Wednesday, March 14, 1G34
Daily Nebraskan
Pago 11
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By Terry Hyland
A cool, damp November night. A great night for a
football game.
A championship game. Wfiat goes through the
mind of a player like Henderson's Jerry Ediger?
Concentrate. Hit hard. Remember the defenses, lliis
is a big game. Don't mess up.
He is probably nervous. Thisisthebig game the
undefeated Henderson Huskies playing the Hast ings
St, Cecilia Blue Hawks for the Class C I state
championship. Everyone wants toplay well Everyone
wants to be a champion.
The opening kickeff. Edigcr's on the kickojf team.
The ball is in the air and he's running down the
field. The return man has the ball. He's coming
Edigcr's way. Only a few more steps. They hit,
helmet to helmet, and go down. The return man gets
up. Ediger lies motionless on the field.
Football has always been a violent sport. From the
first organized contests in the 1860s, when players
butted bare heads, injuries and occasionally
death have been part of the game.
Since 1931 , when national records were first kept,
572 high school players have died from injuries
directly related to football. Another 279 players
died from indirect causes such as heatstroke and
heart failure. Since 1971, 1 59 players have sustained
catastrophic injuries from football These types of
injuries, defined as spinal cord damage resulting in
paralysis, were not documented before 1971.
How dangerous is high school football today and
how has Nebraska triad to make the game safer for
approximately 9,000 boys who play at the varsity
and junior varsity levels?
The answer vcn by most high school sports
ofndais is that an aeaumed rielr cf serious injury to
Cm! liahA'ts,
prcbdtly will never hz elir d completely. I.
cilieiiis zzy tha rhk cf catastrophic injuries and
fatalities will remain in high school football because
there are so many athletes playing a game bsed on
frequent, violent contact. ' -
But modern equipment, new rules and improved
coachfcg teenr-i-ues have helped males the game
safer. Administrators, players, coaches and parents
are more aware of the risks of injuries and how to
prevent them. And though the potential for injury
still exists, these measures have had a positive
effect. '
"Safety is the number one priority," sid Jim Riley,
executive director of the Nebraska School Activities
Association. Te have an obligation to protect the
players."
Serious injuries and deaths occur infrequently in
Nebraska high school footbalL Although no state
agency keeps records of fatalities or injuries, news
paper clippings indicate the last football-related
death was in 1976.
Nationally, the risk of death and serious injury is
low, according to the Annual Survey of Football
Injury Research released in February. The study
shows that from 1977 to 1C33, the national average
incidence rate of catastrophic injury for 100,00
athletes was 0.71. The incidence rate for deaths was
0.47. Thcee figures are based on the 1.3 million high
school athletes who play football each year. They
show that less than one serious injury or death
occurred for every 100,000 players.
Football's low incident rates are reflected in the
reduced numbers of deaths and injuries directly
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Catastrophic injuries in football also have shown
an overall decline. Eleven injuries were reported in
1C33, up from seven in 1C32. But 04 injuries occurred
rtur.ate part cf a popular contact sport and from 1976 to G3, compared to 95 recorded from
1971 to 1975.
YtkaX goes through a placer's mind when he tries
togctupandcan?VhtMpp7wd?IMdIviakethe
tzckle? Y$liy can II get up? Am I hurt? Why does my
neck hurt? ..0 -
Yihat does he feel when they put him on a
stretcher? When they carry him to an ambulance
and roll the stretcher in? Pain? Confusion? Is he
scared? There ere other people around him. But
does he notice them? He knows he is hurt The pain
tells him that But how bad? He probably wonders
where he's going. To the hospital? Yhat about the
game?
In the hospital room, the doctors examine Jerry.
They take X-rays. Their diagnosis is somber. He has
dislocated two vertebrae in his neck; one is broken,
another cracked on both sides.
Just awhile ago, he was in the championship
game.
He should be out on the field now.'
The hospital must seem cold and lonely.
The game goes on. Jerry 's teammates are worried
about him. They play a good game. Jerry gets to
listen to the finish on the radio. Henderson wins,
, 28-0. Everyone gets a medal Jerry was a champion.
