Which U.S. President is credited with saving football?

President Theodore Roosevelt.

The 1905 season is often called a “death harvest.” During the season 19 football players died and as many as 137 players were seriously injured. American universities began banning football, and the game seemed to be doomed. But Teddy Roosevelt had always been a serious football fan, so he decided to step in. On October 9, the president summoned some of the game’s most powerful figures for a closed-door meeting at the White House. “Football is on trial,” he declared and tasked the ones invited with changing the rules of the game to save it. New rules were announced in early 1906. This changed the game from a rugby-like sport and made it a uniquely American game loved by millions today.