Tudor’s 1955 Electric Football Players. They were designed by Tudor Plant Manager Joe Modica

Most electric football aficionados know that Norman Sas invented the game, and that Lee Payne took the design of electric football to levels of realism that were only once dreamed of. But there was another person who played the designer role in between Norman’s initial inventing and Lee’s arrival at Tudor.

That person was Joe Modica.

Joe Modica’s official job description was Tudor plant manager. But there must have been more, as Mr. Modica has a number of patents on file in Washington, D.C., including patents for the plastic overlay found on Tudor’s horse and auto race games of the late-50’s and early 60’s (Patent No. 3,011,787). He also has the patent on Tudor’s unique high-top clad basketball shooter-figure (Patent No. 2,827,035).

Joe Modica’s electric football player patent from 1955

In electric football Modica’s most significant contribution was Patent No. 2,772,512. That patent was submitted for the newly designed electric football players that Tudor introduced in 1955. Thanks to Modica’s creativity Tudor began making players in two different poses: the down lineman, and the upright running back – a player that could actually hold the ball in his arm. Though not of Lee Payne caliber, they are the first 3-D electric football players.

The mystery comes from the fact that, as can be seen from the patents, Mr. Modica designed some very sophisticated pieces. Yet according to Norman Sas and Lee Payne, Mr. Modica was more than happy to step aside when Lee started working for Tudor. It seems he preferred being plant manager rather than company inventor. It is our understanding that Mr. Modica continued working for Tudor until he retired in the 1980’s.

Joe Modica’s contributions to electric football are not to be underestimated. His innovations were vital to the entire Tudor line. They played a major role in Tudor’s success during a period when Gotham Pressed Steel stepped forward as a serious action game competitor.

The Unforgettable Buzz will cover the Tudor-Gotham competition in great detail, including the role of Joe Modica.

Earl & Roddy

The Joe Modica-designed Tudor basketball player.