Eddie Cochems (1877-1953) was one of the first “pioneers” of the game. Following the legalization of the forward pass in 1906, Chocems built his St. Louis University offense around the new concept taking his team to a Jesuit sanctuary in Southern Wisconsin for “the sole purpose of studying and developing the pass.” This clinic featured the first forward pass system ever devised, according to Newberry Medal winning author Harold Keith.

The team went on to an 11-0 record, led the nation in scoring, and outscored opponents by a combined score of 407 to 11! His defense wasn’t too bad either!

Cochems also pushed for redesigning the football to maximize its aerodynamic capabilities. This suggestion gave us our modern day football.

How great it would be to sit with pioneers such as Coach Cochems during a game featuring the “Air-Raid” offense.