Albert Richard All-American Football Map

The 1941 edition of F.E. Cheeseman’s distinctive celebration of that uniquely American sport – football.

“I know this colorful, informative map will help hundreds of thousands enjoy football more than ever before this season. As a pictorial source of records, information and data, this map is invaluable to every football enthusiast, young or old, and gives a completely unified picture of America’s greatest sport.”

These words, found in the lower left and written by Grantland Rice, provide a succinct summary of one of the goals of the map’s publication. Pennants from teams in every major conference are shown across the image, dotted with vignettes of football players in action and cheering fans. Illustrations of rivalry trophies, official hand signals, and numerous mascots are also provided. A list of the 239 schools with football programs, their nickname, and their 1940 season record is shown along the bottom of the sheet.

In addition to promoting football as a national pastime and spectator sport, the map was also produced to sell menswear for The Albert Richard Clothing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Several advertisements for coats and gloves – essentially clothing for watching football in cold winter weather – can be seen on the verso.