The History of Football Shoulder Pads

American football is a rough and violent game. Early players wore no helmets or pads. Injuries and deaths led to rule changes and the introduction of protective gear. Shoulder pads have since become synonymous with football. The pads have a distinct history, and their technology continues to evolve.

No Rules Apply

Early versions of American football were similar to rugby, and players wore no protective equipment. The limited number of rules and the sheer violence of the game resulted in an increasingly high injury and mortality rate.

Deadly Game

President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban football due to too many deaths from injuries received during the games. In 1910, rule changes and protective padding were introduced in an effort to reduce the number of injuries.

Shoulder Pads and Helmets

Shoulder pads and helmets were the first pieces of equipment adopted into the game. Shoulder pads were originally made of leather. The pads were little more than multiple pieces of leather sewn together. As the game evolved, so did the pads. In the 1960s and 1970s, should pads were made using a hard plastic shell with shock-absorbing cloth or foam padding. They were designed to protect the shoulders, the collarbone and the sternum.

Technology

Modern shoulder pads can extend down to protect the ribs in both the front and the back. Pads are measured over the player's chest and across the back. A player's weight and body stature both impact the size of the pads. In high-end college and professional programs, shoulder pads are molded to each player's physique to ensure the most accurate fit and to prevent the pads from slipping when the player moves.

The pads under the shell are strung together in a tight webbing of straps. These webs help to distribute the shock across a wider plane, thus limiting the initial impact on the shoulders. This distribution of the force greatly reduces the chance of injury.

Cost

Adult shoulder pads range in price from $95 to $350. Newer high-tech shoulder pads have yet to be mass produced, and thus their cost is made public.

Newest Technology

As technology evolves, so too will the size and weight of shoulder pads. Variations of the shoulder pads made for football are used for players in other sports such as hockey and lacrosse.