Currently watching 1995 Odessa Permian vs Converse Judson on FanDuel (as the old Fox regional sports network is now known) Texas High School Football Classics, and it's simply amazing how small shoulders have gotten in the last 30 years. Even the backs were freaking YUGE!

This is around my era and I don't even remember our shoulder pads being quite this big. Some of these dudes must've had their dads customizing their pads. I remember one of my teammates had a homemade neckroll with a base of pvc pipe and rope that his old man rigged up. He thought he was badass looking like an ox under a yoke or something.

Might also be because they for some reason appear to be wearing nightshirts for jerseys, so the pads aren't tucked down.

Found this interesting video while searching images for classic 90's mega pads:

Pretty sure what that guy was doing would be called a hate crime today.

walked into the PNG field house my soph year 1972 and against the wall was shoulder pads that looked like if you plugged up the the neck hole it could be used as a canoe, belong to a defensive lineman who at the time was 6'9"and at least 300lbs. he got a football scholarship to texas tech but he really was a gentle giant and quit football, passed away in 2020. those pads were definitely huge back in the day

What I remember most from back then (and I agree the pads were enormous) was the shoes. Shoes today are light as a feather whereas ours were about five pounds apiece! At the end of the season, after the last game, the managers tossed the shoes in huge bags which were not opened until the first day of two a days next season.

A couple of years, the shoes were put up after a game either played in the rain or on a wet field. When pulled out of the bags they were stiff, bent, etc. and you could not put them on without first getting them wet and more or less pliable.

My late wife and class of 79 graduated from PNG in 1975.

Shoulder pads used to swing front to back when you ran. Back when practicing in "full pads" meant something.

orag80 said:

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My late wife and class of 79 graduated from PNG in 1975.

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sorry to hear that, my condolences to you and your family, probably knew your wife. her initials KLRR? she was super smart.

The shoulder pads gave you momentum. And my 2 bar face mask was less drag when I was a fullback. The school issued universal left/right shoes fit like Dutch boy clogs. At least one came off on more than one kick off return.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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pads were definately bigger back in the day but we also hit a lot more. hits today that get you kicked out of the game we're a great hit in my era. you got a sticker for knocking a guy out.

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When football was football.

Do any kids do log drills these days? How about tackle cages? Stand up while running through a tackle cage and your lights will get turned off. My kids did none of that when they played football. We've gotten too soft as a society and we are all to blame.

Eat more Subway

I've observed similar with the reduction in padding. Not sure how they get by with so much less particularly around the thighs and knees. The shoulder pads of old were so bulky it made catching a pass over head really difficult. Same for fielding a deep snap.


1990's Football. Good times.