FootballFootball

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginningsBefore 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.

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginnings• 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.

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginningsThe 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.

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginningsBecause 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.

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginnings• 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).

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginningsThe 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.

American Football’s American Football’s BeginningsBeginningsRematch 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.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR 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?

Walter CampWalter CampEnter 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.

Walter CampWalter CampCamp 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”

Walter CampWalter 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.

Walter CampWalter 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.

Walter CampWalter CampCamp 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.

Walter CampWalter CampTo 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.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmergesThe 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmerges• 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmerges• 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmerges• 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmergesLarge 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmerges• 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmergesThis 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmergesBradbury 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.

Modern College Football Modern College Football EmergesEmergesMore 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.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR 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?

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• The game began to produce

famous players – Jim Thorpe, Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski.

• Sportswriters covered football and created national following.

• Grantland Rice used poetic descriptions and colorful nicknames – called Grange “Galloping Ghost”.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAgeCoaches became living legends.

Pop Warner – coached Georgia, Cornell, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Temple.

Wrote books about strategy and how to play the game.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• 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.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• 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.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• In the 1930s, football had become

the number one spectator sport in the south.

• More conferences popped up – Pacific Coast Conference (Pac-12), Southeastern Conference (SEC).

• New bowl games developed – Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAgeIn 1936 the press began a weekly

poll of ranking the teams

The AP Poll was used to determine the champion at the end of the year.

In 1935 the Heisman Trophy was created – named after coach John Heisman.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• First winner of the Heisman Trophy

was Chicago’s Jay Berwanger – also becomes the first NFL draft pick.

• College football lost some popularity to the NFL but still was going strong.

• In 1966 ABC began televising a “game of the week”.

College Football’s Golden College Football’s Golden AgeAge• This brought key games and rivalries

to the whole nation.

• Overall – Michigan (yuck) (910), Texas (875) and Notre Dame (874) are ranked 1, 2 and 3 in total wins – Yale (877).

• As television and radio progressed so did college football.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR TURN TO WRITEThe press was responsible for

ranking college football teams and choosing a national champion – what problems do you see with this method?

Discuss the contributions that Pop Warner and Knute Rockne made to college football.

College Football TodayCollege Football TodayThe number of bowl games grew –

in 1940 there were five.

By 1970 there were eight – and 11 in 1976.

Cable television emerged, including ESPN which led to 15 bowls in 1980 – currently there are 34 bowl games.

College Football TodayCollege Football TodayThe argument has risen over the

number of bowl games.

More bowl games dilute the significance of playing in one.

Others say more bowl games give increased exposure and revenue for more schools.

College Football TodayCollege Football Today• In the 1990s college football wanted

to come up with a better way then the AP picking a champion.

• In 1998 a new system was invented to force a “true” championship game.

• Called the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) it included the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 10 and SEC conferences.

College Football TodayCollege Football Today• Each year the #1 and #2 ranked

teams in the nation will play in the championship.

• Venues rotated between the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl.

• A combination of computers, human votes, and strength of schedule determined #1 and #2 teams.

College Football TodayCollege Football Today• The first BCS Championship game

played on January 4, 1999 at the Fiesta Bowl – Tennessee 23, Florida State 16.

• In 2006 a fifth BCS game was added to open up the BCS to two more teams.

• On January 6, 2013, the BCS held it’s final championship game – Florida State 35, Auburn 31.

College Football TodayCollege Football TodayBCS was controversial – there were

arguments for and against the current system.

Critics claimed a playoff – not votes – should determine a champion.

Defenders say that every week of the college football season is a playoff – and popularity of the sport soared.

College Football TodayCollege Football TodayBeginning next season (2014), FBS

college football will hold a four-team playoff to determine its champion.

Format is simple – the four top-ranked teams play in the semifinals at traditional bowl game locations.

Winners play for the championship in different host cities each year.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR TURN TO WRITE

Pick one side: 1. Too many bowl games is bad for college football. 2. High number of bowl games is good for college football.

Pick one side: 1. The BCS was good for college football. 2. The BCS was bad for college football.

Write an argumentative paragraph for each side you chose.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro Football• The creation and popularity of

professional football has also had a tremendous impact in the United States.

• A Pittsburgh football club called the Allegheny Athletic Association hired Yale guard William “Pudge” Heffelfinger to be first paid player.

