NationMaster - Encyclopedia: History of American football

The history of American football, a spectator sport in the United States,^[1] can be traced to early versions of rugby football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, in which a ball is kicked at a goal and/or run over a line. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A football is used to play one of the different sports known as football or Rugby. ... Look up goal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.^[2]^[3]^[4] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn "Pop" Warner helped take advantage of the newly introduced forward pass. The popularity of collegiate football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport for the first half of the twentieth century. Bowl games, a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for collegiate teams. Bolstered by fierce rivalries, college football still holds widespread appeal in the US. United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... This article is about the American football coach. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Amos Alonzo Stagg (August 16, 1862 â€“ March 17, 1965) was a renowned American collegiate coach in multiple sports, primarily football, and an overall athletic pioneer. ... Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 â€“ March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. ... Glenn Scobey Pop Warner in a 1997 USA Postage stamp. ... This article is about a type of football play. ... This article covers college football played in the United States. ... A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically at the Division I-A level. ... This is a list of rivalry games in college football in the United States. ...

The origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with William "Pudge" Heffelfinger's $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football's increasing popularity is usually traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the "Greatest Game Ever Played". A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a merger between the two leagues and the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis. William Pudge Walter Heffelfinger ( - ) was an US baseball player. ... NFL redirects here. ... Major Leagues redirects here. ... The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. ... Note: There were three earlier and unrelated major American professional football leagues of the same name: One in 1926, one in 1936-1937 and one in 1940-1941. ... The AFL-NFL Merger of 1970 involved the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States during the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). ... The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ...

Early Years

First Games

Although there are mentions of Native Americans playing ball games, modern American football has its origins in traditional ball games played at villages and schools in Europe^{[citation needed]} for many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. There are reports of early settlers at Jamestown, Virginia playing games with inflated balls in the early 17th century. This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A family of Russian settlers in the Caucasus region, ca. ... At Jamestown Settlement, replicas of Christopher Newports 3 ships are docked in the harbor. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional "mob football" played in England, especially on Shrove Tuesday. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. Dartmouth played its own version called "Old division football", the rules of which were first published in 1871, though the game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities. They remained largely "mob" style games, with huge numbers of players attempting to advance the ball into a goal area, often by any means necessary. Rules were simple and violence and injury were common.^[5]^[6] The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale, under pressure from the city of New Haven, banned the play of all forms of football in 1860, while Harvard followed suit in 1861.^[5] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with MediÃ¦val football. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Pancakes with strawberry syrup and black currants Shrove Tuesday is the term used in the United Kingdom,[1] Ireland,[2] and Australia[3] to refer to the day after Shrove Monday (or the more old fashioned Collop Monday) and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term intramural is most commonly associated with sports teams organized within a school. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... Harvard redirects here. ... Dartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Incorporated as Trustees of Dartmouth College,[6][7] it is a member of the Ivy League and one of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American Revolution. ... Dartmouth-Rules Football From the early 1800s to around 1890, students at Dartmouth College played an indigenous soccer-like game called Old Division Foot Ball. ... Yale redirects here. ... New Haven redirects here. ...

The game began to return to college campuses by the late 1860s. Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, and Brown all began playing "kicking" games during this time. In 1867, Princeton used rules based on those of the English Football Association.^[5] A "running game", resembling rugby, was taken up by the Montreal Football Club in Canada in 1868.^[3] â€œRutgersâ€ redirects here. ... Brown University is a private university located in Providence, Rhode Island. ... The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. ...

Intercollegiate football

Rutgers v. Princeton (1869)

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University in a game that is often regarded as the first game of intercollegiate football.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[7] The game was played at a Rutgers field under Rutgers rules. Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers crossed the line first and went on to win by a score of six to four. A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a "free kick" to any player that caught the ball on the fly). Princeton won that game by a score of eight to zero. Columbia joined the series in 1870, and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and Stevens Institute of Technology.^[5] is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... â€œRutgersâ€ redirects here. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... This article covers college football played in the United States. ... Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a 55 acre (223,000 mÂ²) campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, founded in 1870 on the basis of an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. ...

Rules standardization (1873–1880)

