![\"football](\"https:\/\/www.davison.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/football-helmet.jpg\")
Are you ready for some\u2026 protection?\u00a0 With football season underway, let\u2019s examine that ever-so-important piece of equipment players wear to protect themselves on the field\u2026 their helmets!<\/p>\nAre you ready for some\u2026 protection?\u00a0 With football season underway, let\u2019s examine that ever-so-important piece of equipment players wear to protect themselves on the field\u2026 their helmets!<\/p>\n
Previously stuffing thick rags under their hats, football players began sporting leather helmets in the 1940s.\u00a0 But, as competitors began to run faster, throw farther and hit harder\u2026 they needed some sturdier dome protection.<\/p>\n
High school football coach John Riddell is credited with inventing the first plastic helmet in 1939, although it was not widely accepted until the early \u201950s.\u00a0 Riddell\u2019s plastic protector was lined with a web and an air cushion for added hit-absorption.\u00a0 His helmet was such a success, he left coaching to pursue the manufacturing business; today, you can find Riddell\u2019s name on 90% of NFL players\u2019 heads!<\/p>\n
About a decade after Riddell\u2019s hard-headed invention, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment deemed the \u201cwebbed\u201d helmets unsafe and padding was incorporated into the design.\u00a0 Further absorbing a lineman\u2019s tough tackle, foam was added around the jaw and ears of helmet interiors.<\/p>\n
![\"product](\"https:\/\/www.davison.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/football-player.jpg\")
In the 1970s, long before Reebok came out with their Pumps, the helmet was air-infused.\u00a0 Because they had been \u201cone size fits all,\u201d some players\u2019 heads were rattling around inside, while other players were cramped in their helmets.\u00a0 With the added air-filled pads, players could pump or remove air from their helmets for a snug fit.<\/p>\n
Further advancing the helmet\u2019s protective capabilities, manufacturers have taken it to the next level.\u00a0 The latest innovation to the protective headgear includes electronic devices with diagnostic capabilities.\u00a0 These high-tech helmets can instantly read the length and severity of a hit\u2026 in some cases, before a player even notices an injury!<\/p>\n
So, as you\u2019re tuning in this weekend \u2013 look away from your fantasy football stats for a moment and take a look at the protective headgear your favorite players are sporting!<\/p>\n
Information for this article, thanks to http:\/\/www.livestrong.com\/article\/341058-the-history-of-the-nfl-helmet\/ and http:\/\/www.livestrong.com\/article\/351862-football-helmet-safety-improvements\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Are you ready for some\u2026 protection?\u00a0 With football season underway, let\u2019s examine that ever-so-important piece of equipment players wear to protect themselves on the field\u2026 their helmets! Previously stuffing thick rags under their hats, football players began sporting leather helmets in the 1940s.\u00a0 But, as competitors began to run faster, throw farther and hit harder\u2026 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,37],"tags":[162,94,119,87],"class_list":["post-5335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-invention","category-product-news","tag-football-inventions","tag-inventions","tag-product-evolution","tag-products"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n