A PRESIDENTIAL PRECEDENT

Budd Schulberg

November 01, 1954

In 1905, football was offending the public almost as much as boxing is today, largely because of excessive brutality. President Theodore Roosevelt (left), became enraged when shown a photo of bloodied Bob Maxwell, a Swarthmore star hit too hard and too often by Pennsylvania. T. R. set a worth-while precedent by calling college representatives to Washington. He told them "to make the game of football a rather less homicidal pastime." As a result, rules committees outlawed hurdling and other dangerous practices.