The Morrill Nose Mask: Amazing Early Football Equipment You Never Heard Of

This video provides a historical overview of early football equipment, focusing on the evolution of the nose mask and its significance in protecting players before the widespread adoption of helmets. Initially, a heavy head of hair was deemed sufficient for head protection in college football. The narrative introduces Albert Cumnock, a Harvard player who invented the moral nose mask in 1891 for his teammate, John Cranston, to protect a nose injury. The mask was designed to safeguard the nose, teeth, and face during the game, a necessity due to the physical nature of football at the time, which included pushing, shoving, and occasional blows with the open hand or elbow, leading to injuries.

The text goes on to describe how the moral nose mask was produced and commercialized by John Morrill, highlighting its features like being made of fine rubber without metal, costing $2.50, and being sold through the Spalding catalog for decades. It mentions historical photographs and the physical aspects of wearing the mask, such as holding it with the front teeth and its implications for breathing and playing.

Further, the text introduces a later innovation, the Wendell nose mask patented in 1912 by Percy Langdon Wendell, which aimed to improve upon the moral nose mask by reducing strain on the front teeth and allowing better breathing. This mask used leather strips held in place by the wearer's molars.

The summary concludes with the eventual decline of nose masks around 1912-1915 as football rules and play style evolved, leading to more forceful collisions and necessitating more comprehensive protective gear like helmets, shoulder pads, and full uniforms. The text serves as an introduction to the history of football equipment, emphasizing the role of the nose mask in the sport's early days, presented by Jon Johnston as part of a series on hardcore college football history.

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