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The first ball that was used in a game was more of a round ball that wouldn't hold its shape. Sort of like the mix between a poor basketball and a rugby ball.
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The first shoulder pads were said to be designed in 1877 by L.P. Smock, a Princeton Student who faced Rutgers eight years ago in the first ever college football game.
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The first padded football pants came into the game around the early 1880s. The material for the pants was canvas and pads were sewn over the knees and thighs.
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The first leather football was made by a Boston Red Sox Pitcher named Spalding. It included lacing and was still blunt on the ends, but initiated the shape of the football that we know today.
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The first helmets that were used in a football game was the Army vs. Navy college game in 1893. They were made of leather and offered little protection.
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The first shoes in football were basically casual work shoes. As the game advanced players started to add spikes to their shoes for better traction.
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The first facemask was designed by riddell for Otto Graham in 1953. It was a Lucite shield that was ultimately banned cause it would shatter on impact. This model led for Riddell to make the single and double bar facemasks.
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In 1955, Brown met with a Riddell consultant and managed to fit a small radio transmitter into the helmet of his quarterback. This made it easier to coordinate plays, but the Browns' opponents discovered the radio transmitter and had it banned after just 3 games. It was later reintroduced in 1994 and is used all throughout the league.
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Shoulder pads began to be made from better materials towards the start of the 1980s. They were manufactured from plastic and changed to protect more of the chest and rib area than before.
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Today football helmets are very advanced and include special padding to fit perfectly to the players head. The main provider for the NFL is Riddell and most players wear the revolution helmets, which were first debuted in 2002.
