History of American Football

 

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American football was started in 1879 with rules instituted by Walter Camp.

Derived from the English game of rugby, American football was started in 1879 with rules instituted by Walter Camp, player and coach at Yale University.

Walter Camp

Walter Camp was born April 17, 1859, in New Haven, Connecticut. He attended Yale from 1876 to 1882, where he studied medicine and business. Walter Camp was an author, athletic director, chairman of the board of the New Haven Clock Company, and director of the Peck Brothers Company. He was general athletic director and head advisory football coach at Yale University from 1888-1914, and chairman of the Yale football committee from 1888-1912. Camp played football at Yale and helped evolve the rules of the game away from Rugby and Soccer rules into the rules of American Football as we know them today.

One precursor to Walter Camp's influence was William Ebb Ellis, a student at the Rugby School in England.

In 1823, Ellis was the first person noted for picking up the ball during the soccer game and running with it, thereby breaking and changing the rules. In 1876, at the Massosoit convention, the first attempts at writing down the rules of American football were made. Walter Camp edited every American Football rulebook until his death in 1925.

Walter Camp contributed the following changes from Rugby and Soccer to American football:

American Football History

The history of American football. How and when the game of football, known originally as soccer and rugby in England, came to America. Details of both college and pro levels.

Football historians, those who have studied the game and its origins, place the game’s beginnings in rugby, an English game played with many similarities to football. Rugby began in eighteen twenty-three at the famous Rugby Boys’ School in England. Another cousin of the game of football is soccer; its beginnings can also be traced to English origin, being played as early as the eighteen twenties.

ITS BEGINNINGS

At the same time, a group of students at Princeton began playing what was then known as ‘ballown’. First using their fists to advance the ball, and then their feet, this game consisted mainly of one goal: to advance the ball past the opposing team. There were no hard and fast rules applied to this earliest attempt at the game we now call football.

At Harvard, the freshman and sophomore classes competed in a football-type game, played on the first Monday of each school year; this event came to be known as ‘Bloody Monday’ because of the roughness of the game. Pick up games, similar in style to that played on ‘Bloody Monday’, soon became popular on the Boston Common, catching on in popularity around eighteen sixty.

Soon after the end of the American Civil War, around eighteen sixty five, colleges began organizing football games. In eighteen sixty seven, Princeton led the way in establishing some rudimentary rules of the game. Also in that year, the football itself was patented for the very first time.

Rutgers College also established a set of rules in eighteen sixty seven, and with the relatively short distance between it and Princeton, a game was decided upon by both universities. A date was chosen, November sixth, eighteen sixty nine; Rutgers won by a score of six goals to four, and thus was played what has become known as the very first intercollegiate football game.

In eighteen seventy three, representatives from Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale met in New York City to formulate the first intercollegiate football rules for the increasingly popular game, still being played with many of the rules of soccer. These four teams established the Intercollegiate Football Association, and set as fifteen the number of players allowed on each team.

Walter Camp, the coach at Yale and a dissenter from the IFA over his desire for an eleven man team, helped begin the final step in the evolution from rugby-style play to the modern game of American football. The IFA’s rules committee, led by Camp, soon cut the number of players from fifteen to eleven, and also instituted the size of the playing field, at one hundred ten yards. In eighteen eighty-two Camp also introduced the system of downs. After first allowing three attempts to advance the ball five yards, in nineteen six it was changed to ten yards. The fourth down was added in nineteen twelve. Tackling below the waist had been legalized in eighteen eighty-eight.

Within a decade, concern over the increasing brutality of the game led to its ban by some colleges. Nearly one hundred eighty players had suffered serious injuries, and eighteen deaths had been reported from the brutal mass plays that had become common in practice. In nineteen hundred five, President Theodore Roosevelt called upon Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to help save the sport from demise.

At a meeting between the schools, reform was agreed upon, and at a second meeting, attended by more than sixty other schools, the group appointed a seven member Rules Committee and set up what would later become known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA.

