Before modern college and professional football came rugby. Rugby balls are not shaped entirely like the footballs that athletes use in today's sports world. Rugby balls are rounder and made of different materials, with today's footballs being shaped more like a torpedo and made of rubbery material that helps with throwing distance. The history of rugby and how it fits in modern football helps in a better understanding of the game itself.
Manufacturer
In the early 19th century, a shoemaker by the name of William Gilbert was supplying sports balls to the Rugby School in Cambridge, England, via his personal workshop on High Street. According to GilbertRugby.com, Gilbert mainly provided balls for a full contact sport known as rugby, which originated in Europe many years before. Balls were varied in size and shape as well as being hand stitched by Gilbert himself.
Early Materials
Plastics and rubbers yet to be invented and commercialized had no faring on the history of rugby balls until centuries later. The first rugby balls were made up of pig's bladders. Because of the crude materials, no rugby ball was the same in size or shape, according to Green And Gold Rugby's website. Pig bladder proportions depended on the size and age of the pig itself. Stitching was done with catgut and use of these early balls was less than pleasant as the pig bladder would begin to rot. Around 1850, the use of a rubber bladder and valve was spurned by Charles Goodyear invention of vulcanized rubber, causing a man named Richard Lindop to improve on Gilbert's rugby balls in the 1870s.
Legacy
Gilbert died in 1877, leaving his shop to his beloved nephew, James Gilbert who continued in William's footsteps. GilbertRugby.com states that by the time James took over his uncle's legacy, Gilbert balls were being provided at 2,800 per year to the Rugby School and other European clientele. With this change also came the change of the shape of rugby balls that soon evolved into today's sleek appearance. Balls soon became longer and oval, as compared with their earlier plum shape.
Modern Rugby
Modern rugby still runs on the same rules and regulations with a few changes throughout the years. With balls being made of rubber and improved shape for throwing, it is no longer required that balls be discarded as often. Rules of rugby changed for the first time in 1890, standardizing ball size and weight. It was also concluded that the old rule of kicking a goal for a win was no longer mandatory. In 1978 the last owner of Gilbert's legacy sold the company, allowing it to pass through three owners before it was acquired by Gray's Sports in 2002, returning the Gilbert name to its humble beginning on High Street in Cambridge.
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