Football

1. Football

2. American Football’s Beginnings • Before the 19th century “football” referred to any number of games played on foot with a ball. • The rules varied from game to game. • Legend says that an Englishman was tired of “no hands” rule and picked up ball and ran.

3. American Football’s Beginnings • While he was running with the ball, the other players chased him down and tackled him to enforce the rules. • Amidst this event – and the fun of the event – the idea of American football was born. • The idea of that brand of the game spread throughout U.S. colleges.

4. American Football’s Beginnings • The game was not universal – every college played with their own rules. • However, each version did have similarities. • Huge number of players trying to move the ball into a goal – and violence and injury were common.

5. American Football’s Beginnings • Because of the injuries, protests formed to abandon the games. • Yale banned the game in 1860 – Harvard banned it in 1861. • However, the game was growing popular among east coast prep schools.

6. American Football’s Beginnings • A special ball was created specifically for the game – made kicking and carrying easier. • A version of the game called the “Boston Game” was created by the Oneida Football Club. • They are considered the first formal football club in the United States (1862).

9. American Football’s Beginnings • The Boston Game caught the eye of the press and soon returned to college campuses. • On November 6, 1869 – Rutgers University played Princeton University in New Jersey. • Considered the first intercollegiate football game – Rutgers won at home 6-4.

11. American Football’s Beginnings • Rematch was played one week later at Princeton – Princeton won 8-0. • Columbia and Yale joined the series in the 1870s. • Organization improved and colleges tried to set a rules standard.

12. YOUR TURN TO WRITE • In your opinion, why were colleges the first places where American football began? • Why is it important for there to be a uniform or standard set of rules for any sport? • Who played in the first intercollegiate football game, and what was the score?

13. Walter Camp • Enter Walter Camp – the “father of American football”. • Camp was a great athlete – excelled in track, baseball, and soccer. • Camp coached Yale and attended the meetings to make one set of rules.

16. Walter Camp • Camp introduced a number of rules including… • Reducing the number of players from 15 to 11. • Camp also established the line of scrimmage and the snap from a “center” to “quarterback”

17. Walter Camp • Camp’s ideas intended to place emphasis on speed instead of strength. • Instead his rules slowed the game down – teams held the ball and methodically moved down the field. • The game became boring and changes had to be made.

18. Walter Camp • Camp made more adjustments – teams had to go five yards in three downs. • Camp helped reduce the size of the field to what is today – 120 yards long, 53.5 yards wide. • Camp also made the seven-man, a quarterback, two halfbacks and a fullback.

25. Walter Camp • Camp also established a game time set for two halves – 45 minutes each. • Two paid officials began attending each game. • Camp died in 1925 and his legacy continues – he personally selected an All-American team from 1898 to 1924.

26. Walter Camp • To this day, the Walter Camp Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor. • In other words, Camp – through his contributions made football look like what it does today.

27. YOUR TURN TO WRITE • Write an obituary-style article for Walter Camp as it could appear in a newspaper. Be sure to focus on Camp’s accomplishments and achievements. Be sure to include a headline for your article.

28. Modern College Football Emerges • The popularity of the game grew among the general public. • By 1900 – 43 colleges had teams – and it was spreading across the country. • In 1879 Michigan (yuck) became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish a team.

29. Modern College Football Emerges • Others soon followed – Chicago, Northwestern and Minnesota made teams. • This led to the first league – the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives – also called the Western Conference. • This was the pre-cursor of the Big Ten Conference.

30. Modern College Football Emerges • Notable figure Fielding Yost – coach of Michigan (yuck) early 20th century. • From 1901 to 1905 Michigan (yuck) won 56 games in a row – outscored opponents 2,831 to 40. • In 1902 Michigan (yuck) played in the Rose Bowl – first post season bowl game – Michigan (yuck) beat Stanford 49-0.

31. Modern College Football Emerges • Controversy followed football – in 1894 the Harvard vs. Yale game led to four crippling injuries. • Army and Navy suspended their annual game from 1894 to 1898 for similar reasons. • The problem was large formations of players – like the flying wedge.

34. Modern College Football Emerges • Large numbers charged as a unit against a large defense – led to serious collisions. • In 1905 – 19 fatalities occurred from football nationwide. • President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to end the game – but he loved the sport and wanted to fix it.

35. Modern College Football Emerges • In 1906 the forward pass was created to open up the game and reduce injuries. • However, forward pass was rarely used – rules made it unattractive. • On December 28, 1905 – 62 schools met in New York to make game safer – called the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States.

36. Modern College Football Emerges • This meeting was the pre-cursor to establishing the current National Collegiate Athletic Association – or NCAA. • As a result of the meeting, mass formations – including flying wedge – became illegal. • New rules helped reduce injuries.

37. Modern College Football Emerges • Bradbury Robinson playing for St. Louis University threw the first legal forward pass on September 5, 1906. • In 1910, players could not push or pull – interlocking arms were not allowed. • Roughing the passer implemented in 1914.

39. Modern College Football Emerges • More changes to football were made. • The huddle was introduced, as well as pre-snap shifts to create deception. • Field goals were lowered from five points to three in 1909 – and touchdowns were raised to six points in 1912.

40. YOUR TURN TO WRITE • Why was the game of football in danger of being shut down? • Discuss some changes that were made to reduce the amount of injuries. • How was the NCAA created?

41. College Football’s Golden Age • The game began to produce famous players – Jim Thorpe, Red Grange and BronkoNagurski. • Sportswriters covered football and created national following. • Grantland Rice used poetic descriptions and colorful nicknames – called Grange “Galloping Ghost”.

45. College Football’s Golden Age • Coaches became living legends. • Pop Warner – coached Georgia, Cornell, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Temple. • Wrote books about strategy and how to play the game.

46. College Football’s Golden Age • Warner created the single and double wing formations – most popular formations for 40 years. • One of the first to use the forward pass routinely. • Created modern blocking schemes and the three-point stance.

49. College Football’s Golden Age • Knute Rockne – played and coached for Notre Dame. • Deceptive plays, tricky schemes – led to rule that lineman had to stop for a full second before snap. • Started USC-Notre Dame rivalry – went 105-12-5 before dying in plane crash.