02 May 2010

Roman numerals on college football scoreboards

Apparently a century ago the first electric football scoreboards showed the numbers as Roman numerals.  The Star Tribune explains:
Long before radio, television and the Internet connected the world, the Minneapolis Tribune’s “sporting department” constructed an ingenious device to give football fans live updates of college games. An “electric football score board” affixed to the front of the Tribune building made its debut on Saturday, Oct. 3, 1908, for the University of Minnesota’s game against plucky Lawrence University of Appleton, Wis.

A photograph in the paper the next morning showed more than 100 people gathered outside the building, watching the screen, which appears to have been about 15 feet wide and 10 feet high. Lights were used to indicate an injury, a drop kick, a place kick, a punt, a penalty and a fumble (but not an interception). The live updates probably arrived at the Tribune by phone, but it’s not clear who operated the board — or how.

The scoreboard’s oddest feature: Roman numerals were used for “yards to gain,” penalty yards and scores. Roman numerals were probably easier to manage than Arabic numerals with the limited technology of the time. The Gophers ruled the X’s, O’s, I’s and V’s that first afternoon, beating Lawrence VI-0.
Note this scoreboard was placed in downtown Minneapolis at the office building - not at the stadium.  I believe I've seen pix of similar items developed for baseball, but I don't have any relevant links right now.

Update: Found it - in my own blog, no less: 1912 baseball scoreboard.

1 comment:

  1. Maybe interceptions were not mentioned because there were very few forward passes used back then.

    ReplyDelete

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