If you had to pick the single most influential factor that changed the sport of football and ultimately led to it’s becoming the most popular sport in America, what would it be? Television? The Super Bowl? Or perhaps instant replay. All are near the top of the 50 game-changing developments ranked by Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport, a couple of longtime sportswriters and football observers, who may surprise you with their No. 1 pick: the White House. Or more to the point, President Theodore Roosevelt, who demanded that football reduce its level of violence or risk being abolished. Fans of the game surely will be curious to see where and why the authors of “Football Game Changers” rate Vince Lombardi, integration, fantasy leagues, the West Coast Offense, and Joe Namath.
Here’s an excerpt from Football’s Game Changers:
“In 1895 [Auburn coach John] Heisman was scouting a game between Georgia and North Carolina when something unusual happened. North Carolina’s punter was about to be swamped. He didn’t have time to kick the ball, so he threw it to get rid of it as quickly as possible. A teammate caught it and in the confusion ran 70 yards. Touchdown! The only one of the game. The Georgia coach yelled in protest. The rattled referee turned a blind eye to this new development and claimed not to have seen the ball thrown.
“It made an impression on Heisman. Why not legalize the forward pass? The Rules Committee chair was Walter Camp, so Heisman turned to him. The answer was an emphatic no!
“Every year Heisman presented his case, and the answer was always the same.
“Finally 11 years later in 1906, with an ultimatum from President Theodore Roosevelt to clean up the violence in the game, the forward pass was legalized. The NCAA accepted Heisman’s argument that passing would open up the game, and spread out contact on the field, thus cutting down on injuries.”
