Today's Tidbit... The Bumpy Road to Today's Shoulder Pads
I've covered various steps in the evolution of shoulder pads in Tidbits past, but here's another step in the journey that deserves treatment.
The linked articles show that shoulder pads started as simple leather or cloth pads stuffed with horsehair, felt, or fabric sewn on the exterior of football sweaters. The individual pads were sewn atop the shoulder, on the shoulder blades, or over the sternum and were used to prevent injury and cushion those that already occurred.
An advantage of early shoulder pads was their customizability. While Spalding and other purveyors sold the pads in standard shapes, they left it to the individual player or equipment manager to determine where to position the pads. Still, sporting goods manufacturers produced integrated shoulder pads by the turn of the century, with some slipping over the head like shoulder pads today. Others were little more than separate pads connected by a few pieces of string or rawhide.
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