History of Football

The history of football is generally traced back tocommittee eventually became the NCAA or
it's beginnings in rugby. The English game that isNational Athletic Association which we all know
very similar to football and soccer which alsotoday.
began in England back in the early 1800's.The committee formed a number of new rules
The college campuses of Ivy League schools allincluding the forward pass and a number of
played similar variations of football through thesafety measures which penalized players for
mid 1800's. Then shortly after the end of the Civilroughness and unsafe acts. Football history was
War around the 1860's some of the collegeschanged when a common practice for the time of
began playing organized football. Princetonlocking arms and blocking in unison which was
University frontiered some of the basic rules ofrightfully made illegal as well. The game was
football and the game became patented. It seemsshortened to the sixty minutes that we play
odd to be able to patent a game but nonethelesstoday and a neutral zone between the offense
the sport began to grow. The first football gameand defense was also incorporated.
in college football history was then played in 1869The development of the sport led to an inevitable
between Princeton and Rutgers with Rutgers asexpansion into the college football area. College
the victor thus producing football history.football history has since flourished into an
College Football History took another big step inincredible weekly spectacle. Hundreds of college
1873 when a number of colleges met to form theteams now compete each year under the
first rules of the game and established theguidelines of the NCAA. Numerous college divisions
amount of players on each squad. The coach fornow have conferences and all have hopes of
Yale, Walter Camp assisted the final step in thewinning a major New Year's Day Bowl. The
change from rugby style football to the Americanhistory of football and nostalgia are alive in well in
style. He limited the number of players to elevencollege football today.
on each team and sized the football field to 110Professional football was first played around 1895
yards. He then created the downs system inand in 1920 the APFA or American Professional
1882 which was originally three downs to gain 5Football Association was formed. It was renamed
yards and then changed to 4 downs to gain 10to what we all know today as the NFL or National
yards.Football League in 1922. The NFL started slow and
Without proper safety equipment at the time thein the mid forties only had ten teams. A major
sport had become extremely brutal andmerger then took place in 1970 that combined
dangerous to all the players. There were even athe 16 NFL teams with the 10 AFL teams to
number of deaths that had taken place in themake one large association with two conferences.
sport. It had become such a serious problem thatThe expansion continued to the now 32 team
the President of the time Teddy Rooseveltleague and professional football has grown
summoned a change and helped implement atremendously since it's beginnings in 1869 from
group of 7 selected members to govern a rulesone college game to a billion dollar empire. So goes
organization and save football history. Thisthe history of football.