American football has always evolved, and inventors have played
a large role in the game as we know it today.
What are the inventions football players love and have been game
changers when it comes to players' happiness and safety?
The Flak Jacket
In 1978, quarterback Dan Pastorini was recovering from broken ribs. At that time, quarterbacks were targets on the field, and often suffered broken bones and organ damage. This all changed when Byron Donzis visited Pastorini in the hospital and demonstrated his new invention, the flak jacket.
Donzis originally intended to create a way to protect army pilots from blunt-force impact, but in time the football fan realized his invention could be used to protect players of the game. The sports version of the jacket was made to redistribute an impact through valves on the side. By using urethane padding, the jacket could be made thin enough to wear under a football jersey while withstanding blows up to 800 pounds per square inch.
Pastorini was so interested by the jacket, he wore it in his next game and found it highly effective. The National Football League was so impressed by the flak jacket and Pastorini's support, it gave Donzis a $190,000 grant to design additional safety gear.
Gatorade
In the summer of 1965, University of Florida Gators football coach Ray Graves had a problem. The stifling summer heat caused many of his players to pass out from exhaustion during practice. Furthermore, water could not properly relieve the dehydration, and juice and soda made it worse.
Graves asked team doctor Dana Shires for help. Shires and his colleague, Dr. Robert Cade, committed themselves to solving the dehydration problem. They understood that fluid replacement with water was not enough because the body's salt concentration had to be replaced. Also, the body needed more fuel to keep operating with sufficient strength.
The duo developed a liquid infused with salts, as well as energy-producing glucose. They named the beverage after the football team, and Gatorade was born. Since then, sports teams all over the world have fought dehydration and performed better by drinking Gatorade.
The Football Helmet
Perhaps the greatest football invention may have been the helmet. It is hard to imagine football without helmets, but the game was played for decades before the helmet was invented. This was especially dangerous at a time when rules were vague and players sometimes died on the field.
In 1893, a doctor told football player and Navy Cadet Joseph Mason Reeves that one more blow to his head could kill him. With the annual Army-Navy game coming up, Reeves worked with a shoemaker to construct a leather cap to protect the cadet's head and the first football helmet was invented.
Unfortunately, some head trauma was still common because the leather cap sat directly on the player's skull. It wasn't until about 1920, when athletic gear companies started experimenting with interior suspension systems. Corporate inventiveness softened head impact and improved helmet ventilation.
Since inventing the plastic helmet in 1939, the Riddell Company has continued to improve the product. In 2007, the company invented a helmet which uses computer technology to monitor players' heads during games. It can then suggest whether a player should seek immediate medical attention after a hit.
Inventors have long played a major role in football, from creations like the scoreboard, synthetic turf and the football itself. Still, when it comes to the inventions football players love, such as the flak jacket, Gatorade and the helmet have been crucial for player safety and well-being.
Do you have an invention idea? Click here to find out how to submit your idea.
The Flak Jacket
In 1978, quarterback Dan Pastorini was recovering from broken ribs. At that time, quarterbacks were targets on the field, and often suffered broken bones and organ damage. This all changed when Byron Donzis visited Pastorini in the hospital and demonstrated his new invention, the flak jacket.
Donzis originally intended to create a way to protect army pilots from blunt-force impact, but in time the football fan realized his invention could be used to protect players of the game. The sports version of the jacket was made to redistribute an impact through valves on the side. By using urethane padding, the jacket could be made thin enough to wear under a football jersey while withstanding blows up to 800 pounds per square inch.
Pastorini was so interested by the jacket, he wore it in his next game and found it highly effective. The National Football League was so impressed by the flak jacket and Pastorini's support, it gave Donzis a $190,000 grant to design additional safety gear.
Gatorade
In the summer of 1965, University of Florida Gators football coach Ray Graves had a problem. The stifling summer heat caused many of his players to pass out from exhaustion during practice. Furthermore, water could not properly relieve the dehydration, and juice and soda made it worse.
Graves asked team doctor Dana Shires for help. Shires and his colleague, Dr. Robert Cade, committed themselves to solving the dehydration problem. They understood that fluid replacement with water was not enough because the body's salt concentration had to be replaced. Also, the body needed more fuel to keep operating with sufficient strength.
The duo developed a liquid infused with salts, as well as energy-producing glucose. They named the beverage after the football team, and Gatorade was born. Since then, sports teams all over the world have fought dehydration and performed better by drinking Gatorade.
The Football Helmet
Perhaps the greatest football invention may have been the helmet. It is hard to imagine football without helmets, but the game was played for decades before the helmet was invented. This was especially dangerous at a time when rules were vague and players sometimes died on the field.
In 1893, a doctor told football player and Navy Cadet Joseph Mason Reeves that one more blow to his head could kill him. With the annual Army-Navy game coming up, Reeves worked with a shoemaker to construct a leather cap to protect the cadet's head and the first football helmet was invented.
Unfortunately, some head trauma was still common because the leather cap sat directly on the player's skull. It wasn't until about 1920, when athletic gear companies started experimenting with interior suspension systems. Corporate inventiveness softened head impact and improved helmet ventilation.
Since inventing the plastic helmet in 1939, the Riddell Company has continued to improve the product. In 2007, the company invented a helmet which uses computer technology to monitor players' heads during games. It can then suggest whether a player should seek immediate medical attention after a hit.
Inventors have long played a major role in football, from creations like the scoreboard, synthetic turf and the football itself. Still, when it comes to the inventions football players love, such as the flak jacket, Gatorade and the helmet have been crucial for player safety and well-being.
Do you have an invention idea? Click here to find out how to submit your idea.
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