Today's Tidbit... Making A Spectacle Of Himself

Ed Fischer grew up in Buffalo and then headed to New York City, where he played football at Columbia. A tackle, he captained Columbia's freshman football team during the 1921 season, setting himself up for a position on the varsity in 1922.

As the freshman team captain, Fischer sits in the center of the front row. He also appears in page's the lower right. (1922 Columbia yearbook)

However, Fischer encountered significant problems with his vision entering the season, and in the days before contact lenses and face masks, it appeared he would be unable to play. Instead, Columbia developed a custom set of goggles with lenses made of unbreakable glass that allowed him to play. The goggles gave him an unusual appearance, but they allowed him to play, leading to a story and several images sent to the press. One or the other of the photos appeared in newspapers across the country.

A copy of the wire service image of Fischer, which went out under the World Wide Photos syndicate. (Courtesy of Ron Pomfrey)