CFB Uniforms – What Happened to Knee Pads and Mouthpieces?

If you ever played the game of football at any level, you know that you must be properly equipped in order to do so. Back in the day, players playing organized football were given all the equipment needed to play the game. The equipment is designed to protect players. It’s that simple.

Players were provided with various pads that would protect vital areas of the body, including the knees. Players were also all given a mouthpiece that was form-fitted to an individual’s mouth. If you’re old enough, you can remember the transparent mouthpiece that was fitted by boiling it in water, dipping it in cold water, and then placing it in your mouth to get that form fit. 

If you didn’t know, mouthpieces are worn in contact sports because they help reduce concussions. Sure, there are some advantages to wearing a mouthpiece in relation to protecting teeth, but the big reason they are worn is to protect against concussion.

So why is it in today’s game, one where concussions and head injuries are a huge deal…why is it that when we watch college football we see more and more players with a mouthpiece dangling from their helmet before, during, and after plays? While we’re at it, what is the deal with these “shorts” that guys are wearing as well as these long t-shirts hanging out from underneath jerseys?

The Mouthpiece

Did something just drastically change in relation to rules about mouthpieces in college football? Well, no. In the most recent NCAA Football Rules Book, Section 4, Article 3 addresses all mandatory equipment. If you go to this section, you can clearly see that the NCAA mandates all players to wear a mouthpiece. 

Not only must a mouthpiece be worn, it must be brightly colored so that officials may see it. No longer can players wear a transparent or white mouthpiece. That’s why you see visibly colored, sometimes neon, mouthpieces. They do not have to be connected to the helmet, but many players wear them that way. 

So, why do we see so many players not wearing the mouthpiece during plays when they are supposed to? Years ago, officials could penalize a team 15 yards for a player “not properly equipped” i.e. a player not wearing a mouthpiece. That changed in the late 1990s when the NCAA decided to give officials some discretion. 

Officials can now stop the clock for a player that is not wearing a mouthpiece. The team that has the player without the mouthpiece can be charged with a time out or a five-yard penalty if they do not have any timeouts. However, most NCAA officials do not enforce this either.

Players might forget to put the mouthpiece in or they just don’t like wearing it. Officials don’t like calling penalties or stopping the clock for a mouthpiece violation. As a result, it’s a “no one cares” situation, which is surprising in an era where there have been so many concussions and head injuries.

Nice Shorts 

On a given Saturday, college football fans will see nearly every player on the field with their knees exposed. Tons of players look like they are wearing shorts while playing a college football game. That can’t be within the rules can it? Well, you’d be surprised.

What’s interesting is that the NCAA just chooses to ignore this issue. In that same Section 4, Article 3 of the NCAA Football Rules book, knee pads are a mandatory piece of equipment. The rule book also says that those knee pads must be covered by pants. Last time most of us checked, our knees are not located on our thighs.

Now, Section 4, Article 3 d states that the knee pads and pants must cover the knee. Players, of course, especially skill players, don’t like knee pads because they feel faster without them. Plus, most players don’t actually suffer injuries as a direct result of getting hit in the knee. Still, it’s in the rulebook.

Within the last decade, one of the things that NCAA officials were going to police better was the uniform, specifically that knee pads were covering the knees. That didn’t happen and just a few years ago, the NCAA’s position on knee pads has changed from mandatory to recommended. Yet, Section 4, Article 3 of the rulebook remains unchanged.

The T-Shirt

One of the more annoying things when watching college football is seeing a giant t-shirt hanging from underneath a player’s jersey. This is also a point of emphasis over the last few years for officials. The rule book clearly states that jerseys must cover all pads and cannot show any of a player’s skin. The days of the “half-shirt” are long gone.

Jerseys must also cover all protective padding. That means shoulder pads must be covered as well as the rib protector or “back plate,” which has become a popular edition for quarterbacks. Quarterbacks will wear these protective pads to combat taking shots to the body. These pads cannot be exposed; however, tune into a typical college football game and you will see at least one exposed back plate. 

The other thing we will see is the undershirt. Players have worn some sort of t-shirt underneath their shoulder pads since the beginning of time. What we often see nowadays is the extra long t-shirt that hangs out below the jersey. This is actually illegal, but like mouthpieces and knee pads, the NCAA and its officials choose to not enforce the rules.