Were we tougher in the old days

[noonesfool]

I thought my face mask was a place where coaches' rested their hand. I don't think they thought I could hear because everytime one said look at me or over there they turned my head that direction.

 

What were your coaches names (nicknames) Circa 1968-72.

Snake (Bob Evans)

Mohawk (Bob May) Toppers and DB

Rat (Craig Moss)

Little Bob (Bob Evans) I know, I know but he is another Bob

Sugar Bear (Coach Chrisman)

Burgar Man (Coach Gregory)

Coach Lyle (Coach Lyle) we thought he was a little crazy but one of the finest men I know

 

All had same first name, COACH.

[devilsden]

My pops graduated in '68 and he said everything you did 'cept NO WATER.

[cbg]

one thing was tougher....to get in the playoffs.....only one team got in until sometime in the mid 80's...

 

IMO, it should still be that only one team from each district makes it to the state playoffs. Then it becomes special to both make the playoffs and participate in a bowl game.

[LiLolme]

I don't know if I was any tougher;But I was definitely ALOT dumber! Amazing how much smarter those old coaches have gotten as I have aged!

[old24eagle]

I played in the early 90s when we had video games but we werent allowed to playem at home nonstop. We had a weightroom but it wasn't that great nor were we required to be in it all the time. We were still working hay and tobacco to get the majority of our summer training and when that wasn't happening we were somewhere "playin ball" wether the ball was football or basket ball we were playin.

 

I think we were naturally faster and tougher then than now because we ran all the time not just during practice and training and we had to be a little tougher simply because of the lower qaulity of equipment we had then compared to now. Helmets today are much better and barely weigh 1 pound ours must haveweighed at least 7. Shoulder pads were thin sheets of plastic with a small layer of cloth and padding and anything extra like rib protectors cowboy collars all wieghed a ton and never fit right. All of this hasn't even been that long ago I can't Imagine how tough you had to have been to have played many years ago.

 

Tougher in the old days I say yes , better athletes today by far though.

[TennesseeVols2]

I think there are kids today that are just as tough as we were back in the day, but overall I don't think the players today are as tough as they use to be. A majority of the players playing today would throw in the towel before they would practice in 100+ degree heat with virtually no water breaks, accept coaches grabbing you by the face mask while spitting tobacco juice on you, being called every belittling thing on the planet in front of your teammates, having to practice on a field not suited for grazing goats, and being expected to simply "tape it up" and get back on the field. Our culture has changed. We've gotten smarter about things, but we've also gotten softer. However; I definitely believe the players today are more athletically gifted and produce a better product on the field than the old "3 yards and a cloud of dust" teams of the past. So, we were tougher, they are better.

 

 

 

 

 

i get grabbed by the facemask, and get called every belittling thing on the planet a lot

[fuzby]

My dad started at center & safety at about 150-160 lbs. Class of '59 He told me that he got his first single-bar face mask as a senior. I thought it was something in the late 80's (Class of '88) that Bike air compression helmets came onto the scene. I was so happy to give up, at first my old suspension helmet & then as a sophmore the Riddell with the "single squares" pads on the inside. Oh yeah, our kicker used the cleat with the block toe. He started guard for us.

[turnin two]

Players today have better equipment and training to make themselves better athletes. I wished my school would have had what they have today to work out with instead of a barbell and Universal system! Techniques and coaching are better today too.

 

Players today however wouldnt make it through many of our football practices. Tuesdays and Wednesday were hitting days. Bull in the Ring, Hamburger Drill, tackling to the ground, etc. Todays teams say they cant do that because they would get players hurt. Heck, we got players hurt too. I had one teammate who played the last game of the season with a torn knee ligament! He was operated on the following week. Another played with one of his front teeth knocked out.He never came out of the game. I played a game with a broken finger and never told anyone until the next morning. Played the next week and never missed a game. Few players today would do those kind of things.

 

I'd loved to played baseball with the bats they have today. The aluminum bats are unbelieveable but the new balanced wood bats are alot better than what we had to hit with too. My son laughed at me when I showed him the field I played on until he played in his first wooden bat tournament. He realized there is a huge difference.

