The New Training Table

1901

Yale football coach Walter Camp writes that "the athlete consumes roast beef, steaks [and] chops ... to his heart's content" and that "champagne was administered in cases of overtraining, but usually in homeopathic doses."

1966

Chargers lineman Ernie Ladd, 6'9" and 310 pounds, beats an Italian fisherman in the finals of the Eating Championship of the World.

1973

Because of a beef shortage, the Bengals struggle to stock their training table and begin serving more fish and poultry.

1975

After Bobby Unser credits his win in the Indy 500 to tequila-laced chili, he lands endorsement deals with a tequila distributor and a Mexican food purveyor.

1982

The American Dietetic Association in San Antonio reports that football players consume about 15,000 calories a day—what an average man consumes in a week.