From this committee came the legalization of the forward pass, which resulted in a more open style of play on the field. The rough mass plays, which once caused so many serious injuries, and even deaths, were prohibited by the committee. Also prohibited was the locking of arms by teammates in an effort to clear the way for their ball carriers. The length of the game was shortened, from seventy to sixty minutes, and the neutral zone, which separates the teams by the length of the ball before each play begins, was also established.

Today, almost one hundred years since the inception of the NCAA, the sport of college football flourishes as one of the most popular of collegiate games. Colleges and universities are placed into three divisions under NCAA guidelines and each division has many conferences. Seasonal and conference play leads to post-season bowl games, where the champions of conferences meet to play in front of a world-wide television audience. Some of these bowls include the Rose Bowl, played on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California, between the Big Ten and Pacific Ten conference champions. Other bowls include the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL: ITS BEGINNINGS

Professional football was first played soon after the demise of the Intercollegiate Football Association, around eighteen ninety-five. In nineteen twenty, the American Professional Football Association was formed; one year later it was reorganized and in nineteen twenty-two was renamed the National Football League.

Unlike the APFA, which handed out franchises far and wide with little discretion, the NFL, from nineteen forty-six to forty-nine, was limited to ten teams. The APFA, on the other hand, consisted of twenty three teams in the year between its inception and the change-over in becoming the NFL.

A merger in nineteen seventy, fifty years after the inception of the first pro football association, combined sixteen NFL teams with ten AFL teams to comprise one league with two conferences. In the nineteen eighties, further expansion was proposed and by the ninety three-ninety four NFL season, approval was given for a thirty-team league. The next step towards growth of the league would be to realign the NFL into eight different divisions, each with four teams.

Pro football, like its college counterpart, was not without its failures. Among the number of competitive leagues that have folded in failure are the All-American Football conference, nineteen forty-six to forty-nine and the World Football League, nineteen seventy-four to seventy-five.

Arena Football, an indoor league played in the spring with eight man teams, debuted in nineteen eighty-seven. It is still played, but does not enjoy the popularity or success that is found in the National Football League.

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TODAY: A BUSINESS

From its humble beginnings in eighteen sixty-nine, when the first intercollegiate game was played between Rutgers and Princeton, football has become a multi-billion dollar business in its professional form.

Once watched by no more than a handful of loyal sideline enthusiasts, football is now available for worldwide viewing. With the advent of cable television, dozens of high school and college games can be watched over Friday and Saturday afternoons. Pro games are televised on Sunday and Monday nights, with at least half a dozen games televised each weekend during the season. At the end of each NFL season, champs from both the National and American conferences meet in the Super Bowl to determine a national champion. This game, always played in January, has been called the most watched sporting event of all time, with a viewing audience from around the entire globe, watching and listening to the televise in dozens of languages.

Although television commercials foot a very large part of the bill, the competition between networks for the coverage rights highly inflates the value of NFL franchises. In nineteen twenty, a franchise cost one hundred dollars. By nineteen sixty, each was worth approximately two million dollars. In nineteen ninety three, when the league decided to expand, selling teams to Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida, the cost rose to one hundred forty millions dollars per franchise.

In the same year, the NFL signed a five-network, four year television contract, totaling almost four and a half billion dollars.

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[1903-1913]

1904 - The First Black Football Player Emerges

1912 - Touchdown!

 

 

 

 

1919 - The Green Bay Packers are Born

1922 - The Birth of the NFL

 

1925 - The NFL Gets a Dosage of "Red"

1932 - Stats Become Official

1933 - New Rules for the NFL

 

1939 - The NFL Hits the T.V. Screen

Ebbets Field

 

1938-42 - Edward "Reb"  Shaw plays for Elon College

Reb Shaw, Elon Star

 

So Reb Joined Another Team That Had A Great 4 Year Season

   

 

