It wasn't until the 1950's when all players wore facemasks. Before that time, players wore nose guards made from leather to protect their faces. As time progressed, the nose guard evolved and covered most of the players' faces. However, the nose guard was considered by most, if not all, players to be very uncomfortable. According to history, a player was hit in the face and decided he had had enough blows to the face. As a result, the coach taped plastic in front of his helmet and a couple weeks later, Riddell, one of the manufacturers for football gear, developed a lucite shield. However, this protective shield proved to be just as harmful. Riddell then developed a facemask that was made from rubber and plastic, which was significantly more safer than the lucite shield. The first facemask had a single-bar design, and from then on, continued to go through several modifications as the game progressed. Nowadays, there are several styles of face masks that suit different players for the different positions they play.
Of course, along with the facemask came new rules. Players were prohibited from grabbing the facemasks of other players. This rule came into effect in 1956, and continued to upgrade through the years. Today, players are penalized 15 yards whether or not the act was intentional.
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