Nerf

Everyone has wondered, at some time, who invented the Nerf football. Well, wonder no more. The Flea Flicker is here for you. Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Fred Cox is your man.

In 1972, John Mattox had the idea of a movable goal post that kids could position in the backyard to practice kicking. He intended to use a heavy ball so kids wouldn't kick it out of the yard. Mattox introduced himself to Cox, at the time one of the top kickers in the NFL, and solicited his advice. Cox suggested a lighter ball, something made of foam, to prevent "a bunch of sore-legged kids". Inspired by the idea, the duo had a mold made of a full-sized football and employed an injection molder in the Minneapolis area to produce a prototype of the lightweight ball. The process resulted in a thick skinned football that was denser than the round Nerf that hit the market in 1970. They "kid-sized" it to 3/4-regulation size, and presented it to Parker Brothers, then the maker of the Nerf ball. They were halfway through the presentation when the Parker Brothers reps stopped them and said, "I want that ball". The company had been trying to make a football for 3 years. They were trying to make them just like the round balls. They had tried everything but the injection molding. The Nerf football, that we all love, was born. Cox still receives quarterly checks, now from Hasbro.

The next time someone asks you, "Who invented the Nerf football?". It can happen. You can say, "Well, that would be the leading scorer in Minnesota Vikings history, one of the last straight-on kickers, Fred Cox."