On October 19, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules. Prior to this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on soccer than on rugby, was drawn up for intercollegiate football games.^[5] is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Harvard, which played the "Boston game", a version of football that allowed carrying, refused to attend this rules conference and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's voluntary absence from the meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to play McGill University, from Montreal, in a two-game series. The McGill team traveled to Cambridge to meet Harvard in a two-game series. On May 14, 1874, the first game, played under "Boston" rules, was won by Harvard with a score of 3–0. The next day, the two teams played rugby to a scoreless tie.^[5] McGill University is a public co-educational research university located in MontrÃ©al, QuÃ©bec, Canada. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region MontrÃ©al Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government - Mayor GÃ©rald Tremblay Area [1][2][3] - City 365. ... Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government - Type Mayor-City Council - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area - Total 7. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Harvard quickly took a liking to the rugby game, and its use of the try which, until that time, was not used in American football. In late 1874, the Harvard team traveled to Montréal to play McGill in rugby, and won by three touchdowns. A year later, on June 4, 1875, Harvard faced Tufts University in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts 1–0.^[8] The first edition of The Game—the annual contest between Harvard and Yale—was played on November 13, 1875, under a modified set of rugby rules known as "The Concessionary Rules". Yale lost 4–0, but found that it too preferred the rugby style game. Spectators from Princeton carried the game back home, where it also became popular.^[5] picture of 1882 Rutgers College Football team File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... picture of 1882 Rutgers College Football team File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Formerly Queens College The school now called Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was chartered on November 10, 1766 as Queens College, in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744â€“1818), Queen consort of George III of the United Kingdom. ... This article refers to the use of the word Try in rugby football terminology. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Tufts University is a private research university in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston. ... Half-time festivities at The Game, Yale Bowl The Game (always capitalized) is a title given to several U.S. college football rivalry games, but most particularly the annual contest between Harvard and Yale. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardize a new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. The rules were based largely on the Rugby Union Code from England, though one important difference was the replacement of a kicked goal with a touchdown as the primary means of scoring (a change that would later occur in rugby itself, favoring the try as the main scoring event). Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale did not join the group until 1879, due to an early disagreement about the number of players per team.^[2] is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) // January 31 - United States orders all Indigenous peoples in the United States to move onto reservations February 2 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. ... Nickname: Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Hampden Settled 1636 Incorporated 1852 Government - Type Mayor-council city - Mayor Charles Ryan (D) Area - Total 33. ... This article refers to the use of the word Try in rugby football terminology. ...

Walter Camp: Father of American football

Walter Camp is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football.^[2]^[3]^[4] As a youth, he excelled in sports like track, baseball, and soccer, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered.^[2] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (400x668, 45 KB) Walter Camp pictured as Yales Captain, 1878-79 - Project Gutenberg eText 18048 The Project Gutenberg EBook of Football Days, by William H. Edwards http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (400x668, 45 KB) Walter Camp pictured as Yales Captain, 1878-79 - Project Gutenberg eText 18048 The Project Gutenberg EBook of Football Days, by William H. Edwards http://www. ... This article is about the American football coach. ... This article is about the American football coach. ... A womens 400 m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland. ... This article is about the sport. ...

Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. He proposed his first rule change at the first meeting he attended in 1878: a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp's most famous change, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback, was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of the center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass.^[2] This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A snap (colloquially called a hike, snapback, or pass from center) starts each American football and Canadian football play from scrimmage. ... Center (C) is a position in American football. ... Navy quarterback Aaron Polanco sets up to throw. ...

Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized the game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress towards the end zone during each down. Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that a team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby or soccer into the distinct sport of American football.^[2] In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. ...

Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53 1/3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with the scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for kicks after touchdowns, two points for safeties, and five for field goals. In 1887, gametime was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire—were mandated for each game. A year later, the rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches.^[2] In American football, the extra point, point after touchdown, or PAT is the act of lining up to kick, as in a field goal, immediately following a touchdown. ... A field goal (formerly goal from the field) in American football and Canadian football (collectively called gridiron football) is a goal that may be scored during general play (from the field). Execution of a field goal A field goal may be scored by a placekick or the very rare drop... NFL officials (striped shirts) and guests prepare to toss the coin to start the 40th annual Pro Bowl. ... NFL officials (striped shirts) and guests prepare to toss the coin to start the 40th annual Pro Bowl. ...

After leaving Yale in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock Company until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annual All-American team every year from 1898 through 1924. The Walter Camp Football Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor.^[9] but by 1900, the number had expanded to 43.^[10] Several major rivalries date from this time period. An All-America team is a sports team composed of star players. ... The The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also selects the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year. ... This is a list of rivalry games in college football in the United States. ...

In 1879, the University of Michigan became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish a college football team. Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Minnesota. The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten Conference, was founded in 1895.^[11] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 570 pixelsFull resolution (2444 Ã— 1740 pixel, file size: 291 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Fielding Yost coaching the University of Michigan football team in 1902. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 570 pixelsFull resolution (2444 Ã— 1740 pixel, file size: 291 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Fielding Yost coaching the University of Michigan football team in 1902. ... Head coach Lloyd Carr 13th year, 121â€“40 Home stadium Michigan Stadium Capacity 107,501 - Field Turf Conference Big Ten First year 1879 Athletic director William C. Martin Website MGoBlue. ... For other uses, see University of Chicago (disambiguation). ... Northwestern University (NU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university with campuses located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago. ... The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest and most storied programs in college football history. ... For other uses of the term Big Ten see Big Ten (disambiguation). ...

Led by legendary coach Fielding Yost, Michigan became the first "western" national power. From 1901 to 1905, Michigan had a 56-game undefeated streak that included a 1902 trip to play in the first college football post-season game, the Rose Bowl. During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40.^[12] Another legendary coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago, spent most of his career in the Western Conference. He coached first at the Springfield International YMCA Training School, then Chicago, and later at the University of the Pacific for a record total of 57 years. As of 2007, he still ranked seventh on the list of most often winning football coaches, with 314 wins.^[13] Fielding Harris Yost (April 30, 1871 - August 20, 1946) was a U.S. football coach. ... A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically at the Division I-A level. ... The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Years Day) at the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California. ... Amos Alonzo Stagg (August 16, 1862 â€“ March 17, 1965) was a renowned American collegiate coach in multiple sports, primarily football, and an overall athletic pioneer. ... Springfield College is a college located in Springfield, Massachusetts. ...

