Interesting article in Land-Grant Holy Land by Jon Johnston:
16 Ohio State players were paid to play football in 1949. Eight of them worked for the State Public Works Department. When you read that statement, is your first thought that they were committing some kind of NCAA violation? Because if it is, you would be wrong. This is how things worked then...
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Keep in mind this was the standard way of doing business with regards to college athletics for decades. Paying players was something that just happened.
This part of college football history has been completely forgotten, and I have to believe that’s with intent. The NCAA purposely has tried to convince us that their entire history has been about amateurism. Part of the video I’m working on will prove that point.
16 Ohio State players were paid to play football in 1949. Eight of them worked for the State Public Works Department.
When you read that statement, is your first thought that they were committing some kind of NCAA violation?
Because if it is, you would be wrong. This is how things worked then.
This was before the NCAA had any sort of real enforcement or really any rules about how to handle players.
I am convinced that we don't know this part of NCAA history because it's pretty much been buried by the idea that amateurism has existed throughout college football history.
Thoughts?
I am doing research for a video that is essentially about how we got here. In other words, how did college football become the mess that it is now with what seems like no rules, no controls, and complete chaos? Very specifically, I’m researching something called the Sanity Code. The Sanity Code...
collegefootballhistory.football
An Ohio State Football Player Got Paid As A “Tire Inspector” in 1949
I am doing research for a video that is essentially about how we got here.
In other words, how did college football become the mess that it is now with what seems like no rules, no controls, and complete chaos?
Very specifically, I’m researching something called the Sanity Code. The Sanity Code was an attempt by the NCAA to actually enforce rules for the first time regarding how players could be compensated and whether or not they could have scholarships.
I won’t go into detail about that right now. But during the research, I’ve discovered that in 1948-1949, Ohio State had 16 players that had state jobs. In other words, they “worked” for the state of Ohio. They were paid for these jobs because that was a part of doing business back in the day.
This is from an article in “The Capital Times” of Madison, Wisconsin on December 13, 1949.
Jerry Krall, who was Ohio State’s running back, got $115 per month as a tire inspector. At least that’s what his job title was. That is the equivalent of nearly $1,600 per month today. It’s nowhere near What we’re hearing about NIL in today’s market for college football players, but it’s pretty substantial for the time.
Put it this way, in 1949, a plumber, a journeyman plumber, made around $450 for a month. An experienced electrician made less.
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