasks were created soon after, and facemasks have since been customized to the player's request. By 1962, all players were required to wear a mask on their helmet.
In the mid-1900s, a handful of major safety rules were enacted that are still in place to this day. The first of this is the roughing the passer penalty, created in 1938 to protect the quarterback. According to the league, any defensive player cannot strike the passer after a considerable time of him releasing the ball. In 1955, a ball carrier was deemed "down by contact" if any part of his body, other than his hands or feet, made contact with the ground while in the grasp of a defender. Come 1956, the NFL banned grabbing the facemask of any player on the field, offensive or defensive--unless that player was carrying the ball. Six years later, that rule was expanded to include all players.
With advancements in the helmet industry came advancements in technology. The 1950s saw radios installed in the helmets of select players, allowing them to communicate with coaches on the sideline in the huddle and on the field, however these were banned by the NFL after a few short games. Radio helmets were reinstated by the league in 1995, as communication between the quarterback and play caller became hampered by crowd noise. These helmets are used by all NFL teams and many at the collegiate level. Each team is allowed only one radio-equipped helmet on the field at a time, which are typically worn by the quarterback on offense and a linebacker on defense. Radio helmets can be identified by the green sticker on the back side, and the radio is cut off with fifteen seconds on the play clock.
As previously mentioned, the 1960s brought about more significant changes to shoulder pads, a piece of equipment that had been relatively unaltered since the past millennium. The old versions of foam and leather were dumped for a plastic and fibershell combination, one that is still in use today. Since the turn of the century, two additional advancements were made in regards to shoulder pads. In 2002, a synthetic material originally designed for NASA was installed in pads with the intent of being lighter and sturdier. A few years later, the University of Florida created a pad system that allows players to be connected to an air pump. This pump sends cool air through the shoulder pads and allows for additional ventilation, a concept especially useful in the warm and humid south.
Recent rules have been added in both the collegiate and professional levels in regards to player safety. Intentional helmet-to-helmet contact, as of 2010, brings up a personal foul penalty, hoping to prevent players from leading with their helmet when they tackle. Flagrant penalties against defenseless receivers have been more frequently called as well. College football has especially stressed the importance of protecting their players from vicious hits with their targeting rule. Created in 2013, targeting may be called when an official believes a player made helmet-to-helmet contact with vicious intent or with the intent of injuring an opposing player. Not only is a fifteen yard personal foul assessed, but the guilty player is disqualified from the remainder of the game.
Today, knowledge of football-related concussions and their severity has increased, and more and more research has been done to prevent concussions. Riddell has become the most popular helmet manufacturer among NFL players, and arguably offers the safest of models. In a study performed earlier in 2014, four Riddell helmets were tested for both concussions and overall closed head injury, along with models from four other manufacturers. In this test, the Adams A2000 helmet tested the best in preventing a concussion, but was rated the worst out of ten models against closed head injury. The Riddell 360 ranked as the best against the overall closed head injury. The 360, which debuted in 2011, features no screws above the forehead, providing for more flexibility in the plastic shell. Prior to the 2014 NCAA and NFL seasons, Riddell launched another shell, the Speed Flex. A horseshoe-shaped crease allows the helmet to flex even more than before. Riddell claims that these helmets can decrease the risk of a concussion, although they acknowledge the research that proves no helmet will truly eliminate the risk of a concussion or brain trauma. Although no helmet is perfect, imperfection is safer than a lack of a helmet--wearing a helmet decreases the risk of brain injury by as much as 70 or 80 percent, according to the same study.