Violence and controversy (1905)

From its earliest days as a mob game, football was a violent sport.^[5] The 1894 Harvard-Yale game, known as the "Hampden Park Blood Bath", resulted in crippling injuries for four players; the contest was suspended until 1897. The annual Army-Navy game was suspended from 1894–1898 for similar reasons.^[14] One of the major problems was the popularity of mass-formations like the flying wedge, in which a large number of offensive players charged as a unit against a similarly arranged defense. The resultant collisions often led to serious injuries and sometimes even death.^[15] A flying wedge is a charging technique in which troops are arrayed to form a wedge or V shape. ...

The situation came to a head in 1905 when there were 19 fatalities nationwide. President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to shut the game down if drastic changes were not made.^[16] One rule change introduced in 1905, devised to open up the game and reduce injury, was the introduction of the legal forward pass. Though it was underutilized for years, this proved to be the last—and one of the most important—rule changes in the establishment of the modern game.^[17] On December 28, 1905, 62 schools met in New York City to discuss rule changes to make the game safer. As a result of this meeting, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later named the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was formed.^[18] Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas US Government Portal For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Theodore Roosevelt, see Theodore Roosevelt (disambiguation). ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... NCAA redirects here. ...

Modernization and innovation (1906–1930)

As a result of the 1905–1906 reforms, mass formation plays became illegal and forward passes legal. Another important change, formally adopted in 1910, was the requirement that at least seven offensive players be on the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap, greatly reducing the potential for collision injuries. Several coaches emerged who took advantage of these sweeping changes. Amos Alonzo Stagg introduced such innovations as the huddle, the tackling dummy, and the pre-snap shift.^[19] Other coaches, such as Pop Warner and Knute Rockne, introduced new strategies that still remain part of the game. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 435 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1494 Ã— 2060 pixel, file size: 7. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 435 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1494 Ã— 2060 pixel, file size: 7. ... England huddle to celebrate victory over India in Mumbai, March 2006 In sport, a huddle is when a team gathers together, usually in a tight circle, to strategize, motivate, and/or celebrate. ... Glenn Scobey Pop Warner in a 1997 USA Postage stamp. ... Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 â€“ March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. ...

Besides these coaching innovations, several rules changes during the first third of the twentieth century had a profound impact on the game, mostly in opening up the passing game. In 1914, the first roughing-the-passer penalty was implemented. In 1918, the rules on eligible receivers were loosened to allow eligible players to catch the ball anywhere on the field—previously strict rules were in place only allowing passes to certain areas of the field.^[20] Scoring rules also changed during this time: field goals were lowered to three points in 1909^[4] and touchdowns raised to six points in 1912.^[21]

Star players that emerged in the early twentieth century include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and Bronko Nagurski; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and helped turn it into a successful league. Sportswriter Grantland Rice helped popularize the sport with his poetic descriptions of games and colorful nicknames for the game's biggest players, including Grange, whom he dubbed "The Galloping Ghost," Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" backfield, and Fordham University's linemen, known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite".^[22] For other uses, see Jim Thorpe (disambiguation). ... Harold (Red) Edward Grange (June 13, 1903 â€“ January 28, 1991), was a professional and college American football player. ... Bronislau Bronko Nagurski (November 3, 1908 - January 7, 1990) was an American football player. ... Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880â€“July 13, 1954) was an early 20th century American sportswriter. ... The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. ... Fordham University is a private, coeducational research university[3] in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Pop Warner

Glenn "Pop" Warner coached at several schools throughout his career, including the University of Georgia, Cornell University, University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, and the Temple University.^[23] One of his most famous stints was at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where he coached Jim Thorpe, who went on to become the first president of the National Football League, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and is widely considered one of the best overall athletes in history.^[24]^[25] Warner wrote one of the first important books of football strategy, Football for Coaches and Players, published in 1927.^[26] Though the shift was invented by Stagg, Warner's single wing and double wing formations greatly improved upon it; for almost 40 years, these were among the most important formations in football. As part of his single and double wing formations, Warner was one of the first coaches to effectively utilize the forward pass. Among his other innovations are modern blocking schemes, the three-point stance, and the reverse play.^[23] The youth football league, Pop Warner Little Scholars, was named in his honor. Head coach Mark Richt 7th year, 66â€“19â€“0 Home stadium Sanford Stadium Capacity 92,746 - Grass Conference SEC - Eastern First year 1892 Athletic director Damon Evans Website georgiadogs. ... Cornell redirects here. ... Head coach Dave Wannstedt 3rd year, 13â€“14 Home stadium Heinz Field Capacity 65,050 - Grass Conference Big East First year 1889 Athletic director Jeff Long Website PittsburghPanthers. ... The Stanford Cardinal is the mascot of the athletic teams at Stanford University. ... Logo Version - Temple Owl The Temple University football program is one of the most intriguing ones in all of college football. ... Carlisle Indian Industrial School, (1879 - 1918), in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the first federally supported school for Native Americans to be established off a reservation, was founded in 1879 by Richard Henry Pratt. ... For other uses, see Jim Thorpe (disambiguation). ... NFL redirects here. ... The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were held in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. ... In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation is any offensive formation having exactly one wingback. ... A Formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a play from scrimmage. ... ThreePointStance (often abbreviated as TPS) is a popular Internet forum similar in style and content to Something Awful but with a smaller user base. ... A reverse (sometimes referred to as an end reverse) is an unorthodox play (often called a trick play) in American football. ... The current official logo of the Pop Warner Little Scholars. ...

