September 5, 1906 - 108 years-ago today Bradbury Norton Robinson, Jr., a halfback for St. Louis University threw the first legal forward pass in American football history. Robinson threw the first pass in a game against Carroll College at Waukesha, Wisconsin. Jack Schneider was the receiver for the Blue & White (they would not be known as the Billikens until 1911.) The pass became legal the previous spring by the newly created Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) as part of a strategy to make the game safer. In 1910, the IAAUS became the NCAA. President Theodore Roosevelt had called the group together in an effort to save the game of football, which many wanted banned. More than five dozen players had died on the field the previous season. The power teams of the East, who dominated the attention of national sportswriters in the early 1900s, were slow to adopt the forward pass. However, the 1906 Blue & White squad under coach Eddie Cochems (1877–1953) built its offensive strategy around the new rules. The Blue & White cruised to an 11–0 record in 1906. Cochems and company led the nation in scoring, collectively outscoring their opponents 407–11. In the early days, an incomplete pass resulted in a 15-yard penalty, & if the ball wasnt touched by the receiver, possession would go to the opposing team. Another rule change this season also had a dramatic influence on the game. You now had to make ten yards for a first down. It had previously been five. In this photo, Jack Schneider, who caught the first pass, is shown on the left. Bradbury Robinson, who threw the first legal pass in football history, is on the right.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 05:13:45 +0000
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