Submitted by Central Harlem Anonymous on Fri, 04/18/2008 - 4:15pm.
Football helmets look to have been optional in 1923. I remember an article years ago (in American Heritage magazine?) about the introduction of helmets in college football. The sport had been running a death rate of something like five players a year nationally, but many old fans including former president Teddy Roosevelt lamented the introduction of helmets. They thought it sissified the sport.
