| Long before college football was the multi-billion | | | | game specifically recorded as being called |
| dollar twenty-first century business that it is | | | | "football." The evolution of sport is much more |
| today the very first college football game ever | | | | the norm than the exception. Baseball is a prime |
| played took place on November 6, 1869 between | | | | example of a game that developed from an older |
| Rutgers University and Princeton University. | | | | sport in cricket. Cricket in turn likely evolved from |
| Interestingly enough this particular game not only | | | | more primitive games that involved hitting some |
| marked the first intercollegiate American football | | | | sort of ball with a bat. A sport like basketball is an |
| game but it also represented half of the first | | | | exception in that it is very unusual for such a |
| college football season which was comprised of a | | | | definitive moment to be cited when a game of |
| mere two teams that played each other twice. | | | | such popularity was created (December, 1891) |
| The final results of the inaugural college football | | | | and incorporated in large part a similar set of rules |
| season resulted in both Princeton and Rutgers | | | | as those that are used today. |
| each finishing with one win and one loss as | | | | The first college football game took place so long |
| Rutgers won the first game (at home) and | | | | ago that both schools actually went by different |
| Princeton won the second (at home). Amusingly, | | | | names than they do today. In November of 1869 |
| the first ever national championship was | | | | modern day Rutgers University was Rutgers |
| retroactively shared between these schools which | | | | College and Princeton University was the College |
| were again the only ones competing and of | | | | of New Jersey. The iconic first game was hosted |
| course in addition for tying for the national title | | | | by Rutgers and played in New Brunswick, New |
| they each tied for the worst record in the league. | | | | Jersey on the site of the modern day College |
| While the first college football game ever played | | | | Avenue Gymnasium. The final score of this first |
| was probably a closer resemblance to rugby than | | | | contest had Rutgers coming out victoriously by a |
| football it has been given the historical significance | | | | count of six runs to four runs (clearly the term |
| bestowed upon it in large part because this | | | | touchdown had not yet gained popularity). |
| matchup pitted two American colleges against one | | | | Estimated attendance for that first game has |
| another in the first documented contest of any | | | | been pegged at roughly one hundred spectators. |
