The mid-1920s saw an explosion in new football uniforms and equipment as coaches, manufacturers, and the Navy team physician pursued equipment designs that were lighter and more protective. Football pads of the early 1920s were primarily made of leather with felt padding, while the uniforms included canvas or moleskin pants (both cotton fabrics) and wool jerseys. Fully equipped players wore about 15 pounds of equipment, which increased to 25 pounds in wet conditions.
A few years ago, I learned about Lt. George E. Mott, who was the Naval Academy’s team physician in the 1920s and became interested in preventing injuries, not just treating them. His interest led to working with a sporting goods manufacturer on new equipment designs featuring fiber crowns in helmets, hip and kidney pads, and thigh and shoulder pads. He also replaced felt and other padding materials with sponge or foam rubber, which was lighter, more protective, and was not water absorbent. They also made new pants of airplane cloth, the lighter version used on airplane wings, not the tougher fuselage cloth. The combination meant players were better protected and not anchored down by their gear, which weighed less than six pounds.
Referred to as featherweight equipment, Texas began using similar equipment in 1926. Missouri did so in 1928, justifying increased ticket prices due to the expense of the new equipment.
So, I recently acquired the 1927-28 GoldSmith Fall and Winter Catalog, which featured lines of featherweight equipment they developed with the Army and Navy. The catalog allows us to look at the featherweight gear produced for Army and Navy while doing a deep dive into Navy’s equipment.
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