Electric Football inventor Norman Sas (far left) with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle in 1971.
Electric Football inventor Norman Sas would have turned 90 this Sunday (March 29). When he took over the struggling Tudor Metal Products Corporation in mid-1948 he was only 23-years-old — just “a kid” as he recalled to us in an interview. But he did already have degree in Engineering and also one in Business from M.I.T.
Tudor’s future rode on Electric Football. If the game Norman created wasn’t a success, the company was headed for bankruptcy. Even if it survived bankruptcy, it was likely to have new owners. And the company, no matter who owned it, would have discarded any toy that almost put it out of business. (Let’s all take a moment to contemplate a world without Electric Football).
1949 Electric Football newspaper advertisement.
Norman felt pretty good about Electric Football when he unveiled it in March of 1949 at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. The game was well received by toy buyers, and once it hit toy store shelves in the fall of 1949, it became a very popular item. Even with a $6.95 price tag ($68+ in today’s dollars). It was so popular that stores publicly announced the arrival of new Electric Football shipments after Christmas.
Tudor’s 1973 Electric Football NFL Rule Book
Over the next four decades Norman guided Tudor and Electric Football to some amazing heights. The NFL license, featured games in Sears, Ward, and JC Penney, and a decade as NFL Properties top money earner. An amazing track record for any toy.
And this success allowed Norman to have some pretty amazing experiences, that every so often, he would reveal. Attending over 20 Super Bowl games, getting invites to Pete Rozelle’s legendary Super Bowl parties, fishing outings with Dolphins’ owner Joe Robbie — it was stuff that made our jaws drop. But these were things that he only revealed after years of conversations. For the most part Norman was reluctant to talk about his accomplishments, even his very public ones with Tudor.
Earl Shores, Norman Sas, and Roddy Garcia, Florida 2010.
Norman sold Tudor in 1988 and retired from the toy business. He eventually moved to Florida where he passed away in June of 2012 at age 87. He truly led a life that touched millions. He was even featured in LiFE Farewell Remembering The Friends We Lost in 2012, sharing a page with Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren (see image below).
Earl & Roddy
Norman’s full page with Steve Van Buren. ©LIFE 2012