Electric football inventor Norman Sas was honored by LIFE in their end-of-the-year publication Farewell Remembering The Friends We Lost in 2012. There, among notable individuals like Neil Armstrong, Andy Griffith, Dick Clark, Mike Wallace, Etta James, Alex Karras, and Ernest Borgnine, is electric football’s Norman Sas. In fact, he shares his tribute page with NFL Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren.
Cover. ©LIFE 2012.
That LIFE would choose Norman illustrates just how deeply ingrained in American culture electric football is today. It is a fitting tribute to the man who touched so many of us with his invention. Yes, he had help along the way, and Norman would be the first to acknowledge the contributions of Lee Payne, Joe Modica, and even competitors like Eddie Gluck (Gotham) and Coleco.
In many ways Norman’s tribute is the sum total of all the toy men who contributed to electric football. The outpouring of electric football nostalgia that occurred during the summer surely caught many people by surprise. But for us electric football “lifers,” we knew, or at least we believed that electric football was a special toy that touched an uncounted number of boys who grew up during the “Tudor years” (1949-1988).
Norman’s full page with Steve Van Buren. ©LIFE 2012
So we smiled silently as Norman’s passing went viral on the internet, while at the same time being reported by almost every newspaper in country, including national media giants the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Few toymakers have garnered such tributes. And the ones that have have been toy legends like Barbie inventor Ruth Handler.
Norman was never worried about achieving legendary status in the toy world. It was truly difficult at times to get him to talk about the significant things he achieved with Tudor. But he wouldn’t have minded if electric football, his game, achieved the iconic status that it obviously has today.
Earl & Roddy
LIFE Farewell Remembering The Friends We Lost in 2012 is available in bookstores and supermarkets throughout the country.