Featherbite Mouthguard

1956 Featherbite mouthguard

Highlands Football Tooth Guard, c. 1956

Donor: Bill Waddell, HHS Class of 1958

Author: Bill Waddell, HHS Class of 1958

In the mid-1950’s, the teeth of young athletes were at high risk. The Journal of Health-PE-Recreation (Sept. 1957), reported that 54% of all high school injuries involved teeth, and a survey about that time found that at 62 colleges, 733 teeth had been lost or damaged in sports. I never had a tooth knocked out, but knew plenty of guys who did.

Highlands has always been a leader in sports, but also in sports safety. When we reported for summer football practice in 1956, we were told we must visit Dr. Hanlon, a local Ft. Thomas dentist, to be fitted with a Featherbite mouthguard. That sounded OK to most of us, because the mouthguards then in use were one-size-fits-all, very uncomfortable and somewhat ineffective.

So up we went to his office (next to the Hiland Theater, I think), where the no-nonsense Dr. Hanlon seated us in a chair, heated up a hard rubber device until it was soft, inserted it in our mouth and told us to “bite down real hard and hold it.” After a couple of minutes the thing had cooled and hardened, and had produced a perfectly-fitted mouthpiece that stayed in and actually worked. Featherbite later became the mouthguard of choice for athletes. The brand disappeared in a patent dispute in the 70’s, but one can still find them on eBay.

Bill Waddell

The fact that we wore Featherbites was not in and of itself remarkable, but the timing was. The very first individually-fitted mouthguards were introduced, and first used in the NFL, just a few years before. Highlands may have been the first secondary school in the U.S. to mandate their use for an entire team. Mouthpieces of any kind, let alone individually-fitted ones like the Featherbite, weren’t required in high schools nationally until many years later.

Here is the one I wore in 1956-57, not much to look at, perhaps, but I still have all 32 teeth, and Highlands played a role in that.

Curator’s Notes:

This story about the featherbite mouthguards may resonate with current Highlands athletes, as it demonstrates the long-standing commitment of Highlands coaches and administration to being proactive in supporting our athletes. Our school still strives to keep our athletes safe employing an Athletic Director who ensures coaches, trainers and school personnel remain current with training and safety protocols. Athletes are required to wear proper safety gear, and follow proper hydration, weather-related, and concussion protocols.

Football, safety,

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