photo credit: Northwestern University archives

Gus Hornsby and Evanston’s Role in the Birth of American Football
with Larry LaTourette

NEW DATE! Wednesday, November 20, 6:30-7:30pm

In-person event*
At the Evanston History Center
225 Greenwood St, Evanston, IL

Free & Open to All
RSVP Required, scroll down to RSVP

Through our community’s generosity, we can offer these free programs! Please consider donating $10 to support our ongoing free public programming.

About the event:
In the 1870s, Gus Hornsby spread the game of American football around the world and helped establish American football in the heartland of the U.S. Hornsby seemed destined for greatness, but his arrogance, greed, and an intractable gambling addiction drove him to criminality and cast him into obscurity. Hornsby’s meteoric rise and fall intersected with towering influencers of the time, including the women and men who would pioneer the “first-wave” feminist movement in the United States. This talk interweaves their stories- along with details from the first American football game in the Midwest, a match in Evanston in February 1876- to reveal elements of a pivotal moment in American history, both in feminism and sports. It is a story about America- brash, imaginative, and seemingly limitless in resources and creativity, but overly self-assured and wildly reckless.

*This in-person event will also be streamed on Facebook Live for those who cannot make it in person. You do not need to RSVP to attend via Facebook Live.

About the presenters:
Larry LaTourette holds a Master of Arts in social anthropology from Northwestern University and is a consumer insights and marketing analytics expert. For over twenty years, he has pursued historical research, exploring the roots of American football and the people who brought it to us. He lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their two children, and two small, hyperactive dogs.

RSVP and reserve your spot!

Please click the blue “Going” button below to RSVP. A confirmation email will be sent to the email you registered with.

If you don’t receive a confirmation email, please email Erin Hughes at ehughes@evanstonhistorycenter.org.