Abstract: For football, a hard foam rubber pad is affixed to the back of a lightweight cotton glove. The pad extends over the knuckles, (metacarpo-phalangeal joint), of a hand inserted in the glove. The pad is molded so as to force the fingers to naturally curl without conscious effort, but allowing the fingers to be straightened with conscious effort. By curling the fingers, the probability that the fingers will be bent backward over the back of the hand with resultant injury is greatly reduced. The pad also protects the back of the hand from direct injury. In addition, latex rubber affixed to the fingers, thumb, and palm of the glove enables an athlete to grip a ball with greater facility.