Origin of the Penalty Flag

Huh.

It was created by former Youngstown State University coach, Dwight Dike Beede on Oct. 17, 1941. The flag was first used in a game against Oklahoma City University at the Youngstown’s Rayen Stadium. Today the penalty flag is used in every competitive football game throughout the world.

     Before the introduction of the penalty flag, the officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for fans and the media to know that there was an infraction on the field because they could not hear the signal.

     Beede said, “I always disliked the fish horn signal, figured it was a nuisance, irritating to the ears.”

     Jack McPhee, who was an official during the first game the penalty flag was used said, “Through the use of the signal flag, everyone in the stadium knows that something is wrong. It’s been a big help.”
    
Beede came up with idea of the flag and had his wife sew it together. His wife, Irma Beede, later became known as the ‘Betsy Ross of Football’ because she sewed the first flags together. He asked her to make a flag that had a bright color (red) with white stripes. The flags were put together using pieces of the Beede’s daughter’s old Halloween costume for the red part of the flag and an old sheet for the white part. She used some lead sinkers from Beede’s fishing tackle box to weigh it down. It was 16 inches square with the weight all at one end of the flag. The flag has been modified over the years and today it is yellow cloth that has sand in it to weigh it down.

[...]

Two of the original flags are on display in Mosure Hall on the fourth level in Stambaugh Stadium.

Hat tip Jib.