Interesting football book

[RodentRampage]

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33120/33120-h/33120-h.htm

This book is "The forward pass in football" published in 1921. The first part of the book is interesting, if you are interested in the transition of the game into something we would recognize today.

The book is free, and is viewable in a web browser. It is interesting that this book, published in 1921 talks about the spread formation, old ideas do tend to become new again.

 

[dpodoll68]

It is interesting that this book, published in 1921 talks about the spread formation, old ideas do tend to become new again.

It is quite fascinating that some like to pretend that the spread in its various incarnations is some sort of newfangled and heretical thing. My oldest brother was the starting center for a HS state championship team in 1982 that played something similar to a spread, except far more exotic and spread out than anything going today. Dana Holgorsen would've been jealous. I'm not even sure the formations they used then are legal now with today's rules.

 

[RodentRampage]

Everything old is new again. Some of the formations in this book have interior linemen going downfield on passing plays, obviously there have been changed in the 90+ years since this book was written. In these passing formations, they have the QB 15 yards back, which is quite different than today, except for fake punts.