Today's Tidbit... 1966 Football Practice Equipment Catalog

Football teams practice four, five, or more times more often than they play games, so the methods and equipment used in practice are vital parts of the game's history. Today we review an eight-page catalog released by Premier Products in 1966 that touts their blocking sleds, dummies, and a few miscellaneous items.

Besides the period aesthetic, the catalog cover shows seven players enjoying themselves pushing the sled past the 50-yard line. I don’t know about you, but I never pushed a sled on an actual football field. Sleds were used on the bumpiest and least attractive bit of land within jogging distance of where the skill positions plied their craft. (Click the images to enlarge.)

The catalog's second page includes freight handling information and the Table of Contents, which is almost as boring as pushing the sled.