Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I was watching the 1970 Dallas Cowboys at NY Giants game and noticed Giants head coach Alex Webster smoking a cigarette. Just curious did the NFL institute a ban on this at some point during the 1970's?

Thank you.

There was a segment on one of those NFL Films Lost Treasures episodes where Steve Sabol showed a montage of coaches and others (including cheerleaders!) smoking on the sidelines during games in the mid-late 60's. My guess is that the NFL banning smoking on the sidelines would have happened soon after the end of cigarette advertising on television, which occurred on 1/2/1971. This would probably put it at the start of the 1971 NFL season. Rozelle was a smoker, but he was a lot more media conscious than the other sports commissioners of the era and was ahead of the curve on such things concerning public perception.

In baseball I remember Earl Weaver would often sneak a cigarette in the dugout during games, and I remember once in the 80's somebody snapped a picture of Keith Hernandez in his Mets uniform sitting on the bench in the dugout during a game and openly smoking a cigarette. Oh by the way, he was fined by the Commissioner.

Jim Ringo and Harvey Johnson, Bills head coaches, both smoked on the sidelines.

In my USFL book, Bobby Hebert talks about 1985 Oakland Invaders head coach, and former Raiders defensive coordinator, Charlie Sumner smoking heavily, I believe during games though I don't remember if it was right out on the field or just in the locker room.

Tommy Prothro smoked a lot as well, but I don't know if he did on game day. In one practice, he was up in the tower and threw a cigarrette to the ground, which fell in the Rams' photographer's hair, which went on fire.