100th Anniversary of the Forward Pass

As we gear up for the new NCAA and NFL seasons, let us note the 100th anniversary of the game's greatest innovation, the forward pass.

From St. Louis University's website:

"The first forward pass in football was thrown in 1906 by Saint Louis University's football team. It took place on Sept. 5, 1906, in a game pitting SLU against Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis.

The first pass was made possible following a rule change. Critics of football complained the sport was too violent, with even Theodore Roosevelt joining in on the debate. This led to a rule change to include the forward pass, which was thought could eliminate the pounding taken by running backs and open up the offense.

Under the leadership of Coach Eddie Cochems and his employment of the new-fangled forward pass, the football team completed a perfect 11-0 season in which they outscored opponents 407-11.

By the way, the first forward pass was thrown by Brad Robinson to Jack Schneider. It was an incompletion."