How have shoulder pads changed over the years?
If they turn on the Super Bowl on Sunday, casual football fans who have not watched a game in a few years might wonder, “Who shrank the shoulder pads?” As players have grown heavier in the N.F.L., shoulder pads have become lighter by as much as 50 percent over the past 10 to 15 years, manufacturers said.
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 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.
They've been getting smaller roughly since the onset of the 21st century. Players began to feel the big pads didn't make them all that invulnerable to injury, and as the game turned toward speed and passing, extra equipment weight was targeted.
In 2013, the N.F.L. mandated the use of thigh and knee pads but most knee pads now are smaller than a slice of bread and wafer-thin. Thigh pads are only a little bigger. The only other required protection is a helmet and shoulder pads.
Over the past several years, we have seen a trend in players' pants getting shorter. This has a safety component as exposing the knees without padding means a risk of knee injuries and lacerations, and it is detrimental to the look of the game.
When the first football game was played in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers, none of the players were wearing pads. Leg padding appeared very quickly. This was the first introduction of pads into the sport. The first shoulder pads did not appear until 1877.
Either way, the “invention” of shoulder pads in football is credited to one L.P. Smock, a Princeton student who is said to have designed the pads in 1877, eight years after his school faced Rutgers in the first ever college football game.
Thigh and knee pads are made of plastics and inserted into pockets constructed inside the football pants.
Football equipment has always evolved over the years. Now, more wide receivers and defensive players prefer wearing smaller and slimmer pads compared to two decades ago. According to current NFL players, smaller pads improve their agility and quickness, freeing a player to try to catch a ball or make a tackle.
When did the NFL remove the white stripes from the football?
It wasn't until 1959 that all NFL games began using a ball with no distinguishing colors. The change was made because black players in the league believed that the white ball made them appear like robots against the background of a dark stadium.
The First Football Uniform
The first uniforms were rugby-type uniforms with wool or cotton sweaters and no padding. Wool was chosen because the game was played outside in the cold. As the rules of the game developed, players started donning padding. Leather was the toughest, most pliable material available.
In the past, knee and thigh pads were mandatory from 1979 to 1994 before becoming an optional item in 1995.
Football towels are used by quarterbacks and other players to keep their hands dry during a football game. Since moisture can affect the grip that players have on a football, having these towels available helps to keep their hands moisture-free during the game.
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.
As such, they were popular additions to clothing (particularly business clothing) during the 1930s and 1940s; the 1980s (encompassing a period from the late 1970s to the early 1990s); and the late 2000s to early 2010s.
In 2021, as we emerged from our sweatshirt-clad cocoons, celebs like Ciara, Hailey Bieber, and Megan Fox were spotted wearing shoulder pads. The exaggerated shoulder trend graced the Spring 2021 runways of Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Isabel Marant. More recently, shoulder pads have evolved into a subtler silhouette.
These pads are usually made of foam and covered with fabric that may coordinate with the fabric of the clothing.
Epaulette (/ˈɛpəlɛt/; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as shoulder scales.