In Nebraska, there has been a progressive effort to
reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities on the
football field. V
Equipment and rule changes have had the greatest
impact, officials say. Since 1 970, the National Feder-
related to the mine in the last eirrht vears. The study ation of State High School Associations has imple-
shows that B4 high school players were killed mented numerous measures to cut down on injuries
playing football from 1970 to 1975. That number (See table on Page 12.)
dropped to 60 between 1976 to 1933. Four deaths Since head and neck injuries cause most deaths
were reported in 1933, compared to seven in 1932. and paralyzing injuries, one major theme seems to
In comparison, 326 males aged 15 tq 19 died in dominate the rules-makers thinking protect the
traffic accidents in Nebraska alone between 1977 head and keep it out of contaet.
and 1933. Helmet improvements have had a major impact in
head protection. In 1930, the NFSIISA mandated a
football helmet standards ruling. The ruling called
for all helmets worn by high school players to be
approved by the National Operating Committee on
Standards for Athletic Equipment(NOCSAE).
Nebraska's Riley said all state schools have complied
with helmet requirements and all players are equip
ped with approved helmets. .
Richard Schindler, an assistant director of the
NFSHSA, said helmets used by meet h!h schools
have interiors that are foam-padded, inflatable or
lined with pockets of liquid. He said today's helmets,
are "state of the art" equipment designed for the
best protection. But the increased protection can
cause another kind of proBlem.
As the helmets get better, there is a tendency to
use that equipment as a contact point, he said,
because the player feels he is well protected and has
no fear of using his head.
Schindler said players need to constantly be made
aware of the danger of using the head and progress
has been made. A solution to the problem would be
to make any kind of head contact illegal, he said. But
that kind of rule would be impractical
"It's easy to say, but what rule would guarantee
keeping the head out of play," Schindler said.
He said NOCSAE continually reasearches new
helmet innovations. Keeping the neck and head
stable is the most important function of headgear,
he said. Future designs may include a helmet
shoulder pad combination that protects the neck
and head from the shock of collisions.
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Prcgrees in providing full-time medical care for
Netrci!;a high school athletes has been slow.
Every school requires players to have medical
exr.n:ineticn3 before they participate". in sports.:.
Schools usually arrange for an emergency before
they p.;.:rt:ci:,te in sports. Schools usually arrange "
for an emergency unit, a paramedic or a doctor to
be at a game. But problems arise when an athlete
r.eedj medical care and a doctor or hospital is 50
miles gwey. -
Eoras officials say the, best solution to the
problem would be for every school to have its own
athletic trainer. - - :-
Theysey an athletic trainer could help condition
players to prevent injuries and care for injuries
during recovery. Trainers would ensure-that a
trained professional was at every game and
practice to handle emergencies..-
But few schools have their own trainer or
doctor because they don't have the money to hire
another full-time employee, said Dr. Michael
Walsh, director of sports medicine at the Univer
sity of Nebraska Medical Center.
"In many cases, they don't understand the
economics involved he said. "They're looking at
an athletic trainer as an additional expense."
Walsh said a trainer could be hired on the same
basis as an assistant coach and work for the
school in both roles.
Roland "Duke"LaRue, director of athletic train
ing at the UNL Health Center, said trainers could
get hired by obtaining a teaching certificate.
Both men agree there are plenty of trainers to
serve Nebraska high schools. The problem now,
LaRue said, is to promote the idea "to get the
music going and hope people start dancing to it."
LaRue said UNL's trainers' program has been
actively pursuing that goal Workshops and presen
tations directed to parents, coaches and school
- administrators have been part of the campaign. "
The doctors in Hastings straightened Jerry 's
spine. That's when thepain went away. They did it
the same night he got hurt
To keep his neck stable, they attached a halo cast
to his head with screws. The screws went into his
temples.
What does a person think about when he cant
move? When he has a piece of metal attached to his
head and he has to be away from school, his family
and friends? He must think about the future, about
how long it will be before he 's back on his feet Maybe
he wonders how such a thing could happen to him
playing football Maybe he wonders why.
He might have never thought about getting hurt,
A especially getting hurt this bad.
After all, it was only a game.
Rex Jones, an NSSA associate director, said posters
and helmet warning labels have been distributed
statewide to ensure that helmets are fitted and used
properly. He said the labels remind players and
coaches of the danger of using the helmet as the
initial point of contact.
That technique, which includes spearing ramming
an opponent with the helmet head-butt blocking
and face blocking, was made illegal in 1976.
A high number of catastrophic injuries occurred
until 1975, Jones said. When the new rule was
introduced, injuries decreased.
Jones, a member of the national rules committee,
said that despite improvements, the search for
safety is never complete.
"There is a feeling that we haven't done everything
we could as long as there is one fatality."
'' Coritinued cn Pags 12'