Knute Rockne

Knute Rockne rose to prominence in 1913 as an end for the University of Notre Dame, then a largely unknown midwestern Catholic school. When Army scheduled Notre Dame as a warm-up game, they thought little of the small school. Rockne and quarterback Gus Dorais made innovative use of the forward pass, still at that point a relatively unused weapon, to defeat Army 35–13 and helped establish the school as a national power. Rockne returned to coach the team in 1918, and devised the powerful Notre Dame Box offense, based on Warner's single wing. He is credited with being the first major coach to emphasize offense over defense. Rockne is also credited with popularizing and perfecting the forward pass, a seldom used play at the time.^[27] In 1927, his complex shifts led directly to a rule change whereby all offensive players had to stop for a full second before the ball could be snapped. Rather than simply a regional team, Rockne's "Fighting Irish" became famous for barnstorming and played any team at any location. It was during Rockne's tenure that the annual Notre Dame-University of Southern California rivalry began. He led his team to an impressive 105–12–5 record before his premature death in a plane crash in 1931. So famous was he at that point that his funeral was broadcast nationally on radio.^[23]^[28] Knute (pronounced kah-noot) (noot is the anglicized nickname) Kenneth Rockne (March 4, 1888 â€“ March 31, 1931) was an American football player and is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. ... An End in American football is a player who lines up at either end of the line of scrimmage. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Charles Gus Dorias (born July 2, 1891 in Chippewa Falls, WI, died January 3, 1954 in Birmingham, MI), was a football player and coach at the collegiate level and a coach at the professional level. ... In American football, the Notre Dame Box was a variation of the single-wing formation used with great success by Notre Dame in college football and the Green Bay Packers of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL. Green Bays coach, Curly Lambeau, learned the Notre Dame Box while... Barnstorming in athletics refers to sports teams that travel to various locations, usually small towns, to stage exhibition matches. ... The Jeweled Shillelagh (shuh-LAY-lee) is passed between the annual winner of the college football game between the University of Southern California Trojans and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. ... Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 599 was a Fokker F-10 Trimotor en route from Kansas City, Missouri to Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1931. ...

From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)

In the early 1930s, the college game continued to grow, particularly in the south, bolstered by fierce rivalries such as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry"—a rivalry between Georgia and Auburn. While prior to the mid-1920s most national powers came from the northeast or the midwest, the trend changed when Wallace William Wade's 1925 Alabama team won the 1926 Rose Bowl en route to its first national title. College football quickly became the most popular spectator sport in the South.^[29] Historic Southern United States. ... This article is about the rivalry between Georgia and Auburn. ... Head coach Tommy Tuberville 9th year, 79â€“33 Home stadium Jordan-Hare Stadium Capacity 87,451 - Grass Conference SEC - Western First year 1892 Website AuburnTigers. ... Map of the US northeast. ... This article is about the Midwestern region in the United States. ... William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892â€“October 7, 1986) was an American college football coach. ...

Several major modern college football conferences rose to prominence during this time period. The Southwest Athletic Conference had been founded in 1915. Consisting mostly of schools from Texas, the conference saw back-to-back national champions with Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1938 and Texas A&M in 1939.^[30]^[31] The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), a precursor to the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), had its own back-to-back champion in the University of Southern California which was awarded the title in 1931 and 1932.^[30] The Southeastern Conference (SEC) formed in 1932 and consisted mostly of schools in the Deep South.^[32] As in previous decades, the Big Ten continued to dominate in the 1930s and 1940s, with Minnesota winning 5 titles between 1934 and 1941, and Michigan (1933 and 1948) and Ohio State (1942) also winning titles.^[30]^[33] A 1970s logo from the old Southwest Athletic Conference. ... Head Coach Gary Patterson 8th Year, 54â€“20â€“0 Home Stadium Amon Carter Stadium Capacity 44,008 - Grass Conference Mountain West First Year 1896 Athletic Director Dr. Daniel Morrison Website GoFrogs. ... Head Coach Dennis Franchione 4th Year, 25-23 Home Stadium Kyle Field Capacity 82,600 - Natural Grass Conference Big 12 - South First Year 1894 Website AggieAthletics. ... The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States, now defunct. ... The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. ... First season 1888 Staff Athletic director Mike Garrett Head coach Pete Carroll 7th year, 76â€“14 Stadium Home stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Stadium capacity 92,500 Stadium surface Grass Location Los Angeles, California League/Conference Conference Pac-10 Team records All-time record 753â€“302â€“54 (.721) Postseason bowl... The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. ... The states in dark red comprise the Deep South. ... For information specifically about the 2006 season, see 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team. ...

