Long before there were such things as highly modernized helmets, cutting-edge pads, and also multi-billion-dollar stadiums, American football stood as an unprecedented rugged and brutal test of endurance that was carried out on muddy fields offering little protection. Tracing back to the early 1900s, American football as we know it was just evolving. Crowds would flock to to the sidelines of the old makeshift fields to spectate upon the hard-hitting action that unfolded with minimal regulations. We’ll take a look at 17 historic photos that capture the earliest days of the game.
1. An American high school football team, 1899.
Looking sharp, gents.
2. Bronko Nagurski. Canadian born pro American football player (1930 – 1943) and champion professional Wrestler.
what a stud.
3. American Football on Thanksgiving kicked off way before there was the NFL organization.
Now that’s just iconic.
4. Marion Motley was one of the first two African-Americans to play professional football in the modern era.
You already know this guy was a speed demon.
5. Patrick John “Kangaroo Kicker” O’Dea (1872–1962).
Some people really do get the best nicknames.
6. Green Bay Packers vs Cleveland Browns. 1965 NFL Championship Game. January 2, 1966.
Looking like an actual battlefield.
7. American Football in the mid-1930s.
Right off of a magazine.
8. Howard Mudd, former NFL player and coach, at the 1967 Pro Bowl.
Got to stay hydrated.
9. Turn of the century portrait of an early American football player, Philadelphia.
Now that’s. a solid fit.
10. Fran Tarkenton in 1965.
Got to give the legs a break every now and again.
11. My grandfather, Fordham University halfback Warren Mulrey posing for the final sculpting of the Heisman Trophy. 1935.
Suffice to say, he nailed it.
12. My Grandfather’s Senior Football Photo 1958. “I played Halfback and Free Safety, flat top and all.”
Yep, that’s the winning haircut right there.
13. Football Legend Joe Montana during Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990.
You knew he was getting ready to launch that football.
14. Jim Thorpe, played basketball, football, baseball and was an Olympic gold medalist 1915.
One of those lads who seemed able to do it all.
15. Helmet testing in 1912.
Yeah, helmets weren’t the easiest thing to test out.
16. John Madden yelling at referee in 1970.
John Madden had a knack for getting quite, quite worked up.
17. Rest in peace, Pat Studstill, the last NFL player to go without a facemask. This pic with the Rams in 1971.
The fact that players were out there clashing helmets without face masks is one of those truly unbelievable facts about American football.
