Pigskin Dispatch Podcast... Pneumatics In Football Equipment
Pigskin Dispatch podcaster Darin Hayes and I discuss a Tidbit from August 2023 concerning the history of pneumatics in football equipment. Starting with canvas-covered thigh pads, pneumatics did not have much success until the 1970s, when helmet manufacturers could use reliable helmets that used air bladders. I also tell a story of some foolishness from my younger years.
Click here to listen to the podcast. You can also read the original Tidbit below.
Today's Tidbit... Getting Pumped Up for Pneumatic Football Pads
An 1898 newspaper article described recent advances in football gear: a helmet with a hard shell and pneumatic thigh pads. Previously, football players wore head harnesses that resembled wrestling headgear. They protected the ears and portions of the head but lacked a protective shell covering the top of the skull.
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