There were 62 deaths in college football during the 1903-1905 seasons. There were very few rules to the game and football was kind of the gangland version of "gentlemanly" rugby. At the snap of the ball, lineman were literally windmilling punches at each other.

But the main reason the were so many deaths is offenses were doing mass formations where they would link arms and run full speed at the defense and use their heads as battering rams. Walter Camp saved the game by instituting rules to the game, many of which still exist.

So I can see why college football did what they did, but I can also see the unintended consequences as you point out. Teams will go back to the mass convoys.