Today's Tidbit... Travis, Taylor, and Teddy Roosevelt III

The exploits of certain football players are sometimes magnified by their relationships with people off the playing field. We've all witnessed that during the 2023 NFL season with Travis Kelce and his good friend Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift, who needs no introduction to a few billion people, does not need the attention of associating with Kelce, but it comes with the territory she and Travel choose to ride in.

Football has seen similar situations, including in 1905 when Teddy Roosevelt III played for Harvard's freshman team. Often referred to as Teddy Roosevelt, Jr., Young Teddy was the oldest child of his father's second marriage. (Roosevelt's first marriage ended when his wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, died two days after giving birth to a healthy girl.)

When Young Teddy entered Harvard in 1905, his dad was President of the United States, and that put some pressure on the boy, particularly after he decided to go out for football. Standing 5' 8" and weighing less than 145 pounds, Roosevelt was not the prototypical football player even in 1905. He played on the second team at Groton, but having put on a few pounds and gained more aggressiveness at Harvard, he became the starting left end on the Crimson freshmen team.

The individual identified as Mr. Leland is likely Lorin Deland, the inventor of the flying edge. (‘The President’s Eldest Son Is Out To Make The Harvard Freshman Football Eleven,’ Boston Globe, October 3, 1905.)