We Remember Early Football Disasters and the Safety Lessons Learned

Sports History Network · Nov 3, 2026 · 18m · transcript

Historian Timothy Brown recounts the worst stadium disaster in United States football history: at Recreation Park in San Francisco in 1900 a roof over a glass factory collapsed, 23 people died, and the game continued. I explain that many early stadiums and temporary bleachers were made of wood and other weak materials. We describe multiple collapses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including large falls at Yale–Princeton and several Wisconsin games. I note that Harvard Stadium was an early move to reinforced concrete to prevent such failures. We reflect that modern steel and…