I don't know what it was called. I was in college then and a bunch of us drove to Lansing or Saginaw (can't remember which. There weren't a lot of head shops near us) and my buddy saw it and bought it. It was a small rubber/soft plastic football that fit in the palm of your hand. One end had a 1" threaded opening. There was a cap that screwed onto the threads. It had a tube about an inch and a half long on the outside and another on the inside. You lit the joint, pushed it into the inside tube and screwed it all together. When you squeezed the football smoke came out. We called it shotgun. It was great fun passing it from one guy to another. One benefit was that all the ash fell inside the ball.
I was wondering if anyone else had one of those. I had one in the early 90's. It was the ONLY way that I'd smoke for probably 5 years. It's an Oat Willies Item. Best way to smoke a joint ever. Sadly, it gave up the ghost. Like you I had many great times that thing was a part of. Sweet memories. I keep a saved search for one in a few places in case one ever pops up. I'd give a stupid amount to get my hands on another one. Ebay has a few fasers that work almost the same. Fasers are the third best option. The second is Oat Willies power hitter. More like a coozie shape with the same top as the football. There's a "like" Oat Willies power hitter that has the wrong tip for holding your hooter. Don't make the same mistake that I did and get that one... If I find a source I'll be sure to share.
Yep, Power Hitter. It wasn't actually in the shape of a football, but you could wing it around the room easy enough. First one I saw was in 1978-9. Weed was $20 a half z.