ootball in 1909 was at a critical phase of its existence. The past decade had seen sweeping reform in the rules in an attempt to appease the public outcry over the game’s brutal nature. Walter Camp and a small contingent of the newly named NCAA football rules committee believed that the mass momentum and interlocked blocking plays were still the main culprit that caused injury and bad feelings about the game. The public pressure seemed to sway others to their stance: Ridding mass momentum from the game was a top priority when they assembled at a rules revision conference in February and March of 1910.