Jul 1, 2016
Weight Gain on the Line

High school football players have gotten progressively bigger over the years, according to dallasnews.com. Nowhere is this increase in size more apparent than in the offensive and defensive linemen, who are often the largest players on the field.

Words like “massive” and “immense” used to be reserved for players anywhere close to 250 pounds. Now that number seems much less impressive out on the football field. These days, most of the top high school linemen are at least 270 pounds, with many of them exceeding the 300 mark.

By looking back at the weights of the five linemen that were listed by the Dallas Morning News on the 1940 all state football team, it becomes apparent just how dramatic the change has been.

Of the five linemen listed from 1940, only one is over 200 pounds, with the lowest being 175 pounds, a weight that would never pass for a linemen in today’s high school football. In the class of 2017 all state list, the smallest lineman weighs 300 pounds, marking a clear distinction between past and present. 




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