Father: Frederick William Thayer b: 18 Feb 1823 in Boston, Suffolk, MA.
Mother: Maria Wilder (Phelps) Thayer b: 29 Aug 1828.
Husband of: Mary Thirza (Busby) Thayer
Married: 27 Aug 1885
Entered Harvard College in 1875. While at Harvard, Fred was captain of the Harvard baseball teams of 1876, 1877, and 1878. He INVENTED the catcher's mask for use in the Harvard-Yale game of 1876. Fred also played football for Harvard and was a member of the Institute of 1770. He was Chief Marshall of the class on Class Day.
"In one or two games in which he(James Alexander Tyng)caught behind the bat, he had been hit by foul tips and had become more or less timid. He was, by all odds, the most available man as catcher for the season of '77, and it was up to me to find some way to bring back his confidence,"
Fred Thayer
Thayer had been brewing an idea for a while, ever since some dugout chats he had once held with former catcher Howard Thatcher. Back in 1875, after Thatcher had taken a few too many foul tips to the head, the two men had discussed how to better protect a catcher without impeding his visibility. Realizing he could no longer sit on the idea, Thayer decided a fencing mask provided the closest blueprint to what they needed. In the winter of 1876 he hired a local tinsmith to construct a "bird cage" mask with padding in the chin and forehead area. During practices Tyng and Thayer experimented and revised the mask several times until they got it just right for Tyng's face. On April 12th, 1877 James Tyng became the first man to wear a catcher's mask in a professional game. The reaction in the media was mixed.
"The new mask was proved a complete success, since it entirely protects the face and head and adds greatly to the confidence of the catcher, who need not feel that he is every moment in danger of a life-long injury. To the ingenious inventor of this mask we are largely indebted for the excellent playing of our new catcher, who promises to excel the fine playing of those who have previously held this position."
Harvard Crimson
Thayer received a patent (#200,398) for the mask on February 12, 1878. Later in the year, A.G Spalding and Brothers Company, the leading sporting goods dealer in the country, began selling the Thayer Catcher's Mask for $3.00 in their catalogue. Slowly, catcher's started to use it, but it wasn't until 1879 that sales took off because of a rule change that did away with the one bounce rule. It was now necessary for a catcher to catch a two-strike foul tip in the air in order to record an out. With catchers moving closer to the batter in order to take advantage of this new ordinance, the catcher's mask became indispensible.
Mother: Maria Wilder (Phelps) Thayer b: 29 Aug 1828.
Husband of: Mary Thirza (Busby) Thayer
Married: 27 Aug 1885
Entered Harvard College in 1875. While at Harvard, Fred was captain of the Harvard baseball teams of 1876, 1877, and 1878. He INVENTED the catcher's mask for use in the Harvard-Yale game of 1876. Fred also played football for Harvard and was a member of the Institute of 1770. He was Chief Marshall of the class on Class Day.
"In one or two games in which he(James Alexander Tyng)caught behind the bat, he had been hit by foul tips and had become more or less timid. He was, by all odds, the most available man as catcher for the season of '77, and it was up to me to find some way to bring back his confidence,"
Fred Thayer
Thayer had been brewing an idea for a while, ever since some dugout chats he had once held with former catcher Howard Thatcher. Back in 1875, after Thatcher had taken a few too many foul tips to the head, the two men had discussed how to better protect a catcher without impeding his visibility. Realizing he could no longer sit on the idea, Thayer decided a fencing mask provided the closest blueprint to what they needed. In the winter of 1876 he hired a local tinsmith to construct a "bird cage" mask with padding in the chin and forehead area. During practices Tyng and Thayer experimented and revised the mask several times until they got it just right for Tyng's face. On April 12th, 1877 James Tyng became the first man to wear a catcher's mask in a professional game. The reaction in the media was mixed.
"The new mask was proved a complete success, since it entirely protects the face and head and adds greatly to the confidence of the catcher, who need not feel that he is every moment in danger of a life-long injury. To the ingenious inventor of this mask we are largely indebted for the excellent playing of our new catcher, who promises to excel the fine playing of those who have previously held this position."
Harvard Crimson
Thayer received a patent (#200,398) for the mask on February 12, 1878. Later in the year, A.G Spalding and Brothers Company, the leading sporting goods dealer in the country, began selling the Thayer Catcher's Mask for $3.00 in their catalogue. Slowly, catcher's started to use it, but it wasn't until 1879 that sales took off because of a rule change that did away with the one bounce rule. It was now necessary for a catcher to catch a two-strike foul tip in the air in order to record an out. With catchers moving closer to the batter in order to take advantage of this new ordinance, the catcher's mask became indispensible.
