George Roudebush
| Born: |
January 25, 1894 Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States |
|---|---|
| Died: | February 29, 1992 (aged 98) Chardon, Ohio, United States |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Fullback, Tailback, Quarterback |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| College | Denison |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1915–1916 | Cincinnati Celts |
| 1916 | Canton Bulldogs |
| 1917 | Camp Sherman Football Team |
| 1919–1921 | Dayton Triangles |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/ |
 U.S. Army
|
| Years of service | 1917-1919 |
| Rank |
 Captain
|
| Battles/wars | World War I: Western Front |
George Milton Roudebush (January 25, 1894 – February 29, 1992) was a professional football player with the Canton Bulldogs, Cincinnati Celts of the "Ohio League", and the Dayton Triangles of the early National Football League. He was also a lawyer in Cleveland for 73 years.
George attended Denison University where he earned all-Ohio Conference honors in football. He also lettered in basketball, baseball, and tennis. He graduated in 1915 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, followed by a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Cincinnati.
While Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais are credited as the first team to develop and use the forward pass, it upset the heavily favored Army team. The first forward pass was thrown by Roudebush a year earlier in 1912 to Dave Reese in a 3-3 tie against Wooster College and a 60-3 Denison victory over Otterbein College. George later stated that he used his experience of throwing stones and corncobs at hogs and chickens on his family farm to inspire his passing technique.
Prior to 1912, a forward pass could only be thrown 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and travel no more than 20 yards; noted by football rules 6 and 12. Denison, under coach Walter Livingston, relied heavily on the pass after the rules were changed to allow the ball travel an unlimited amount of distance and be thrown any distance behind the line of scrimmage. This allowed for teams to easily use the pass. The forward pass was used as far back as 1906 by Peggy Parratt of the Massillon Tigers, however it was used more as a gimmick. Roudebush's use of the pass, changed the way the pass was used. It was now a legitimate football strategy.
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