As it grew beyond its regional affiliations in the 1930s, college football garnered increased national attention. Four new bowl games were created: the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, the Sun Bowl in 1935, and the Cotton Bowl in 1937. In lieu of an actual national championship, these bowl games, along with the earlier Rose Bowl, provided a way to match up teams from distant regions of the country that did not otherwise play. In 1936, the Associated Press began its weekly poll of prominent sports writers, ranking all of the nation's college football teams. Since there was no national championship game, the final version of the AP poll was used to determined who was crowned the National Champion of college football.^[34] A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically at the Division I-A level. ... The Orange Bowl is an annual college football game that is usually played on January 1 in the Miami, Florida metro area, in the United States. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... The Brut Sun Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played usually at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. ... For the Cotton Bowl stadium, see Cotton Bowl (stadium). ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Associated Press (AP) Poll, along with the USA Today Coaches Poll, ranks the top 25 NCAA Division I college football and basketball teams, weekly. ... A mythical national championship (often abbreviated MNC) is a national championship that is won without a tournament to determine an undisputed national champion. ...

The 1930s saw growth in the passing game. Though some coaches, such as General Robert Neyland at Tennessee, continued to eschew its use, several rules changes to the game had a profound effect on teams' ability to throw the ball. In 1934, the rules committee removed two major penalties—a loss of five yards for a second incomplete pass in any series of downs and a loss of possession for an incomplete pass in the end zone—and shrunk the circumference of the ball, making it easier to grip and throw. Players who became famous for taking advantage of the easier passing game included Alabama receiver Don Hutson and TCU passer "Slingin" Sammy Baugh.^[35] Robert Reese Neyland (February 17, 1892 - 1962) was an American football coach. ... Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 - June 24, 1997) was the first star wide receiver in NFL history. ... Samuel Adrian Baugh (born March 17, 1914) is a retired American football player born in Temple, Texas, the second son of James and Lucy Baugh. ...

In 1935, New York City's Downtown Athletic Club awarded the first Heisman Trophy to Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger, who was also the first ever NFL Draft pick in 1936. The trophy was designed by sculptor Frank Eliscu and modeled after NYU player Ed Smith. The trophy recognizes the nation's "most outstanding" college football player and has become one of the most coveted awards in all of American sports.^[36] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x1728, 1727 KB) You may select the license of your choice. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x1728, 1727 KB) You may select the license of your choice. ... Heisman redirects here. ... The Downtown Athletic Club was an athletic club in Lower Manhattan. ... Heisman redirects here. ... John Jay Berwanger (March 19, 1914 - June 26, 2002) was an American football player born in Dubuque, Iowa. ... The NFL Draft (officially the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting[1]) is an annual sports draft in which National Football League (NFL) teams take turns, through seven rounds[2], selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... Ed Smith (June 17, 1913 - January 29, 1998) was an American football player. ...

During World War II, college football players enlisted in the armed forces. As most of these players had eligibility left on their college careers, some of them returned to college at West Point, bringing Army back-to-back national titles in 1944 and 1945 under coach Red Blaik. Doc Blanchard (known as "Mr. Inside") and Glenn Davis (known as "Mr. Outside") both won the Heisman Trophy, in 1945 and 1946 respectively. On the coaching staff of those 1944–1946 Army teams was future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi.^[33]^[37] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Armed Forces are the military services of the United States. ... USMA redirects here. ... Earl Henry Red Blaik (February 15, 1897 - May 6, 1989) was a U.S. football coach. ... Felix Anthony Doc Blanchard (born December 11, 1924, raised in Bishopville, South Carolina) is best known as the Army football player who won the 1945 Heisman, Maxwell Award, and James E. Sullivan Award. ... Heisman redirects here. ... The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL). ... Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 â€“ September 3, 1970) was an American football coach. ...

The 1950s saw the rise of yet more dynasties and power programs. Oklahoma, under coach Bud Wilkinson, won three national titles (1950, 1955, 1956) and all ten Big Eight Conference championships in the decade while building a record 47 game winning streak. Woody Hayes led Ohio State to two national titles, in 1954 and 1957, and dominated the Big Ten conference, winning three Big Ten titles—more than any other school. Wilkinson and Hayes, along with Robert Neyland of Tennessee, oversaw a revival of the running game in the 1950s. Passing numbers dropped from an average of 18.9 attempts in 1951 to 13.6 attempts in 1955, while teams averaged just shy of 50 running plays per game. Nine out of ten Heisman trophy winners in the 1950s were runners. Notre Dame, one of the biggest passing teams of the decade, saw a substantial decline in success; the 1950s were the only decade between 1920 and 1990 when the team did not win at least a share of the national title. Paul Hornung, Notre Dame quarterback, did however win the Heisman in 1956, becoming the only player from a losing team ever to do so.^[38]^[39] In sports, the term dynasty is often used to refer to a team that dominates their sport for a period of time. ... Head coach Bob Stoops 8th year, 78â€“18 Home stadium Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Capacity 82,112 - Grass Conference Big 12 - South First year 1895 Athletic director Joe Castiglione Website SoonerSports. ... Charles Burnham Bud Wilkinson (April 23, 1916â€“February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, and broadcaster. ... The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA) by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, and Washington University in... Wayne Woodrow â€œWoodyâ€ Hayes (February 14, 1913 â€“ March 12, 1987) was a college football coach who is best remembered for winning five national titles and 13 Big Ten championships in 28 years at Ohio State University. ... A school name with an asterisk following it (ex: Northwestern*) acknowledges a major recognized national championship for that season. ... Paul Vernon Hornung (born December 23, 1935 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former all-around athlete who played college basketball but is best known as an American football player. ...

