I'm watching the highlight reel of the 1964 game between ND and UCLA. Heisman winner John Huarte was our QB. Anyway, Huarte was apparently playing a little defense that day also. Don't remember that happening at the time. Forward to 3:26.
This Is Interesting
- Thread starter Toby Smart
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I always love watching old football film. It's really cool to see the schemes that were in use back then. REally cool view, historically. I also find it interesting to watch how bad the tackling was back then (both in terms of technique and execution). Above all else, the thing that most sticks out to me is the speed of the game. Modern strength and conditioning has pushed people to incredible limits, physically speaking. Those guys looked slllloooowww and small by comparision, as anyone could reasonably expect.
If I'm lucky enough to be alive in 40 or 50 years, and live to an old age, I'll be curious to look back on the sport of today and to see if it looks this archaic by comparison. I suspect it will!
It is funny because all I remember hearing when I was playing was "They don't tackle like the do back in my day!"
Meanwhile Luke Kuechly or Jaylon Smith would actually break one of these guys in half if they went back in time, as is, and hit somebody at full speed. Christian Wilkins would toss them around like toys.
It's not a slight towards the players of the time either. It's simply a product of advancement... In this case training and strength and conditioning.
20 years from now we'll see things we're not seeing today. It's simply the way of it.
It's amazing to think of what the lineman might look like. When we were in school 40 years ago these were typical weights:
OT - 275
OG - 265
C - 250
DT - 260 -270
DE - 230 -240
Now guys weigh 40 to 50 lbs more, and their speed/strength/agility measurables tell you they are actually more athletic, when intuition might make you think otherwise.
So what do lineman look like in 2058, assuming football still exists in something like its current form? Scary to think about it.
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It is true.... but at some point athletic ability has to level out or peak doesn't it?
Example:
(these are not 100% factual but you will get my drift)
1920 Olympic Mens 100M dash winner ran a 10.8
2016 Olympic Mens 100M dash winner ran a 9.8
So, if you gain roughly 1 second/year.... hypothetically the winner will run a 8.8 in 2116 and 7.8 in 2216? At some point it has to level out...... people can't run a 100M in 2 seconds lol......
1928 Olympic Womens 100M dash winner ran a 12.2
2016 Olympic Womens 100M dash winner ran a 10.7
That is 1.5 second gain in less time.... it may be safe to assume someday Women will catch up and run equally with men?
Of course there has to be a limit. Look at the arm injuries in baseball and knee I juries in football that are directly related to ligaments and tendons that can't be strengthened along with musculature... We're already pushing the limits
Good point.
I have a theory processed meats have something to do with the weakening over ligaments over the decades but it is a little far fetched.
I wonder why Ara would risk injury to his starting QB who would become an All American and Heisman winner? The UCLA game was the fourth game of the season. Huarte was already established as the starting QB and making noise around the country. I was 11 and followed ND passionately. Pops took me to a couple of games a year. I still have game programs, Polaroids of the campus and game action, and many many autographs. Somehow, I missed the great John Huarte playing some defense that year. I'm thinking the one platoon system was pretty much a thing of the past in 1964 with a few exceptions. Oh well. You learn something everyday.
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