- American Football Tutorial
- American Football - Home
- American Football - Overview
- American Football - History
- American Football - Terminology
- American Football - Playing Environment
- American Football - Equipment
- American Football - Players & Positions
- American Football - How to Play?
- American Football - Scoring System
- American Football - Rules
- American Football - Variants
- American Football - How to Learn?
- American Football - Tournaments
- American Football - Participating Countries
- American Football - Champions
- American Football - Surprising Facts
- American Football - FAQs
- American Football Resources
- American Football - Quick Guide
- American Football - Useful Resources
- American Football - Discussion
American Football - History
The history of American Football starts from November 6, 1869, when the first game was played between the two college teams which were Princeton and Rutgers. Each team consisted of 25 players and had to play the game by foot only. Hands were not used to carry the ball. Players could use their hands, feet, head, and sides to kick the ball. The aim of each team was to reach the goal of the opponent and kick the ball into the goalpost.
The game was won by Rutgers as they were able to gain 6 points while the other team got 4 points only. This type of game was played between colleges for several years and the rules of the host school were followed.
Fixing Game Rules
Later, colleges decided to fix a set of rules for the game so representatives of the following colleges held a meeting on October 19, 1873 −
Yale
Columbia
Princeton
Rutgers
In the meeting, it was decided that the number of players on each side would be reduced to 20. The size of the field was 400 x 200 feet. No representative from Harvard University participated in the meeting as they wanted to follow the rules for this game similar to Rugby.
Harvard played two games with McGill University. In the first game, American rules were followed and in the second Canadian rules were followed. Harvard gave preference to the Canadian rules and involved the following −
Only 11 players on each side
Players can chase the ball and will not be chased by the opponent
Oblong ball should be used rather than the round one
The forward pass and tackling were also included
Harvard and Yale played the game in 1875 which was watched by the two athletes of Princeton so they started playing the game in their university. Later, an association was formed by Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Harvard and they also decided to make modifications to the rules. The association was named as Intercollegiate Football Association. Yale joined the association in 1879.
Father of American Football
Walter Camp from Yale University made changes to the rules and came to be known as the Father of American Football. He reduced the number of players to 11 on each side and also made rules to reduce the chaotic environment.
Evolution of American Football
In Rugby football, scrum occurred often. Scrum is a part of Rugby in which players used to handle the ball for an indefinite period and the game has to be restarted.
Yale and Princeton played a game in 1881 and used the rule of holding the ball for an indefinite period. None of the teams could score any point and the game ended in a tie as both teams scored 0. This game became unpopular among the audience, teams and fans also did not like it.
In 1882, Walter Camp changed the rule and each team was limited to 3 downs or tackles, and the ball had to be taken till 5 yards. If the team is unable to take the ball to 5 yards, the ball will be handed to the other team. The change in this rule gave birth to the American Football. A five-yard line was also drawn on the field.
Some more changes were made to the rules which are as follows −
The field size was reduced to 100.6m x 48.8m
Four points were given for a touchdown
Two points were awarded for safety
Five points for a goal from the field
Two points for a goal following a touchdown
Players can tackle below the waist
Threat to abolish the game
The rules were changed but still, it was a violent game and players were injured and some also died. President Theodore Roosevelt threatened that the game would be abolished if major changes in the rules were not made as 19 players died in 1905.
In order to make changes, a meeting was held in New York City by 62 colleges and universities on December 18, 1905. This led to the creation of an association called Intercollegiate Athletic Association whose name was changed later to National Collegiate Athletic Association. The changes made in the rules are as follows −
Forward pass was introduced in 1906
The duration of the game was reduced from 70 minutes to 60 minutes
The first down was increased from 5 yards to 10 yards
A neutral zone was created so that chaos could be reduced
Points for a field goal were reduced to 3 in 1909
Points for touchdowns was increased to 6 in 1912
The size of the field was also reduced in the same year which included the following −
The length of the field was reduced to 100 yards
Two end zones of 10 yards each were created
Teams were allowed for four downs which previously was 3
Another rule was added in 1914 where a penalty was added for roughing the passer
In 1918, players were allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field
Professional Era
In the 1880s, players were given extra benefits like getting a job. Trophies were also given to them by the athletic clubs. Some clubs also paid double for the money spent by a player but there was no direct payment.
On November 12, 1892, A sum of $500 was paid to Pudge Heffelfinger for playing a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association. The opponent in this match was Pittsburg Athletic Club and this was the first game in which direct payment was made to the players. This led to a rise in the number of professionals and salaries were given to the players. This also led to illegal payments to the players who were still studying in colleges.
National Football League (NFL)
The National Football League (NFL), established in 1920, decided to resolve this problem. Bidding wars for players was ended and college students were not allowed to play the game. It also made a rule that if a player changes the team, no payment will be made. NFL became the premier professional football league in 1922.
At this time, American Football was played mostly by college students at the college level. In 1925, an exhibition game was held in which the Pottsville Maroons defeated Notre Dame all-stars. Football became a popular game due to the 1958 NFL Championship game which was played between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. Millions of people watched the game and Colts scored 23 points while Giants scored 17.
The popularity of American Football led to the creation of the American Football League which helped to increase the popularity of the game in the United States. NFL was the dominating league and it was challenged by AFL by getting a television contract with ABC Television Network.
This forced the NFL to increase its capacity to Minnesota and Dallas to curb the expansion of AFL. AFL was able to introduce new features in the game in the United States. The features added by the AFL are as follows −
The time was based on the scoreboard rather than the watch in the referee’s pocket
Two points were given to run after touchdowns or by pass
The names of the jerseys of the players were changed
The role of the minority players was also enhanced
College players that were selected by the NFL were also selected by the AFL. AFL New York also signed Joe Namath which increased the competition of player selection between NFL and AFL. In order to end this competition, the NFL offered AFL for a merger which was done in 1970. This merger led to the arrangement of the World Cup each year in which the champions of both leagues will compete. This World Cup came to be known as the Super Bowl.
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