Fifteen Football Fatalities in 1916

According to figures just given out by the Associated Press, 15 fatalities occurred during the 1916 football season, which closed with the Thanksgiving Day games. There were 15 deaths last year, 13 in 1914; 14 in 1913, and 13 in 1912. The number of fatalities this season, though higher than the average of the past few years, in no way reflects against intercollegiate football, since only one of the victims was a college player. In almost every case death resulted because of physical unfitness and not a single life was lost where a physician's examination was demanded before the contestant was permitted to enter the game. Two of the deaths were caused by broken necks, but in the majority of cases victims died form internal injuries. Last year only three of 15 who dies from football injuries were college players.