BRONZE STAR CITATION

    Six Foot Four End Position college football star Edward "Reb" Shaw catches touchdown pass for the "Fighting Christians" of Elon College in the Orange Bowl. He played with Currie Bryant, Jack Boone, Palentonio, among others to complete several winning seasons.  These were tough guys that grew up during the Great Depression. The only way Ed could go to college was on a football scholarship. After graduation, Ed got three professional football contracts: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were also devout patriots, especially after the attack of Pearl Harbor so Ed declined and joined the US Navy and became a 2nd Lieutenant, then a P.T. Boat Captain. He received the Bronze Star for his actions in battle. After WW2 was over he returned to Elon College, NC to work at Carolina Biological Supply Company to work as a commercial Biologist. He worked on the side as a college football referee for several years after that. He left NC to work in TV advertising for Young & Rubicam in NYC. Eventually he became a Realtor and opened Shore & Country Realty, raised five children, and retired in Real Estate in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Currie Bryan opened up a successful sporting goods store in Burlington. NC; and had a son, also Named Currie Bryan Jr., who played for the Denver Broncos.

    They had a coach that was tough too. Players played both offense and defense in these days. He had an expression when someone got hurt on the grid iron: "Drag em off the field, dead men can't play football!" Team work, dedication, pride, nobility, honor, and pure love of the game was their collective  motivation.

1941 - Layden Named Commissioner

1943 - Did You Know?

 

1949 - Running Wild

1950 - Flying Cardinal

1951 - Broadcasting Coast-to-Coast

1953 - Death of a Legend


Jim Thorpe

1955 - Galloping Rookie

1957 - Historic Draft Class

 

1958 - Jim Brown

1959 - Lombardi & the Packers

1961 - Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame

1963 - Welcome to Canton, Ohio

1964 - Fumble!

1966 - All the Way Auer

1967 - Super Bowl I

1968 - Heidi

 

1969 - Broadway Joe and His Prediction


Super Bowl Trophy

1970 - Are You Ready For Some Football?


Johnny Unitas

1972 - The 'Immaculate Reception'

1973 - A Farewell to Yankee Stadium

1976 - Madden Wins Super Bowl

 

1980 - Steel Curtain

1981 - Wildcard Raiders

1982 - Players Strike

1983 - Historic Draft Class


Dan Marino

1984 - Records Fall

1985 - Buffalo Bruce

1986 - Tony Eason's Infamous Super Bowl Performance


Eric Dickerson

1987 - Trading Spaces

1988 - Johnny Grier makes History

1989 - Commissioner Rozelle out, Jerry Jones in

1990 - Super Joe

 

1991 - Wide Right

1994 - Dan the Man


Jerry Rice

1995 - San Francisco Treat

1997 - Say Cheese

1998 - Elway all the Way


Walter Payton

1999 - Thank You and Goodbye Sweetness

2000 - Did You Know?

 

2002 - Boston Tee Party

2003 - Rookie Initiation

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Knute Rockne

     

        Knute Kenneth Rockne was born on March 4, 1888 in Voss, Norway. He first moved to Chicago at the age of 5. Nobody liked him there, and he was in many fights. Before football or even baseball, Knute discovered skiing.  He loved it, and went skiing every chance he got during the winter. Knute was a natural athlete, and excelled in all of the sports he tried. He excelled in track, making a name for himself later on.

        Although he was always one of the shortest guys around, Knute was one of the toughest. The only protective gear he ever wore was adhesive tape that he stuck to his ears to prevent them from being torn off. Knute often said "Show me a good and gracious loser and I'll show you a failure."

        Knute discovered the great game of football at the age of 7. He played in games against other teams his age. The team he played on was called the Tricky Tigers. All of the teams were "sandlot" teams. Knute could not get enough of the sport. He praticed every chance he got. In fact, the other boys thought him crazy for practicing so much. This obsession almost got him an education. Knute never made the starting team until he was a senior, so he played on the scrubs team.

        At the same time, Knute tried playing many other sports. His school attendance slipped and his grades became mediocre. Persistence paid off, and after 3 years on the scrubs, Knute finally made it to the starting football team. After this successful senior football season, it was time for him to leave high school. It was a wonder that he got into Notre Dame with his high school record.

