Ottumwa, Iowa Is The Home of The First “Foam Finger”
hile it's not a "foam finger" this Iowa student was credited with the prototype for the famed sports digit. Steve Chmelar of Ottumwa created this papier-mâché finger for a high school event in 1971. The Ottumwa High School student made it out hardware cloth and papier-mâché for the 1971 Iowa High School Athletic Association Boy’s State Basketball Finals, between the Ottumwa Bulldogs and the Davenport West Falcons.