Reducing High School Football Injuries and Other Elgin Area News in November 1909

In an effort to reduce high school football injuries, Elgin High School coach T.A. Larsen advocated for stricter rules in 1909, including promoting more open play and advocating for the forward pass and open kick. The move aimed to eliminate 90% of the state's 400 injuries. Meanwhile, the football team breathed a sigh of relief as the eligibility requirement to play was eased. Car racing enthusiast Frank Wood worked towards hosting a major road race in Elgin, and the Elgin State Hospital found a cost-effective way to feed its patients by growing its own food. Tragedy struck in the Cherry Hill Mine disaster near LaSalle, Ill., where former Fox Valley residents played a role in assisting the injured and bereaved.

Key Takeaways:

• T.A. Larsen, the Elgin High School football coach, advocated for stricter rules to reduce high school football injuries, aiming to eliminate 90% of the state's 400 injuries.
• The football team was considered fortunate with only a few injuries reported, including a broken nose, sprained ankle, and fractured collar bone.
• The eligibility requirement to play football was eased, with students needing good marks in all but one of their classes to play.
• Frank Wood worked towards hosting a major road race in Elgin, with a 10-mile course west of the city being considered ideal for such an event.
• The Elgin State Hospital grew its own food to feed its patients, with over 1,300 patients being fed by crops raised by dozens of patients who worked the institution's 300 acres of farmland.
• The Cherry Hill Mine disaster near LaSalle, Ill., claimed 259 lives, with former Fox Valley residents playing a key role in assisting the injured and bereaved.
• The disaster led to public reaction about the working conditions at the mine, resulting in stricter regulations, a state liability act, and the Illinois Workman's Compensation Act.

Statistics:

• 90% of the state's 400 high school football injuries could be eliminated if stricter rules were implemented.
• 10 miles long was the proposed course for the major road race in Elgin.
• 300 acres of farmland were used by the Elgin State Hospital to grow its own food.
• 1,300 patients were being fed by crops raised by the hospital.
• 73 cows were used to provide dairy products for the hospital.
• 259 lives were lost in the Cherry Hill Mine disaster.
• 400 high school football injuries were reported in the state at the time.
• The state's high school athletic association was considering adopting stricter rules for football.
• 2 years had passed since Olaf Freeborg relocated from St. Charles to the Elgin area.

Sources:

• Elgin Daily News, November 1909
• Chicago Automobile Association, Frank Wood
• Elgin State Hospital, report
• Newspapers, account of the Cherry Hill Mine disaster