Athletes' reaction times have long been of interest to coaches, and that interest intersected with the work of Stanford psychologist Walter R. Miles, whose research focused on human measurements, including reaction times. Other psychologists tested athletes' reaction times in the lab, while Miles tested natural athletic movements. Among his findings from late 1920s tests of Stanford football players was that backs had faster reaction times than linemen. Hardly a surprise, but since that was about the extent of his finding, this line of research was soon abandoned.

Hopefully, someone will monitor the reaction of Stanford backs versus linemen when they learn which conference they will play in during the 2024 season.

Oh, yeah, back to Dr. Miles. His research during WWII led to American pilots wearing glasses with red lenses to acclimate their eyes to darkness before flying at night. Also, his reaction time tests of older populations contributed to the understanding of the aging process.

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