Boomers look back on the week after Christmas as a time to enjoy Santa’s bounty. We had new Flexible Flyer sleds, in case it snowed. We had Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watches to set. We likely had a few new 45 records from Top Ten artists. We had Scrabble and Monopoly games to play. We had new Saddle oxford shoes and argyle sweaters. We had batteries for our transistor radios and some of us were fortunate enough to get a new Tudor Electric Football game.
Back before video games, Fantasy Football and John Madden, Boomer boys physically played football outside, weather permitting, and when we couldn’t, a couple Vince Lombardy wanna-bes sat on the floor at each end of a miniature, metal football field. These Tudor Electric Football sets used a vibrating field to propel small, metal players into scooting forward, whether blocking, tackling, passing or receiving. Each player lined up his formation, called the play and watched the metal players wiggle around the field, some actually running in the correct direction. The players, you see, each had two small metal blades on their bases, which propelled them forward when the set was turned on.
Usually, it was total chaos on the field with players going in all directions but occasionally the running back, with a cotton football tucked securely under his arm, would slip through the line and go….all…. the….way!
Tudor sets also had a passer whose arm sprang forward to release the cotton football, ideally hitting a streaking tight end heading downfield, but more often sailing over the end zone and under a nearby bed or desk. and the game had to be stopped on account of a lost ball.
Electric Football was an immediate hit when first introduced by Norman Sas, president of Tudor, in the late 40’s. It became one of the hottest items at Christmas time throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and to date has sold 70 million games.
Unfortunately, many electric football sets met their ultimate doom on the floor at night, when a trip to the bathroom sometimes resulted in a bare foot stepping squarely on the 50-yard line, and a permanently dented field. A dented field meant that when the set was turned on, all the players headed in that direction and stayed there. I believe I stepped on at least three Tudor Electric Football sets back in the days when players like Doak Walker, Yale Larry, Crazy Legs Hirsch and Night Train Lane were stars.
Those were great players. Many played both ways, offense and defense and they never once “took a knee.” Football, back then, whether a sandlot game with neighborhood kids, on black and white TV or on the floor with a Tudor Electric set was fun to play.