NFL turns 100: A look back at how players equipment has evolved (2024)
MIAMI — Red Grange looked more like the pilot of a single-engine airplane than a dominant halfback who once thrived in a single-wing offense.
From the crude, oblong leather helmets to the sparsely padded brown and blue vertical-striped uniforms of the Chicago Bears, it’s easy to see how equipment has drastically evolved in the NFL since the days of The Galloping Ghost in the 1920s and ’30s.
From their heads to their toes, the players’ looks through the decades have changed so much, it’s tough to believe it’s all the same sport.
Well, sort of.
“Man, it looks like an outfit you’d wear in the wintertime,” former running back Thomas Jones said while looking of an Associated Press file photo of Grange.
“I mean, I personally can’t imagine playing without a facemask, No. 1. As much as we crash into each other, the full-on collisions. It just goes to show how tough those guys were — how fearless those guys were.”
And, really, how under-equipped.
“When I see the 1920s pic, I think, they’re playing rugby,” said former offensive lineman Damien Woody, who played with New England, Detroit and the Jets from 1999-2010 and is currently an analyst for ESPN. “It doesn’t look like much protection.”
Not at all.
“That looks like it hurts,” current Jets left tackle Kelvin Beachum said while looking at the same photo. “I mean, look at that. Where are the pads? Ouch.”
Safety, of course, has played a key role in how equipment has changed over the NFL’s 100 years, with tweaks, redesigns and, in some cases, total overhauls marking eras in league history.
“Now I look at the uniforms and they’re so streamlined, it’s like a fitted suit,” said Jones, now an actor after running for 10,591 yards in 12 seasons with the Cardinals, Buccaneers, Bears, Jets and Chiefs from 2000-2011.
“From the uniforms to the shoulder pads to even the cleats, everything is just so streamlined and tailored for each player, which I love,” Jones added. “It’s like an evolution for us and that’s how it should be: Things should look better, fit better and be more safe.”
Protecting players’ heads has been at the forefront in recent years, with the league focusing on concussions and constantly evaluating the protective qualities of helmets with comprehensive tests.
While that process continues today as companies use cutting-edge technology to balance safety with comfort, helmets have come a long way from the hardened leather versions of the 1920s.
Fibershell covering came later in that decade, molded leather in the 1930s, plastic in 1949 — with padded versions used the following year.
Plastic helmets evolved over the next several decades, with facemasks added in the 1950s and going from a single bar to full cages in the ‘70s and grills in the ‘90s.
The NFL and NFL Players’ Association collaborated over the last several years to use a team of bio-mechanical engineers to test the helmets that are approved for today’s game.
“It really is amazing to see how far they’ve come from back in the day when there weren’t even any facemasks,” Beachum said.
The same sort of testing and tweaking has occurred with players’ padding, probably the second-most easily recognizable evolution of equipment over the last century.
Players wore pads made out of felt, wool and leather in the 1920s — hardly reassuring when you were trying to protect yourself from big men making big tackles.
“I have the utmost respect for those guys,” Jones said. “I also have watched a lot of old footage from the ’50s and ’60s, and those guys were just incredible from that era.”
By then, pads had gone from foam to hardened leather to fiber shell and then plastic.
But by the 1980s, the size of the shoulder pads, in particular, had grown to the point where it was as if players were stuffing their jerseys with hard pillows.
“I don’t even know how they were able to run or be effective doing anything,” joked former safety Kerry Rhodes, who has also made the post-football transition to Hollywood after playing for the Jets and Arizona Cardinals from 2005-12.
“It’s like everything else in America: Let’s overcompensate and go big or go home!”
Check out photos of any running back or linebacker from that era, and you’ll wonder how any of them fit through most doorways.
“The bigger the shoulder pads were, the tougher you looked,” Jones said.
Just like Herschel Walker, who was a speedy but powerful running back during that era — despite shouldering a load.
Literally.
“I’m thinking how heavy those pads were, especially for a running back,” Woody said while looking at an AP file photo of Walker. “Guys want the least amount of pads as possible today.”
That has certainly been reflected in the products equipment companies have designed in recent years by using technology to shrink the padding while also improving overall safety.
And not just on the players’ shoulders.
The pads covering ribs, abdomens, hips, thighs and knees have also undergone plenty of changes to go from bulky to barely noticeable.