        At the age of 22, Rockne decided that he wanted to fulfill a dream. That dream was to become a pharmacist and to eventually own his own drug store. Two of Knute's friends gained acceptance to a small college in South Bend, Indiana called Notre Dame.  Knute decided to try to get into this same school, although his high school grades were dismal. He was accepted, but his parents were not fond of the idea of him going to a Catholic school, as they themselves were practicing Lutherans. However, they did not forbid him to go. Interestingly, Notre Dame was not Rockney's first college choice. For years he had saved and planned to go to the University of Illinois. Knute had not even planned on playing football in college. That decision would have resulted in a very different future for Knute. Basically, Knute's decision to go to Notre Dame was an economic one; it was much cheaper than U.I.

        While working during college to earn his way, Knute got a course in memory training, which would later become a valuable asset in his coaching career. A picture at this time revealed a cocky young man whose sparse hair made him appear more like a young professor than a college freshman. Knute made friends with the future quarter back Gus Dorais. They would be roommates through all 4 years of college, and took vacations together during school breaks.

        Rockne didn't make the varsity squad until his third year. There were many theories about why this was. Some said he was too short and caused too many turnovers as a freshman. Whatever the reason, Knute played on the scrubs for two years. A new coach entered the picture by his junior year and gave Knute a chance at the end position. Everyone knows what he did from there. (If you don't already, you will!) In his  career at Notre Dame, Knute averaged a 92 grade point average. In his senior year of college, he was still determined to become a pharmacist. He had no intention of becoming a coach!

        Rockne did not invent the forward pass - he revolutionized it! During a summer break form school, Gus and Knute decided to fool around with The forward pass. Knute got an idea telling Gus "What if you hold the football closer to this end?"

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Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi

One of the most successful coaches in football history, Vince Lombardi transformed the Green Bay Packers into a dominating force in the National Football League in the 1960s, winning five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowl crowns. Off the field, Lombardi became known for his coaching philosophy and motivational skills, demanding dedication and obedience from his team and promising championships in return.

Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913, in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of five children. Raised Catholic, Lombardi studied for the priesthood for two years before transferring to St. Francis Preparatory High School, where he became a star fullback on the football team. Accepted at Fordham University in 1933, Lombardi spent his first year on the freshman team before being promoted to offensive guard on the varsity team. He graduated with a degree in business in 1937.

After college, Lombardi worked for a finance company while taking night classes at Fordham’s law school and playing semi-professional football with the Wilmington Clippers. In 1939, Lombardi took a teaching and coaching job at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey, where he taught Latin, algebra, physics, and chemistry. He also coached the football, basketball, and baseball teams. He married Marie Planitz in 1940.

Lombardi left St. Cecilia in 1947 to accept a coaching position at Fordham. Two years later, he was hired to coach the varsity defensive line at the United States Military Academy. Under Earl Blaik, who was widely considered the best coach in the country at the time, Lombardi honed the leadership and coaching skills that would become a hallmark of his later teams.

Lombardi’s professional football career began in 1954 when he became the Offensive Coordinator for the New York Giants. Working closely with Defensive Coordinator Tom Landry and head coach Jim Lee Howell, Lombardi helped to turn the Giants into a championship team in only three years. During Lombardi’s five years with the team, the Giants did not have a losing season.

Tired of being an assistant coach, Lombardi accepted a five-year contract as general manager and head coach of the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had won only one game the previous season but Lombardi believed himself up to the challenge. He immediately began cementing his reputation as a demanding coach, creating punishing training regimens and expecting one-hundred percent dedication from his players. His unrelenting style paid off as Lombardi’s Packers defeated the Giants for the National Football League championship on December 31, 1961. For the next eight years, the Packers stood alone in the field, winning six divisional titles, five NFL championships, and the first two wins in Super Bowls I and II.

Lombardi retired as head coach in 1968, but retained his position as general manager. Bored without his coaching duties, though, Lombardi became headcoach of the Washington Redskins in 1969. He led the Redskins to their first winning record in 14 years. In 1970, the NFL named him its “1960s Man of the Decade.”

Diagnosed with intestinal cancer, Lombardi died on September 3, 1970. The following year, Lombardi was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame and the Super Bowl trophy was renamed in his honor. ESPN named Lombardi “Coach of the Century” in 2000.

 

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