Shoulder pad (sport)

Most modern shoulder pads consist of a shock absorbing foam material with a hard plastic outer covering.

[citation needed] The first football shoulder pads were created by Princeton University student L.P. Smock in 1877.

[1] These shoulder pads were sewn into the players' jerseys rather than being worn as a separate piece of equipment.

[3] When he was coaching at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, he was the first one to use pads made of fiber rather than cotton.

In the 1960s, newer technology allowed companies to produce shoulder pads that were made of foam with an outer shell of hard plastic, offering improved protection when being hit.