• He received $500 – and won the game.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro Football• On September 3, 1895 in Latrobe,

Pennsylvania, the first wholly pro game was played.

• Latrobe YMCA vs. Jeannette Athletic Club – Latrobe won 12-0.

• Was not the sole source of income for players – still had to work elsewhere.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro FootballIn 1899 the South Side of Chicago

was founded.

Later changed names to the Chicago Cardinals – now known as the Arizona Cardinals.

The franchise is the oldest continuously operating professional football team.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro Football• Ohio became the center of professional

football in the early twentieth century.

• Small towns supported pro teams in what was called the Ohio League – later called National Football League (NFL).

• The best team was the Canton Bulldogs – where the current NFL Hall of Fame is located.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro FootballBy 1921 there were 22 teams –

including the Green Bay Packers

Packers hold the record for longest use of an unchanged team name.

By the mid-1920s the NFL was up to 25 teams.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro Football• At the end of the 1932 season, the

Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans were tied with the best record.

• To determine the champion a playoff game was played – first ever.

• Chicago won 9-0 – cold weather forced game indoors.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro Football• The playoff game was very popular

– and following season teams split into two divisions.

• The winners of each division played in an annual championship game.

• Many teams folded during WWII – by 1946 NFL had 10 teams.

Early Pro FootballEarly Pro FootballBert Bell became commissioner

and kept the league stable.

Also in 1946, NFL integrated – Los Angeles Rams signed two African-American players.

Kenny Washington and Woody Strode.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR TURN TO WRITE

How did the Ohio League help create the location of the National Football League Hall of Fame?

Describe the circumstances that led to the creation of an NFL championship game.

Discuss two key contributions Bert Bell made to the NFL.

Modern NFLModern NFL• Television and radio also helped

NFL popularity.

• Rams first team to televise its entire schedule of games in 1950.

• 1958 was the turning point for the NFL when Baltimore Colts and NY Giants played championship game.

Modern NFLModern NFL• Game played at Yankee Stadium

and tied after 60 minutes.

• First game to go into sudden death overtime – Colts won 23-17

• Televised live on NBC – called the “Greatest Game Ever Played” – NFL became a national sport.

Modern NFLModern NFLIn 1959 a new league formed called

the American Football League – AFL.

AFL posed a significant threat to the NFL – thanks to television exposure.

In 1960 AFL had eight teams led by Al Davis owner of the Oakland Raiders.

Modern NFLModern NFLAFL began luring players away

from NFL like Joe Namath star quarterback from Alabama.

NFL agreed to a merger – common draft and AFL vs. NFL championship at end of season.

Two years later that game renamed to “Super Bowl”.

Modern NFLModern NFLJanuary 15, 1967 first Super Bowl

was played in Los Angeles, California.

Green Bay (NFL) defeated Kansas City (AFL) 35-10.

Green Bay beats Oakland in Super Bowl II 33-14 to extend NFL dominance.

Modern NFLModern NFLIn Super Bowl III NFL’s Baltimore

Colts were heavily favored over AFL’s New York Jets.

Jets led by Namath upset Colts and gave AFL respect.

In 1970 – both leagues merged to form 26-team league – all called NFL.

Modern NFLModern NFL• Currently NFL has 32 teams – and

Super Bowl is one of the most popular television events in history.

• NFL is the most popular spectator sport in the U.S.

• Parity and salary caps have helped league sustain popularity.

Modern NFLModern NFLLimits on teams salaries allow

smaller cities like Green Bay to compete with larger cities.

Other football leagues tried forming to tap into money made by NFL.

World Football League in 1974 – folded in 1975.

Modern NFLModern NFLIn 1982 the United States Football

League formed as a spring league.

USFL successful at first – but in 1985 moved to fall season to compete directly with NFL.

USFL failed and folded – could not “hang” with NFL.

Modern NFLModern NFLThe XFL was formed in 2001 – and

folded after one season due to lack of fan interest.

NFL went international in 1995 with NFL Europe – had success initially.

Folded in 2007 – NFL now plays scheduled NFL games in Europe to hit their market.

YOUR TURN TO WRITEYOUR TURN TO WRITEIn your opinion, why is the NFL the

most popular spectator sport in America?

What was the “Greatest Game Ever Played”?

How did was the Super Bowl created and what was the score of the first one?