During his last seven or eight years in the NFL, Jones said the only padding he consistently wore below his waist was on his thighs. But even those were modified. He would take the full thigh pads, remove the hard plastic on the inside and play with the remaining plate covering his hips.
“It’s all kind of come back full circle,” Jones said, “because it kind of went from these guys really not having much protection to guys having all the protection to me literally having just my upper body protected when I played to the way things are now.”
Jerseys have also come a long way, going from wool and cotton long-sleeved, rugby-style shirts to more breathable synthetic fabrics such as polyester to mesh — all the way to the form-fitting jerseys seen on NFL fields every week that make it even tougher for players to grab hold of.
“When I came to the NFL, the jerseys were baggy and I remember hating the jerseys I had with the Arizona Cardinals because they were so baggy, the sleeves,” Jones recalled. “We would have to tape the sides of the sleeves up to the shoulder pads just so they wouldn’t hang down over our arms. And, if you lifted weights, you wanted your arms to show. Plus, it got annoying if the jersey sleeves were just dangling.
“But when I got to Tampa, from like 2000 to ’03, the jerseys had become more fitted. My jersey was cut to my waist, so I didn’t have to tuck my jersey in. And the sleeves were already fit to my shoulders.”
Footwear also took, well, big steps over the years. High-top shoes with studs gave way to more conventional cleats — and they got lighter in the process.
Players also now have the luxury of having several different pairs of shoes stocked in their lockers, depending on the type of playing surface they’ll be on in a given game.
“I definitely think the evolution process of the NFL, from an equipment perspective,” Jones said, “has been incredible from the visors to the shoulder pads to the helmets, and everything else in between.”
As the sport exploded in popularity and players became more and more athletic, steps needed to be taken to increase safety. While injuries were once accepted as part of the game, organized football leagues have followed a gradual progression from baggy pants and no pads to full pads and plastic helmets with facemasks.
Television is not the only technology to have affected the game. Advancements have allowed the NFL to evaluate and improve officiating and protect players from unnecessary risk. Technology helps players and teams communicate and gives coaches the tools needed to create game plans and to adjust them on the fly.
The first shoulder pads were just bags filled with cotton or horse hair that were literally sewn into the jerseys (how protective!). It wasn't until 1910 that the first separate shoulder pads were developed. Even then, they were nothing more than thin pads that sat on player's shoulders.
Helmet. The most important item on any football equipment list is a helmet, which protects the head from injury during games and practice. Helmets are designed to protect the head from impact caused by flying balls as well as blunt force from the ground and other players.
Sports technology discerns interests and goals in sports. These types of technology can range from wearables used to measure player movement and speed, sensors to measure heart rate and pressure, or, on a larger scale, tools measuring whether or not goals were made or penalties occurred.
Cutting-edge football helmets, data-gathering sensors, and a turf testing machine called the BEAST are just a few elements of the behind-the-scenes revolution making the game safer for NFL players.
1941. Wilson became the official manufacturer of NFL footballs and has been ever since. The company has made minor improvements like gripping and better laces, but not much has changed. In fact, the football has been designed and manufactured in the same way for decades.
The vision was that the more popular the entire league became, the more financially beneficial it would be for everyone. The wisdom and foresight of this vision has led the NFL to unprecedented popularity and success. So, why is the NFL so popular and successful? The reason is due to the complete parity in the league.
Football equipment, for players, is more about comfort than safety. That's why you see lots of guys who don't wear thigh pads or knee pads. No one in the NFL wears hip pads or butt pads, either. All of these are requirements in college and high school.
Football pads and helmets can harbor nasty germs and odors from sweat that can spread exponentially with improper storage and cleaning. Failure to disinfect equipment with football disinfectant spray in between each use significantly increases the risk of infection and almost guarantees nasty odors.
Defensive players, like lineman or fullbacks, will want heavier, more protective padding. Quarterbacks, running backs and other skill positions opt for lighter pads for better mobility and visibility.
Passing accuracy is one of the most fundamental skills in a football game. The feet should always have the power and accuracy to pass the ball either to your teammates or to the strikers for a goal. Passing skill is the one ultimate skill and football is devoid of an accurate and precise pass.
