Helmets were not mandatory for NFL players until 1939

After 18 college football players were killed during games in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt personally intervened and demanded that the rules of the game be reformed to make the game safer. One of the changes was to make the forward pass a legal play

What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams

The huddle was first used in the 1890s by quarterback Paul Hubbard who was deaf

The longest attempted field goal in pro football history was by Sebastian Janikowski on September 28, 2008. He missed

According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 78% of NFL players are either bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement