FOOTBALL IS STILL EVOLVING IN 2000

It's a changing world we live in, and the games people play are not immune.

Sports in general have come a long way from the old days.

As we enter a new millennium, it's a good time to check the pulse of high school football.

How we got here

In the year 1900, high school football was virtually non-existent.

Football, as we know it the United States, took its form in the late 1800s. The first game that resembled football was played in 1874 between Harvard University and McGill University.

Many of the basic rules of football were formulated by Yale University player Walter Camp, who came up with the concept of downs and even the hike.'

In the 1880's football gained in popularity as colleges in the East began programs. As is still the case today, the college game filtered down to the high school level.

In the Southeast Missouri area, Jackson, Sikeston, Charleston and Cape Girardeau all had football teams in place by 1912.

Games were played after school, a stark contrast to the Friday night lights that today provide a high-profile spotlight.

Football and safety

The early days were a brutal time for football. Injuries were so prevalent that even President Theodore Roosevelt urged changes in football in 1905.

While helmets and pads became standard equipment, it did not make the sport immune to severe injury, or even death.

In fact, since 1931, 639 high school students have died in the United States from injuries while playing organized football. Another 378 have died from indirect causes such as heat stroke or heart failure.

As late as 1968, according to a survey conducted by the American Football Coaches Association, 26 high school players died in a single season due to direct injury. Catastrophic injuries involving paralysis were nearly as prevalent.

In the span of 10 years from 1967 to 1976, 159 fatalities were directly attributed to football.

Among the impersonal number was the name of Mark Whitaker, a Chaffee junior tailback who died from a head injury suffered against St. Vincent on Oct. 13, 1974. Two eerie twists accompanied the tragedy. The first was it occurred on Friday the 13th. The second was the game marked the coaching debut of Charlie Vickery, now a fixture as head coach at Sikeston High School. Fortunately, the area has not seen such an incident since.

A major rule change took place after the 1976 season as head-first tackling, known as spearing, was outlawed by The National Federation of State High School Associations.

In the 23 years since spearing was outlawed, 112 players have died directly from football injuries. During the 1990 season, not a single high school direct cause fatality occurred nationwide, the first time in history.

A total of 33 direct cause deaths occurred during the '90s. While to some that may still sound like 33 too many, it is a welcome number to the 159 deaths in the 10-year span from 1967 to 1976.

"The whole idea of safety, I think everyone is just more aware of it," said Vickery.

Contracts with rehabilitation centers, such as HealthSouth, have brought trained professionals to help coaches deal with injuries at both games and practices.

"It's a godsend for coaches, especially for liability," said Cape Central head coach Lawrence Brookins. "Coaches can just coach and don't have to be doctors and try to diagnose something they don't know a whole lot about."

Along with rule changes, helmets, pads and education have all improved. Football has come a long way in safety since 1976.

"The new plastic is stronger and more durable," said Jackson head coach Carl Gross. "It's featherlight, but more protective. We have breathable mesh jerseys we didn't have back then. Pants that stretch and have the elasticity to hold the pads in place. It's just a night and day difference."

Most programs are no longer treating equipment as hand-me downs, with the best going to the varsity.

"Our athletic director (Terry Kitchen) doesn't fudge on equipment," said Brookins. "Our kids have the best."

Gross added that his eighth graders are equipped with the same helmet ($115 a piece) his varsity wears.

"This may sound funny, but I don't really consider playing football a dangerous sport," said Gross. "I consider driving a car a dangerous sport. I consider riding a motorcycle a dangerous sport. I consider rollerblading a dangerous sport. I would much rather have my kid on a football field than driving a car around town. Do you have a chance to get hurt? Sure. But you have a chance to get hurt at home going down the steps."

Fredericktown head coach Kent Gibbs is another big believer in the improved level of safety.

"There's no doubt, I think all the equipment is better," said Gibbs. "I think athletes from a physical part are better than they were 20 to 25 years ago."

The modern athlete

Twenty-five years ago, a school with a strength program used to be the exception. In the year 2000, it has become the norm.

"Our weight room is much improved," said Brookins. "It's a bigger, much more attractive place. And the ability to teach lifting properly has been a big improvement."

Apparently, the weight rooms are more than cosmetic additions to schools.

Gross played football for and later served as a graduate assistant at Southeast Missouri State University.

"My first year at SEMO in 1975, we lifted, but nothing like we do today," he said. "We used to do three times a week full body. Now we're muscle specific: back, chest, lower body, shoulders."

Gross pointed to this year's offensive line as proof of the results.

"Our offensive line is bigger than the one we had at SEMO in 1975," he said. "The kids are bigger, stronger and faster because of nutrition, training habits and 12 months a year in the weight room."

A program from a SEMO game against Southern Illinois played in 1930 shows the dramatic change in players. Of the 63 players listed in the program, only one was listed over 200 pounds.

Of the 59 players on Cape Central's roster this year, 20 are listed at 200 pounds or more.

Said Brookins, "Physically, the modern athlete, in most cases, is much more advanced than the old guys. I think the older guys were a little grittier and meaner. You get a kid like that today with all the training in the weight room and you have a monster."

Most coaches also believe weight training is a good immunization shot for the injury bug.

"Work in the weight room keeps you out of the training room," said Gross.

Game strategy

In 1913, Notre Dame proved the merit of the forward pass when it upset Army.

Since that time, the pass has become more popular on the college and professional levels. High schools have somewhat resisted the style, until recent years.

"Years ago you ran the football and played one defensive front and that's about it," said Gibbs. "Now you see a lot of types of offenses and people like to throw, and you see multiple defenses."

Since the advent of the run-and-shoot on the pro level, wide-open offenses have become more prevalent on the college and high school levels. More attention to the pass by offenses forces defenses to adjust.

"I think you're seeing more multiple offenses and defenses than when I started coaching," said Vickery.

Charleston is going to a pass-oriented offense this season, and St. Vincent, a 1A school, proved adept at passing the ball during its recent jamboree.

Gross admits that football has gotten more complex, but tells his players "It's not rocket science."

"It's not X's and O's that get you beat, it's blocking and tackling that get you beat."

Added Brookins, "Teams that are successful that get in the playoffs and win state championships do the basics well. That part hasn't changed."

The numbers game

Since 1980, soccer has become the fastest growing sport in high school. In 1970, there were there 402 schools in Missouri with high school football and 52 with soccer teams.

By 1980, the number of football teams fell to 324, with soccer inching up to 61. By 1990 there were 143 soccer team and in the year 2000 there are 186. There are currently 317 schools with football.

The number of cross country teams has grown from 156 to 286 since 1970.

And with the boom in computers and job market, there's simply more choices for students.

"There's not as many kids out there today that play football that can't wait for it to get started," said Gibbs. "There are exceptions to the rule. Jackson is very fortunate and North County our way."

Gibbs referred to football as work, with many students opting for less demanding choices.

"I still think there are kids that want to play and want to work, but I don't think there are as many," he said.

Despite the addition of soccer in the '90s, Jackson has continued to attract players. It currently has 86 players on the varsity, 45 freshmen and 70 eighth graders.

"I'd be lying if I said (soccer) hasn't had three or four kids I would have liked to have playing football, but I might also have had three or four kids playing football that they might have liked to have playing soccer," said Gross. "The big thing is to have kids that want to play."

St. Vincent is also experiencing a boom time. The school has around 92 boys, of which 71 are out for football.

"Our kids love the game," said athletic director Bruce Valleroy. "From our standpoint, football is great."

Valleroy said the school voted on adopting soccer last year, but rejected the motion.

"If you move numbers to soccer, you pretty much ruin your football program," said Valleroy.

Technology and future changes

Technology has been creeping into the game.

Programs are now available to help coaches scout, revealing teams' tendencies. Video tape has made scouting much more convenient.

"Video is a godsend," said Brookins. "The video tape has made teaching easier. It's instantaneous."

Instead of sending film off after a game on Friday and getting back on a Sunday, coaches are now viewing film minutes after players leave the locker room.

"If you have a nice system like we've got, you can slow things down literally frame by frame with a good, sharp picture," said Brookins.

One change many coaches will welcome is in the rules department. Missouri, which went to a district format in the '80s, is considering six classes like many other states.

"One thing I would like to see happen and probably will happen is the addition of another class," said Brookins. "Probably a 6A."