In football, with as much contact as there is, it's important for the safety gear outside of helmets to be properly cared for, reconditioned, and replaced. Shoulder pads should be cleaned and sanitized after every use, reconditioned every year, and replaced every 3-4 years.
Sports safety equipment is vital for protecting athletes from injuries ranging from mild to severe. Many parts of the body are susceptible to sprains, strains, breaks, and damage that can interfere with your activity or result in permanent issues.
Carrying a piece of sports equipment can compound the effects of unanticipated movements and other variables that can increase injury risk, experts said. To put it simply, carrying a big stick can take an athlete's focus off the task at hand.
The most popular tech trends and innovations in sports include performance analytics (made possible by AI and Big Data), the Internet of Things (IoT), crowd sentiment analysis, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), eSports, and smart stadiums, to name a few.
Basic equipment worn by most football players include helmet, shoulder pads, gloves, shoes, and thigh and knee pads, a mouthguard, and a jockstrap or compression shorts with or without a protective cup.
a shirt with sleeves. shorts. socks – tape or any material applied or worn externally must be the same colour as that part of the sock it is applied to or covers. shinguards – these must be made of a suitable material to provide reasonable protection and covered by the socks.
All that equipment is mandatory, and with good reason: it is extremely necessary to prevent, or at the very least, reduce the risk of injury from playing what is generally acknowledged to be a sport with the one of - if not the - highest rates of injury of any your child could play.
The biggest misconception about football helmets is that they prevent concussions. They don't. Helmets protect the skull from fractures. Concussions are caused when the brain moves inside the skull; helmets do little if anything to prevent the brain from rattling inside the skull.
The company's innovative technology is a blend of GPS and LPS aimed to optimize performance and better assess player risks. The device is installed in a vest that players wear under their jerseys and shoulder pads. The wearable technology tracks more than 1,000 data points per second within one to four inches.
The NCAA made helmets mandatory in 1939, according to "The Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules and the Men Who Made the Game," by David M. Nealson. The NFL required helmets in 1943.
The three-year rule establishes that all NFL prospects must be three years removed from high school and have used up their collegiate eligibility to enter the NFL draft.
These balls—with some modifications, including rubber bladders replacing the animal ones—were used until the middle part of the 20th century. The leather balls were notoriously heavy, and could double in weight if played with in wet conditions as they would absorb the rain on the pitch.
The NFL is home to some of the best athletes in the world. What is even more amazing is that their skill sets vary so much from player to player and position to position. You have wide receivers that can run 40 yards in a little over four seconds, and then you have linemen that can bench 250 pounds 30-plus times.
Since the National Football League began in 1920, only one team has played a perfect season (both regular season and playoffs): the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who won all fourteen of their regular season games and three postseason games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish the season 17–0–0.
'” While strict rules prohibit NFL players from wearing anything nontraditional during games, Diggs wears his short shorts whenever he's practicing, working out, or doing other game prep.
In 2013, there were 93 first-year players who weighed at least 300 pounds in the NFL according to WashingtonPost.com. Historically that is still a lot, but it is also a drop of 29.5% in just two years. It is unclear yet if this is a real trend or just an anomaly.
A cup is not required as an item of equipment in football.It's optional, just like rib guards or knee stockings. Every player is solely responsible for determining whether or not they require a cup; the referee will not check whether or not a player is wearing one before a match.
Today, smelling salts are still widely used in the NHL, the NFL, and powerlifting and strongman competitions. They cause a quick burst of adrenaline which athletes believe helps them perform better despite the fact that science suggests the effects of smelling salts are extremely brief.
— -- NFL players no longer can wear exposed "hoodies" over their shoulder pads, and assistant coaches are now expressly prohibited from entering the field of play, following a series of adjustments that will appear in the 2016 edition of the NFL rulebook.
A lot of NFL players use smelling salts to help them become more alert. Some NFL players say that they sniff smelling salts before every game to get them hyped up to play. One player that has admitted to using smelling salts before every game is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Quarterbacks will lift their legs in the air to signal to their center to snap the football. This is often called a leg cadence, as no verbal words are spoken. This type of cadence is typically used in loud stadiums where verbal cadences can't be heard.
This is just how the arthrokinematics work in the glenohumeral joint. Long story short, if you bench press, along with throw the ball a lot, you will damage these structures over time which could mean ligamentous injury, capsule damage, or tendon damage at some point in your career.
