Forward Pass History

Football has become safer, more interesting thanks to a man named Bradbury Robinson
Bradbury Robinson threw the first forward pass in football and after that the popularity of the sport went up. In 1905 before the first ever pass and catch there were 84 college teams but not all of them had enough players. 1906 was when the first ever pass and catch was recorded, the year after there were 68 teams but the teams were all full, some colleges for the first time had to cut people. The forward pass made football more popular but some people did not agree on this new concept. Some colleges wanted to make a new league where they couldnt pass. Most teams considered it a gambling play, like going for it on fourth down today. Just 14 years later the NFL was created, there were 14 teams and they played 11 games.

Five years later the Packers were established and they are the oldest team that are still in the NFL. A long 61 years later the first super bowl was played between the Green Bay Packers, led by legend Bart Starr and the Chiefs legend quarterback Len Dawson both went down as some of the best passing quarterbacks ever. They would have never been able to throw if it wasn't for Bradbury Robinson.
Bradbury robinson has made football a lot safer. In 1905 there were 20 recorded deaths in football the year after the forward pass there were 98 deaths, in 2015 there were zero deaths professionally but 11 in high school. The evolution of pads and helmets has been influenced because of the forward pass. Just 30 years later the first plastic shoulder pads were made and along with side pads on the pants.
Bradbury Robinson attended the University of St. Louis. When he met with President Teddy Roosevelt to discuss football and how they could change it. Robison suggested increasing distance of a first down. But Roosevelt did not approve so he suggested the forward pass and brought that back to St Louis but was later kicked out. After he was kicked out he attended Wisconsin to work on the forward pass. Then he was approved back to St louis. Where Eddie Cochems was the head coach, he brought in players for Robinson to work with on the pass. Robinson was told that the forward pass was approved in 1906. The next season on september fifth 1906 the first pass and catch was completed in a game between St Louis and Carroll College. The first attempt was a pass from Robinson to Jack Schneider it was dropped, But the next possession they tried the same play but this time it was completed for a 20 yard touchdown to Jack Schneider the first pass and catch and the first recieveing touchdown. That year Robinson and the billikens went 11-0 outscoring opponents 407-11. The billikens were discontinued as a football team in 1974. Robinson would later graduate and become a doctor during World War one.
The rules of football have changed because of the forward pass in 1906 when the first pass was approved they would paint the field like a checkerboard with five yard squares.

This helped the referees see if the quarterback would roll out five yards before throwing it this was called Gridiron football. When an attempt at a forward pass and it was dropped it would be a turnover on downs, this is was as risky as going for it on fourth down. The dual quarterback formation came in St Louis were Robinson attended. Robinson would throw the deep balls while the other would throw it short. It would be really easy for the linebackers to read where it was going so the dual quarterback system wasn't seen as much. The Baltimore Ravens tried something like this in 2013 where Joe Flacco would be in the normal position and a speedy quarterback Tyrod Taylor would be in the half back postition which is also known as the wildcat formation. It is used in highschool and college more than pro. But they still run it. The point system has changed a touchdown was five points and a field goal would be four points. Now a touchdown is six with an extra point seven and a field goal is

three.