Richardson was a throwback to an earlier football era and insisted on wearing the smallest sized shoulder pads and no face-mask, according to Eagles _"By the Numbers."_
Surprisingly, he never lost a tooth but had his nose broken so many times that he took to resetting it himself. Richardson believed a face-mask interfered with his peripheral vision because of his "deep set, narrow eyes."
Whatever, he was grandfathered by the league and was never required to wear a mask.
There were others who did not wear a face-mask, but most were part-time positional players or full-time kickers and punters, according to Pro Football Journal. It is believed kicker Toni Fritsch, the first Austrian to play in the NFL, in 1971 was the last player to not wear a face-mask.
After exhibiting the Patriots helmet for over a year, we returned it to its owner and had Helmet Hut, maker of historically accurate football helmets, construct a likeness that we now display from time to time in the Chiefs Hall of Honor.