Football players use the towels to keep their hands and/or forearms dry when they play. Wet or moist hands can affect one's grip on the ball, and can even spell the difference between winning or losing a match.
Messi's club teammate Neymar has got to be the most skilled footballer on the planet. Watching him take defenders on and ghost them is an absolute treat. He is always up to something when he gets on the ball and seems to share an unmatched relationship with it.
The Marseille turn, also known as the 360, the Spin, the Mooresy Roulette, the Roulette, the Girosflin, and the double drag-back, is a specialised dribbling skill unique to the game of Association football. With so many different names, the exact origin of this skill move is unknown.
Athletes and football players need to limit the amount of caffeine because too much of it can cause adverse effects. Very high doses can cause unpleasant side effects like: Headaches. Dizziness.
What should the pre-match meal be like? Abundant in simple carbohydrates, such as white bread, cereals, fruit, etc. Slightly loaded with protein, digestible and with little fat, such as turkey, fresh cheese, skimmed yoghurt, etc. Avoid fatty foods, as they slow down digestion.
To clean removable body pads, remove pads and belt from the pants and launder them in a washing machine set on cold water using a bleach-free detergent. You may launder pads, belts, pants and jerseys together and you may air dry them or dry them in a clothes dryer set on LOW HEAT.
Assuming there are no cracks or other internal damage, The National Athletic Equipment Reconditioners Association (NAERA) states that football helmets must be reconditioned and recertified every two to ten years. The NFL takes safety to the next level.
Football helmets should be replaced no later than 10 years from the date of manufacture. Many helmets will need to be replaced sooner, depending upon wear and tear.
But as the rules of the U.S. sport changed, the design of the ball changed too. After the forward pass started being used in 1906, the shape of the ball kept getting gradually narrower, becoming what's officially called a prolate spheroid.
The modern 32-panel ball design was developed in 1962 by Eigil Nielsen, and technological research continues to develop footballs with improved performance. The 32-panel ball design was soon joined by 24-panel balls as well as 42-panel balls, both of which improved on performance prior to 2007.
A football is a prolate spheroid, and it's shaped that way because that's also the shape of an inflated pig's bladder, which is what the first footballs were made of. Soccer balls were also made of pig's bladders, but as soon as technology permitted, those balls got rounder, which made them easier to kick.
Football helmets have come a long way since these first leather helmets, going from leather to plastic, and changing from being open-faced to having face bars and masks. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s that helmets started having foam padding in them.
The newly formed National Football League shortened the ball's length to about 11 inches, the size and shape still used today. Officially, the shape is known as a “prolate spheroid.”
Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is performing poorly, or for tactical reasons (such as bringing a striker on in place of a defender).
Well, it turns out that the football was never truly designed, it just sort of happened. According to Henry Duffield, a man who witnessed a game between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869, largely considered to be the first intercollegiate game: “The ball was not an oval but was supposed to be completely round.
Sports that are at least two and a half thousand years old include hurling in Ancient Ireland, shinty in Scotland, harpastum (similar to rugby) in Rome, cuju (similar to association football) in China, and polo in Persia.
The exact etymology of the word “football” is slightly unclear, but many historians say the term dates back to the late Middle Ages, when it was used to refer to any sport that was played on foot, as opposed to sports played on horseback.
The sport of American football itself was relatively new in 1892. Its roots stemmed from two sports, soccer and rugby, which had enjoyed long-time popularity in many nations of the world.
In the early days, before Charles Goodyear made better use of rubber, balls for early rugby, then football games were made from inflated pig bladders. They were relatively round, durable and in plentiful supply. Later versions covered them in a leather skin, stitched together by laces.
In defence, players need to try and have an open body shape whenever they can. This will allow them to see as many of the opposition's attackers as possible – and also, crucially, the position of the ball.
The NFL previously permitted teams only one set of helmets for safety reasons. The thought processes followed that it was safer for a player to be fitted with one helmet properly than to be shifting in-and-out of different headgear that it couldn't be certain was as safe.
The NFL initially allowed either plastic or leather helmets, but in 1948 the league outlawed the plastic helmet, considering the hard-plastic material to be an injury risk.
Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257
Phone: +2613987384138
Job: Chief Retail Officer
Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing
Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
