PRPG:
History of Football

The President of Football

November 15, 2016

Teddy Roosevelt: President, soldier namesake of the Teddy bear…and architect of modern football.
History of Football
In 1905, football was even more rough and violent than it is today. Between 1900 and 1905, 45 people actually died from injuries sustained while being kicked, punched, or tackled while playing the sport—primarily internal injuries, broken necks, and severe concussions. (Football was an outgrowth of rugby, and it showed.) Around that same time, a college player named Harold Moore was kicked in the head during a game and died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Major schools (football was most prominent at the college level) like Columbia, Duke, and Northwestern canceled their football programs entirely.
President Theodore Roosevelt both loved football and recognized that the epidemic levels of violence were unacceptable. So, he held a summit at the White House with coaches from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, the powerhouses of college football at the time. Despite the resistance, a committee was formed under Roosevelt’s watchful eye that looked to change the rules of the game so as to make sure less people died playing in.
They were enacted quickly, and were in place for collegiate teams in the 1906 season. Among the major rule changes, which changed football from a rugby-like game to the unique sport it is today.

  • Prior to 1906, forward passes weren’t allowed, so players used short, lateral tosses to advance the ball down the field…while the other team tried to jump on anybody who had the ball. With the forward pass legalized, a quarterback could hurl it downfield, reducing the number and severity of tackles per play.
  • When a player falls on the ball, the play is over. Before this rule, tons of players would pile up on a downed carrier in an attempt to get the ball.
  • A first down was achieved after advancing the ball 10 yards instead of a tough, cramped 5 yards.

But one obvious safety measure wasn’t enacted for decades. The NCAA didn’t require helmets until 1939; the NFL followed in 1943.