Modern college football (1958–present)

Following the enormous television success of the National Football League's 1958 championship game, college football no longer enjoyed the same popularity as the NFL, at least on a national level. While both games benefited from the advent of television, since the late 1950s, the NFL has become a nationally popular sport while college football has maintained strong regional ties.^[40]^[41]^[42] NFL redirects here. ... The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. ...

As professional football became a national television phenomenon, college football did as well. In the 1950s, Notre Dame, which had a large national following, formed its own network to broadcast its games, but by and large the sport still retained a mostly regional following. In 1952, the NCAA claimed all television broadcasting rights for the games of its member institutions, and it alone negotiated television rights. This situation continued until 1984, when several schools brought a suit under the Sherman Antitrust Act; the Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and schools are now free to negotiate their own television deals. ABC Sports began broadcasting a national Game of the Week in 1966, bringing key matchups and rivalries to a national audience for the first time.^[43] A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy, public domain image from af. ... A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy, public domain image from af. ... John Sherman The Sherman Antitrust Act (Sherman Act[1], July 2, 1890, ch. ... The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym SCOTUS[1]) is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. ... [1] ABC Sports is a division of ABC, responsible for the televising of many sports events on the network. ...

New formations and play sets continued to be developed. Emory Bellard, an assistant coach under Darrell Royal at the University of Texas, developed a three-back option style offense known as the wishbone. The wishbone is a run-heavy offense that depends on the quarterback making last second decisions on when and to whom to hand or pitch the ball to. Royal went on to teach the offense to other coaches, including Bear Bryant at Alabama, Chuck Fairbanks at Oklahoma and Pepper Rodgers at UCLA; who all adapted and developed it to their own tastes.^[44] The strategic opposite of the wishbone is the spread offense, developed by professional and college coaches throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Though some schools play a run-based version of the spread, its most common use is as a passing offense designed to "spread" the field both horizontally and vertically.^[45] Emory Bellard, a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, was head coach at Texas A&M University from 1972 to 1978. ... Darrell K. Royal (born July 6, 1924 in Hollis, Oklahoma), is a College Football Hall of Fame member, and is the most successful football coach, in terms of wins, in University of Texas Longhorn history. ... Head coach Mack Brown Ninth year, 93â€“22 Home stadium Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Capacity 85,123 - grass Conference Big 12 - South First year 1893 Athletic director DeLoss Dodds Website mackbrown-texasfootball. ... The option offense is a system of running plays in American football. ... A variant of the wishbone formation with two running backs (RB), two wide receivers (WR), a quarterback (QB), a fullback (FB), and five down linemen (OL). ... Paul William Bear Bryant (September 11, 1913â€“January 26, 1983) was an American college football coach. ... Chuck Fairbanks was a head coach for the National Football Leagues New England Patriots. ... http://ramblinwreck. ... Head coach Karl Dorrell 5th year, 30â€“20 Home stadium Rose Bowl (stadium) Capacity 92,542 - Grass Conference Pac-10 First year 1919 Team records All-time record 514â€“345â€“37 Postseason bowl record 13â€“13â€“1 Awards Wire national titles 1 Conference titles 17 Heisman winners 1 Pageantry Colors... Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. ...

Growth of bowl games

In 1940, there were only five bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Sun, and Cotton). By 1950, three more had joined that number and in 1970, there were still only eight. The number grew to eleven in 1976. At the birth of cable television and cable sports networks like ESPN, there were fifteen bowls in 1980. With more national venues and increased available revenue, the bowls saw an explosive growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the twenty years from 1960 to 1980, seven bowl games were added to the schedule. From 1980 to 2006, an additional 17 bowl games were added to the schedule.^[46]^[47] Some have criticized this growth, claiming that the increased number of games has diluted the significance of playing in a bowl game. Yet others have countered that the increased number of games has increased exposure and revenue for a greater number of schools, and see it as a positive development. ^[48] A bowl game is a post-season college football game, typically at the Division I-A level. ... Cable TV redirects here. ... ESPN, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ...

