This black and white photograph, taken by M.B. Paine circa 1910, shows the Porter Military Academy football team in action against an unknown opponent. Notice the heavy wool uniforms with extra padding in the pants and the leather nose guards worn for “protecting” the nose! Originally located in downtown Charleston, the Porter Military Academy (now Porter-Gaud) is thought to have had one of the first high school football teams in the nation. From 1911 to 1915, they were considered good enough to scrimmage The Citadel Bulldogs and, according to the academy’s yearbook, Annual Session, were the “undisputed champions of the state” in 1913. —From The Charleston Museum’s blog entry, “It’s Football Season Again in South Carolina!” by archives/collections manager Jennifer McCormick, published at blog.charlestonmuseum.org on September 30, 2014
