American football began gaining popularity in the early 19th century. Rule changes in the late 19th and early 20th century made football the game enjoyed by so many today. Integral parts of the game of football, such as the touchdown, forward pass and down and distance rules, where not part of the original football games. When football first game to America, it resembled many of the rugby games of England.
Early Games
The earliest games of football where mostly unorganized college students playing traditional "mob football" similar to that played in England. Each group had its own set of rules for football. The underlying theme that ran through each group that played the game was a large amount of violence. The violence was so severe that in the 1860s cities banned the playing of the game due to outrage at the violence from local citizens. The first official football team was formed in 1862 and played what was known as "The Boston Game." This form of football was spread throughout the 1860s through the help of the press.
College Football
Collegiate football become a legitimate program in 1876 when Columbia, Yale, Harvard and Princeton standardized a set of rules for the game. Yale refused to join the Intercollegiate Football Association at the meeting due to a disagreement over the number of players each group could field. In 1880, Walter Camp, otherwise known as the father of football, introduced rule changes, including lowering the number of players on the field, the line of scrimmage and snapping the football to the quarterback that helped shape the current game of football. These moves on the collegiate level transformed the game from a variation of rugby to American football.
Professional Football
The first professional football player was payed in 1892 although the act of paying a football player was considered unsportsmanlike and any payment to players was kept secret. In 1895, the first fully professional game was played in Pennsylvania. The first National Football League, which has no ties to the modern league, began fielding teams in 1902. The league was formed by professional baseball teams that formed football teams. The World Series of Football took place in December 1902 at Madison Square Garden although the series was only held for two seasons.
Youth And High School Football
The earliest occurrence of youth football was in 1929 in Philadelphia. The Junior Football League was formed for teenage boys to participate in versus leaving them to vandalize a local factory. By 1933, there were 16 teams in the league, which was renamed the Pop Warner Conference after Temple head coach Pop Warner.
In 1920, the National Federation of State High School Associations was formed to govern high school sports, which included football. The rules followed by high school football teams are written by the NFSHSA.
References
- The Professional Football Researchers Association: Camp and His Followers
- Quick History: The History of Football
- National Football League: Chronology of Professional Football
- The Professional Football Researchers Association: No Christian End
- USA Soccer History Archives: Were the Oneidas Playing Soccer or Not?
- USA Football: Amateur Football History Timeline
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