Football Equipment History: The First Football Helmet Was "Football Hair", Not Leather
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- This video discusses the history of football helmets, focusing on the evolution of safety equipment in the sport. It begins with a description of a 1912 Puck magazine illustration, showing two football players from 1912 and 1892. The player from 1912 is depicted with early versions of protective gear like shoulder pads and a helmet, while the 1892 player has no equipment but a massive head of hair. This imagery prompts an exploration into the historical belief that thick hair could serve as a protective helmet in football.
The author, Jon Johnston, delves into this unusual aspect of football history, citing sources like John Sayle Waterston’s College Football History book and various newspaper articles from the 1890s. These sources describe how players would grow their hair long to protect their heads, as helmets were not yet in use. The text references specific hairstyles like the scrubbing brush, chrysanthemum, and mop, popular among football players for their perceived protective qualities.
The author discusses the cultural and social impact of “football hair,” highlighting how it became a fashion statement beyond its practical use in the sport. Articles from the 1890s show that while some viewed this trend with humor and sarcasm, others saw it as a serious safety measure. Notably, an article from the Tribune of Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1900 quotes George Washington Woodruff, a respected football coach, advocating for hair as a better protective measure than helmets.
To support these historical claims, Johnston examines team photos from the 1890s, comparing them to contemporary hairstyles from a barber manual. This comparison suggests that the long, unkempt hair seen in football players was indeed distinct from the more groomed styles of the era.
Concluding, Johnston reaffirms the central idea that the first “helmet” in college football was not made of leather or canvas but was simply the players’ own hair. He invites viewers to subscribe to his channel for more stories and insights into college football history, emphasizing the channel’s focus on uncovering overlooked aspects of the sport’s past.
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Thanks for reviving this forgotten history!
Wow, that's thorough research, comparing football players' hair with men's hair in general! 14:05 the model at upper left looks like he's got the amazingly modern "high and tight" style.
Your best one yet, John! My son and I watched the whole episode together. I am a hardcore college football geek; my son is a history major and videographer who appreciates it when references are provided in UA-cam videos. We laughed heartily throughout the episode. Football hair!
I had Suh for Heisman.
Think RG3 got it.
Always thought he was small and had a weak arm.
Suh dominated every game he was in.
Still upset about it.
Arkansas boy... haven't followed since they fired Petrino.
We knew he was scum when we hired him but we don't care about winning.
Humble idea..... the earliest trick plays
Thank you. I will look into that.
Love this stuff. Thanks for doing the hard work on research. Great stuff!
Wow, there should be a college football history room at UNL where your research could be added. For myself, I sport the inverse mohawk look. To be clear it's ONLY because of all those years of "helmet to helmet" contact! Thanks a TON for these videos on your channel. If we do a decent job of spreading the word on this page, some day you will gain a huge following One would think!
"Inverse mohawk" -- you mean a mid-saggital furrow?!
Wish I could have found these articles and shown them to my HS head coach in 1982!
Interesting video! I would say it is the bee's knees!
It’s a miracle that the game was not banned for life everywhere. Anybody have a comment about …”rugged individual attitude”.
Racist
True Men are racist misogynistic patriarchy ozone layer indigenous climate knowledge and systemic
Everything except gay
Glad I stumbled onto this channel. Very entertaining
Yes, thank you! This rule should stay in my opinion. Many more rules that help the offense. It doesn't hurt to have a rule that helps the defense once in a while. The only thing I could see making this rule odd is if by chance a defender 'helped' the ball out of bounds thru the end zone, then that might muttle things but I also like this rule.
Bronfield and Beck in their comic book treatment of the game mention the long hair as protection, and say that it started a fad on campus of long hair in imitation of the football players. Don't dismiss the idea of a thick head of hair as protective; why would not hair function to diffuse the force of an impact?
Good research! I like to say I remember the 1890s like they were yesterday, but you're adding a lot to my understanding of the period. (My grandfather used to tell stories about growing up in the 1890s, but he had no stories about football.)
You are a true scholar, looking at barber guides of the period to support your thesis! That is amazing!! Great work. Can't way to see more!
Thank you!
Wow, you are a straight up historian looking at football. Football is full of atages and legends. We all accept such as truths, but you look back at the sources. I admire your passion. Nobody is going to get rich on videos about football history. I can see the hours you put in and want to give you a tip of the hat sir.
Thank you!
I hope I can get enough resources to do some... well, interesting visualizations people would find interesting AND entertaining.
Tip of the hat!
11:00
I put on a suit.
Recently found your channel. Really enjoying it, hope you keep growing
Thank you!
They had style #4 the Kelce.
Hussars wore long pigtails to protect from saber slashes
Wasnt former President Gerald Ford one of the last college players who played without a helmet? That had to be in the 1930’s…
Maybe get second job as a Phycic.
"What in the hootenanny" is exactly what is was thinking.
I KNEW there was someone else!
dapper!
Certainly by my profile pic and content I indeed find the history of football equipment interesting. What is particularly interesting about this topic is the seeds of the self destruct code incased. Football in terms of popularity is at it's peek, but the seeds of it demise are festering today. The seeds are brain injury which is what the hair was to protect. It's really the first step in the evolution of head protection. How important is the topic? If I went to Roger Goodell with a helmet that's guaranteed with 100% certainty nobody whom wears this will have any brain injury. Would half a billion dollars be too much to ask?
I actually have a TBI from being dead for too long from a heart attack in 2015, so I follow the CTE stuff and brain injury information pretty closely.
It. will be interesting. I may touch on that later on.....
FIZZee ogg nih nommee
hahahah Words are really hard for me!
This hot me thinking about helmetless football. I understand the argument for helmetless football. I think its a great way to continue to play after School/College. I suspect the reason there is no/limited recreational football in USA is because of the cost/effort of holding a game. I saw a helmetless league on youtube. It looked fun. Accidents do still happen. And people who are used to playing Safety or CB at full speed in pads would have to seriously adjust their play in a hurry. But there is a large concussion/CTE problem in Rugby. I wonder what the real stats are? How many concussions are there per minute of play in Rugby/Aussie Rules etc vs American Football?
Presumably you saw UA-cam of Town Beef, or what's now called American Sevens football.