In 1904, 18 players died playing college football. In 1905, it went up to 19. 150 players were so seriously injured, they had to be taken to the hospital. Part of the problem was the equipment, or lack thereof. Players wore metal cleats. There was little or no padding or shoulder pads. The helmets were leather and had no face masks. The game resembled rugby. Kick-offs were particularly dangerous as the receiving team would form a “flying wedge” to plow over tacklers. Pres. Teddy Roosevelt had played in college, although he didn’t make the varsity because of poor eyesight. He loved the game and thought it was good for toughening youth up and getting them ready for the military. Even when his son Teddy, Jr. got his nose broken, he still felt the game was worth saving. And it needed saving, because after the brutal 1905 season, some colleges were threatening to stop playing. TR invited many college officials to the White House to discuss changes to make the game safer. To spread the game out, the forward pass was allowed. It was also decided that ten yards would result in a first down. From this meeting came the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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