[noonesfool]

Whats a Universal System?

[bulldog69]

Whats a Universal System?

 

 

Dude, you ARE young!!

 

The universal system is a multi-station set of weights that were on one station and you rotated around it. Leg press, bench. lats, etc. You could set your own weight on the bars. Dick Butkus used to be the spokesman for selling the system.

 

When I played we were transitioning from leather helmets to fiberglass. An upgrade on the leather helmet was a single crossbar for what we call today a facemask. I had my nose broken twice. Coach would just grab it and pop it back in place. Concussions were "only" headahes for the most part. Our line coach had fought in the Korean War and had a metal plate in his head which he would use to head butt people to get his "point" across. No water....just in games...never figured that out. Sure did cut down on the number trying out in double sessions. After most games, you didn't shake hands much.....losing was a very bad thing. I disclocated my thumb and finger during my next to last game on the first play. When I ran to the sideline my coach grabbed and asked me what I thought I was doing coming off without being substituted for. I held up my disfigured hand and he said "aw...he--" and grab it and popped it back in place. I immediately threw up. He said now that you got that off your stomach get back out there. Man, I took off and played the rest of the season....of course it was the middle of basketball season before all the swelling and soreness was over.

 

A knee injury with ligaments usually meant two yrs out or not play again. A cartilage tear was six-eight weeks in a cast and you missed the whole yr. When that cast come off, that leg looked like it belonged to you when you were 8 yrs old.

 

 

AAAAHHHHHHH....the good old days!!

[snoball5278]

Dude, you ARE young!!

 

The universal system is a multi-station set of weights that were on one station and you rotated around it. Leg press, bench. lats, etc. You could set your own weight on the bars. Dick Butkus used to be the spokesman for selling the system.

 

When I played we were transitioning from leather helmets to fiberglass. An upgrade on the leather helmet was a single crossbar for what we call today a facemask. I had my nose broken twice. Coach would just grab it and pop it back in place. Concussions were "only" headahes for the most part. Our line coach had fought in the Korean War and had a metal plate in his head which he would use to head butt people to get his "point" across. No water....just in games...never figured that out. Sure did cut down on the number trying out in double sessions. After most games, you didn't shake hands much.....losing was a very bad thing. I disclocated my thumb and finger during my next to last game on the first play. When I ran to the sideline my coach grabbed and asked me what I thought I was doing coming off without being substituted for. I held up my disfigured hand and he said "aw...he--" and grab it and popped it back in place. I immediately threw up. He said now that you got that off your stomach get back out there. Man, I took off and played the rest of the season....of course it was the middle of basketball season before all the swelling and soreness was over.

 

A knee injury with ligaments usually meant two yrs out or not play again. A cartilage tear was six-eight weeks in a cast and you missed the whole yr. When that cast come off, that leg looked like it belonged to you when you were 8 yrs old.

 

 

AAAAHHHHHHH....the good old days!!

 

 

 

you pansy, i had my left shoulder sliced open and rebuilt(ligamnets and tendons put back together)in febuary and was starting on open night. in late august, didn't mis a game that season. dislocated finger...hehehe. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[bulldog69]

you pansy, i had my left shoulder sliced open and rebuilt(ligamnets and tendons put back together)in febuary and was starting on open night. in late august, didn't mis a game that season. dislocated finger...hehehe. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

 

 

Ok..ok....but you had a doctor...we didn't have any around. I had three "headaches" or concussions which has resulted in some permanent damage or I wouldn't be trying to one up you. My best friend had his wrist cut open and needed stitches...Dr was 30 miles away so we took him to the local vet. Made us pay him $3 upfront. I still have my busted helmet from my frosh year that got split wide open in a head on collision that I did not get the better of. We asked our coaches for three a days just so we would not have to go back into the hayfields during the day...no dice!

 

Man those were the good ol' days and we were lucky to live thru them. I run into my old coach when he was 75 yrs old and he said that he was too soft on us or we would have won more games, he had gorgot that he let us call our own plays.....imagine a 15 yr old making those decisions. I think he was getting a little senile. Very few things in life were tougher than those times....unless I include that little excursion to Nam.