Today's Tidbit... Percy Wendell, Nose Guards, and Serbian Restaurant Riots

Caspar Whitney named the first All-American football team in 1889, so while All-Americans are members of an exclusive club each year, a large number have become members over the years that I do not know or have not given attention. One such player was Percy L. Wendell, a Harvard halfback and kicker who was a second-team All-American in 1912 and first-team All-American in 1913 and 1914.

Wendell captained the Harvard eleven in 1912 under Percy Haughton. Considered the ideal captain, the senior class also voted him its president. In his senior year, he earned a patent for a new type of protective nose device. Arthur Cumnock, Harvard's 1890 captain, invented the popular Morrill nose guard in 1890 after Jerry-rigging a similar device for a teammate in 1889. The Morrill noise guard became very popular, leading to many imitators and those seeking to enhance the device. (I previously traced the history of nose guards and face masks.)

Morrill's Nose Guard advertisement (1893 Spalding's Foot Ball Guide)

The nose guard protected many broken schnozzes and the faces of those hoping to protect their beaks, but wearing them came at a price. The top of the nose guard strapped around the forehead while the bottom stayed in place via a rubber shelf, which the wearer clenched between their front teeth, making breathing difficult.

Wendell's patented nose guard offered two advantages. It had a sizable hole in the front to make breathing through the nose easier, while a leather strap clenched between the back teeth secured the lower part of the nose guard. Supposedly, clenching with the back teeth made breathing easier for some, but nose guards soon lost favor regardless of the design.