Post by Coach Campbell on Oct 15, 2013 12:52:08 GMT
History of Football Cleats
By Jayne Yenko
Jayne Yenko Jayne Yenko started writing professionally in The first football game recognized in the U.S. was played on Nov. 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton universities. During the early years of football, no uniform code existed. Determining which player played for which team could be difficult during a game. Players wore their own shoes or boots during play because commercial cleats were not available.
History
The history of cleats, the name for the footwear worn by football players, appears to be tangled up with soccer and rugby. References to football boots worn by Henry VIII abound. Work boots that laced up and had steel toes were worn by the neophyte football players. Early on, players discovered that metal studs hammered into the soles of their boots assisted with traction, particularly on uneven ground or changing weather conditions. In the late 1800s, a shoe was developed with rounded leather cleats especially for playing football. This version weighed 1.1 lbs., was made of thick hard leather going up the ankle, and had six leather studs in the sole. The shoe would double in weight when wet.
Manufacturers
The early 20th century saw several manufacturers of cleats open their doors. For example, Gola in 1905, Valsport in 1920 and Hummel in 1923. These companies are still in business today. In 1925, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler developed a football shoe with replaceable metal studs. The brothers had a falling out in 1948. Adolf went on to develop Adidas and Rudolf developed Puma. The rivalry started in 1948 has continued up to today.
Innovations
Both Dassler brothers claimed the innovation of screw-in studs made of rubber or plastic. Cleats began to be made from a variety of materials and to be much lighter in weight. The ankle high design gave way to the low -cut shoe seen today. Colors were added to the shoes and for the first time all white shoes were available. Adidas made a pair from kangaroo leather that hit the best seller list in 1979. Cleats became more flexible and serviceable. Nike joined the fray in 1998 with the lightest football boot ever at less than half a pound.
By Jayne Yenko
Jayne Yenko Jayne Yenko started writing professionally in The first football game recognized in the U.S. was played on Nov. 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton universities. During the early years of football, no uniform code existed. Determining which player played for which team could be difficult during a game. Players wore their own shoes or boots during play because commercial cleats were not available.
History
The history of cleats, the name for the footwear worn by football players, appears to be tangled up with soccer and rugby. References to football boots worn by Henry VIII abound. Work boots that laced up and had steel toes were worn by the neophyte football players. Early on, players discovered that metal studs hammered into the soles of their boots assisted with traction, particularly on uneven ground or changing weather conditions. In the late 1800s, a shoe was developed with rounded leather cleats especially for playing football. This version weighed 1.1 lbs., was made of thick hard leather going up the ankle, and had six leather studs in the sole. The shoe would double in weight when wet.
Manufacturers
The early 20th century saw several manufacturers of cleats open their doors. For example, Gola in 1905, Valsport in 1920 and Hummel in 1923. These companies are still in business today. In 1925, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler developed a football shoe with replaceable metal studs. The brothers had a falling out in 1948. Adolf went on to develop Adidas and Rudolf developed Puma. The rivalry started in 1948 has continued up to today.
Innovations
Both Dassler brothers claimed the innovation of screw-in studs made of rubber or plastic. Cleats began to be made from a variety of materials and to be much lighter in weight. The ankle high design gave way to the low -cut shoe seen today. Colors were added to the shoes and for the first time all white shoes were available. Adidas made a pair from kangaroo leather that hit the best seller list in 1979. Cleats became more flexible and serviceable. Nike joined the fray in 1998 with the lightest football boot ever at less than half a pound.