New York Giants’ catcherRoger Bresnahan wearing shinguards becomes the 1st MLBcatcher to wear protectivegear in open view

1878First baseball catcher’s mask

is patented

1940Chicago Bears’ Dick Plasmanbecomes last NFL player to playin a game without a helmet

1955Popularized by legendaryCleveland Browns quarterbackOtto Graham, the “single bar”helmet is worn in the NFL.

1943NFL mandates that all players

wear helmets

1800s

A Timeline of InjuryPrevention in Pro Sports

1907

1939John T. Riddell Company

introduces a plastic footballhelmet that is more durable

than leather models

1956MLB “grandfathers in” helmetsi.e. new players entering theleague must wear helmets

1962The NFL requires that playerswear helmets with face masks

1968NHL player Bill Masterton, acenter for the Minnesota

North Stars, hits his head onthe ice in a game versus the

Oakland Seals, causing afatal brain aneurysm

1971MLB requires all players towear helmets while battingand running the bases.Catchers must wear them inthe field

1979NHL makes helmets

mandatory for new playersentering the league; veteranshave the choice of whether or

not to wear one

1983All MLB players entering theleague must wear a helmetwith an ear flap 1991

The first serious attempt (failedafter cyclists threaten to

boycott the race by the UCI tointroduce compulsory helmetuse during the Tour de France

1997The last NHLer to play withouta helmet, Craig MacTavish,

goes into retirement

2002Riddell releases the Revolution

(or Revo) Helmet, which mostNFL players begin wearing

2009Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempsterbecomes the first MLB playerto wear Rawlings’ new S100helmet, which offers better

protection than the company’sstandard helmets

Turning point in cycling’shelmet policy due to the deathof Kazakh Andrei Kivilev.

Bikers are still allowed todiscard their helmets duringfinal climbs that are at least 5kilometers in length

2003

2000s

1900s

DonBasile.me