With the growth of bowl games, it became difficult to determine a national champion in a fair and equitable manner. As conferences became contractually bound to certain bowl games (a situation known as a tie-in), match-ups that guaranteed a consensus national champion became increasingly rare. In 1992, seven conferences and independent Notre Dame formed the Bowl Coalition, which attempted to arrange an annual #1 versus #2 matchup based on the final AP poll standings. The Coalition lasted for three years, however several scheduling issues prevented much success; tie-ins still took precedence in several cases. For example the Big Eight and SEC champions could never meet, since they were contractually bound to different bowl games. The coalition also excluded the Rose Bowl, arguably the most prestigious game in the nation, and two major conferences—the Pac-10 and Big Ten—meaning that it had limited success. In 1995, the Coalition was replaced by the Bowl Alliance, which reduced the number of bowl games to host a national championship game to three—the Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange Bowls—and the participating conferences to five—the ACC, SEC, Southwest, Big Eight, and Big East. It was agreed that the #1 and #2 ranked teams gave up their prior bowl tie-ins and were guaranteed to meet in the national championship game, which rotated between the three participating bowls. The system still did not include the Big Ten, Pac-10, or the Rose Bowl, and thus still lacked the legitimacy of a true national championship.^[49]^[47] The Bowl Coalition was an agreement among college football bowl games for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship bowl game and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences. ... The Bowl Alliance was an agreement among college football bowl games for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship bowl game and to provide quality bowl game matchups for the champions of its member conferences. ... The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Tostitos tortilla chips (a Frito-Lay product), is a United States college football game played annually since 1971. ... The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. ... The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of seventeen universities in the northeastern, southeastern and midwestern United States. ...

Bowl Championship Series

In 1998, a new system was put into place, the Bowl Championship Series. For the first time, it included all major conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC) and all four major bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta). The champions of these six conferences, along with two "at-large" selections, were invited to play in the four bowl games. Each year, one of the four bowl games served as a national championship game. Also, a complex system of human polls, computer rankings, and strength of schedule calculations was instituted to rank schools. Based on this ranking system, the #1 and #2 teams met each year in the national championship game. Traditional tie-ins were maintained for schools and bowls not part of the national championship. For example, in years when not a part of the national championship, the Rose Bowl still hosted the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions.^[49] Image File history File links Foxbcslogo. ... Image File history File links Foxbcslogo. ... BCS Logo 2006-Present with logo of Television Rightsholder Fox Broadcasting Company The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a selection system designed to pair the top two teams in college football against each other in the BCS National Championship Game, with the winner crowned the BCS national champion. ... BCS Logo 2006-Present with logo of Television Rightsholder Fox Broadcasting Company The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a selection system designed to pair the top two teams in college football against each other in the BCS National Championship Game, with the winner crowned the BCS national champion. ...

The system continued to change, as the formula for ranking teams was tweaked from year to year. At-large teams could be chosen from any of the Division I conferences, though only one selection—Utah in 2005—came from a non-BCS affiliated conference. Starting with the 2006 season, a fifth game—simply called the BCS National Championship Game—was added to the schedule, to be played at the site of one of the four BCS bowl games on a rotating basis, one week after the regular bowl game. This opened up the BCS to two additional at-large teams. Also, rules were changed to add the champions of five additional conferences (Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference and the Western Athletic Conference), provided that said champion ranked in the top twelve in the final BCS rankings.^[49] The first two seasons following this rule change saw two additional non-BCS schools make BCS bowl games, namely Boise State in 2006 and Hawaiʻi in 2007. Division I (or DI) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. ... The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. ... The BCS National Championship Game or BCS title game is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by Series organizers to determine the NCAA Division I-A national football championship. ... Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. ... The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a college athletic conference with a membership base that stretches from New York to Illinois. ... â€œMountain Westâ€ redirects here. ... The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAAs Division I since 1976. ... The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced wack) was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAAs Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A). ... The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2006 college football season. ... 2007 Fiesta Bowl Bowl Game Boise State Broncos at Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma Sooners (11-3) 42 January 1, 2007 - University of Phoenix Stadium The 2007 Fiesta Bowl Game was a college football bowl game sponsored by Tostitos. ... The 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team is currently representing the University of Hawaii at MÄnoa in the 2007 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season. ... The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game is an American college football bowl game. ...

Professional football

Early players, teams, and leagues (1892–1919)

In the early twentieth century, football began to catch on in the general population of the United States and was the subject of intense competition and rivalry, albeit of a localized nature. Although payments to players were considered unsporting and dishonorable at the time, a Pittsburgh area club, the Allegheny Athletic Association, surreptitiously hired former Yale All-American guard William "Pudge" Heffelfinger. On November 12, 1892, Heffelfinger became the first known professional football player. He was paid $500 to play in a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble and ran 35 yards for a touchdown, winning the game 4–0 for Allegheny. Although observers held suspicions, the payment remained a secret for years.^[50]^[51]^[3]^[4] Pittsburgh redirects here. ... William Pudge Walter Heffelfinger ( - ) was an US baseball player. ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

On September 3, 1895 the first wholly professional game was played, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club. Latrobe won the contest 12–0.^[3]^[4] In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association paid all of its players for the whole season, becoming the first fully professional football team. In 1896, the Red and Black of Watertown, New York was founded and is currently the oldest semiprofessional team in the United States; three years later in 1899, the Morgan Athletic Club, on the South Side of Chicago, was founded. This team later became the Chicago Cardinals, and now is known as the Arizona Cardinals, making them the oldest continuously operating professional football team.^[4] is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Latrobe is a city located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Not to be confused with YWCA. This article is about the association. ... Watertown is a town in Jefferson County, New York. ... The Victory Monument in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ... City Glendale, Arizona Other nicknames The Cards, The Birds, Big Red, The Buzzsaw Team colors Cardinal Red, Black, and White Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt Owner Bill Bidwill General manager Rod Graves Mascot Big Red League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1920â€“present) Western Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952... City Glendale, Arizona Other nicknames The Cards, The Birds, Big Red, The Buzzsaw Team colors Cardinal Red, Black, and White Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt Owner Bill Bidwill General manager Rod Graves Mascot Big Red League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1920â€“present) Western Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952...