Father: Frederick William Thayer b: 18 Feb 1823 in Boston, Suffolk, MA.
Mother: Maria Wilder (Phelps) Thayer b: 29 Aug 1828.
Husband of: Mary Thirza (Busby) Thayer
Married: 27 Aug 1885
Entered Harvard College in 1875. While at Harvard, Fred was captain of the Harvard baseball teams of 1876, 1877, and 1878. He INVENTED the catcher's mask for use in the Harvard-Yale game of 1876. Fred also played football for Harvard and was a member of the Institute of 1770. He was Chief Marshall of the class on Class Day.
"In one or two games in which he(James Alexander Tyng)caught behind the bat, he had been hit by foul tips and had become more or less timid. He was, by all odds, the most available man as catcher for the season of '77, and it was up to me to find some way to bring back his confidence,"
Fred Thayer
Thayer had been brewing an idea for a while, ever since some dugout chats he had once held with former catcher Howard Thatcher. Back in 1875, after Thatcher had taken a few too many foul tips to the head, the two men had discussed how to better protect a catcher without impeding his visibility. Realizing he could no longer sit on the idea, Thayer decided a fencing mask provided the closest blueprint to what they needed. In the winter of 1876 he hired a local tinsmith to construct a "bird cage" mask with padding in the chin and forehead area. During practices Tyng and Thayer experimented and revised the mask several times until they got it just right for Tyng's face. On April 12th, 1877 James Tyng became the first man to wear a catcher's mask in a professional game. The reaction in the media was mixed.
"The new mask was proved a complete success, since it entirely protects the face and head and adds greatly to the confidence of the catcher, who need not feel that he is every moment in danger of a life-long injury. To the ingenious inventor of this mask we are largely indebted for the excellent playing of our new catcher, who promises to excel the fine playing of those who have previously held this position."
Harvard Crimson
Thayer received a patent (#200,398) for the mask on February 12, 1878. Later in the year, A.G Spalding and Brothers Company, the leading sporting goods dealer in the country, began selling the Thayer Catcher's Mask for $3.00 in their catalogue. Slowly, catcher's started to use it, but it wasn't until 1879 that sales took off because of a rule change that did away with the one bounce rule. It was now necessary for a catcher to catch a two-strike foul tip in the air in order to record an out. With catchers moving closer to the batter in order to take advantage of this new ordinance, the catcher's mask became indispensible.
Mother: Maria Wilder (Phelps) Thayer b: 29 Aug 1828.
Husband of: Mary Thirza (Busby) Thayer
Married: 27 Aug 1885
Entered Harvard College in 1875. While at Harvard, Fred was captain of the Harvard baseball teams of 1876, 1877, and 1878. He INVENTED the catcher's mask for use in the Harvard-Yale game of 1876. Fred also played football for Harvard and was a member of the Institute of 1770. He was Chief Marshall of the class on Class Day.
"In one or two games in which he(James Alexander Tyng)caught behind the bat, he had been hit by foul tips and had become more or less timid. He was, by all odds, the most available man as catcher for the season of '77, and it was up to me to find some way to bring back his confidence,"
Fred Thayer
Thayer had been brewing an idea for a while, ever since some dugout chats he had once held with former catcher Howard Thatcher. Back in 1875, after Thatcher had taken a few too many foul tips to the head, the two men had discussed how to better protect a catcher without impeding his visibility. Realizing he could no longer sit on the idea, Thayer decided a fencing mask provided the closest blueprint to what they needed. In the winter of 1876 he hired a local tinsmith to construct a "bird cage" mask with padding in the chin and forehead area. During practices Tyng and Thayer experimented and revised the mask several times until they got it just right for Tyng's face. On April 12th, 1877 James Tyng became the first man to wear a catcher's mask in a professional game. The reaction in the media was mixed.
"The new mask was proved a complete success, since it entirely protects the face and head and adds greatly to the confidence of the catcher, who need not feel that he is every moment in danger of a life-long injury. To the ingenious inventor of this mask we are largely indebted for the excellent playing of our new catcher, who promises to excel the fine playing of those who have previously held this position."
Harvard Crimson
Thayer received a patent (#200,398) for the mask on February 12, 1878. Later in the year, A.G Spalding and Brothers Company, the leading sporting goods dealer in the country, began selling the Thayer Catcher's Mask for $3.00 in their catalogue. Slowly, catcher's started to use it, but it wasn't until 1879 that sales took off because of a rule change that did away with the one bounce rule. It was now necessary for a catcher to catch a two-strike foul tip in the air in order to record an out. With catchers moving closer to the batter in order to take advantage of this new ordinance, the catcher's mask became indispensible.
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