The first known professional football league, known as the National Football League (not the same as the modern league) began play in 1902 with teams from the Mid Atlantic region. Several baseball clubs formed football teams to play in the league, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies. A five-team tournament, known as the World Series of Football was organized by the league. The league and the World Series only lasted two seasons.^[4] It has been suggested that Middle Atlantic States be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the sport. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901â€“present) West Division (1969â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 9, 27, 34, 42, 43, (As) Name Oakland Athletics (1968â€“present) Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967) Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1954) (Referred to as As) Other nicknames The As, The White Elephants, The... Major league affiliations National League (1883â€“present) East Division (1969â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 14, 20, 32, 36, 42 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1884â€“present) Philadelphia Quakers (1883-1889) (Also referred to as Blue Jays 1943-1945 despite formal name remaining Phillies) Other nicknames The Phils, The Phightin Phils...

The game moved west into Ohio which became the center of professional football during the early decades of the twentieth century. Small towns such as Massillon, Akron, Portsmouth, and Canton all supported professional teams in a loose coalition known as the "Ohio League," the direct predecessor to today's National Football League. In 1915, the Canton Bulldogs signed former Olympian and Carlisle Indian School standout Jim Thorpe to a contract. Thorpe became the face of professional football for the next several years and was present at the founding of the National Football League five years later.^[4]^[52] This article is about the U.S. State. ... Massillon is a city located in Stark County, Ohio. ... Nickname: The Rubber Capital of the World Location within the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Summit Founded 1825 Incorporated 1835 (village) - 1865 (city) Government - Mayor Don Plusquellic (D) Area - City 62. ... Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. ... Canton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Stark CountyGR6. ... NFL redirects here. ... The Canton Bulldogs played in Canton, Ohio in the National Football League from 1920 - 1923 and 1925 - 1926. ...

Early years of the NFL (1920–1945)

Formation

In 1920, the first professional league, the American Professional Football Association, was founded, in a meeting at a Hupmobile car dealership in Canton, Ohio. Jim Thorpe was elected the league's first president. After several more meetings, the league's membership was formalized. The original teams were:^[21]^[53] Image File history File links Jim_Thorpe. ... Image File history File links Jim_Thorpe. ... For other uses, see Jim Thorpe (disambiguation). ... NFL redirects here. ... The Hupp Motor Car Company was founded by Robert Craig Hupp, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on November 8, 1908 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, and began manufacturing its first automobiles soon thereafter. ...

In its early years the league was little more than a formal agreement between teams to play each other and to declare a champion at season's end. Teams were still permitted to play non-league members. The 1920 season saw several teams drop out and fail to play through their schedule. Only four teams: Akron, Buffalo, Canton, and Decatur, finished the schedule. Akron claimed the first league champion, with the only undefeated record among the remaining teams.^[21]^[54] The Akron Pros was a team in that played in Akron, Ohio in the National Football League from 1920-1925 and as the Akron Indians in 1926. ... Buffalo, New York had three teams in the National Football League during the 1920s. ... The Canton Bulldogs played in Canton, Ohio in the National Football League from 1920 - 1923 and 1925 - 1926. ... ... The Cleveland Indians was the name of three separate National Football League teams from Cleveland, Ohio. ... The Columbus Panhandles were a football team from Columbus, Ohio in the National Football League. ... Dayton Triangles of the National Football League played from 1920 to 1929. ... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue and Orange Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football... Detroit, Michigan had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. ... The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926. ... The Muncie Flyers from Muncie, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920-1921. ... City Glendale, Arizona Other nicknames The Cards, The Birds, Big Red, The Buzzsaw Team colors Cardinal Red, Black, and White Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt Owner Bill Bidwill General manager Rod Graves Mascot Big Red League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1920â€“present) Western Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952... Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. ... Rock Island Independents, based in Rock Island, Illinois, played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925 and in American Football League 1926 Categories: Stub | Defunct American football teams | Illinois sports ...

Expansion

In 1921, several more teams joined the league, increasing the membership to 22 teams. Among the new additions were the Green Bay Packers, which now has the record for longest use of an unchanged team name. Also in 1921, A. E. Staley, the owner of the Decatur Staleys, sold the team to player-coach George Halas, who went on to become one of the most important figures in the first half century of the NFL. In 1921, Halas moved the team to Chicago, but retained the Staleys nickname. In 1922 the team was renamed the Chicago Bears.^[55]^[56] Packers redirects here. ... A. E. Staley is a Decatur, Illinois based processor of corn and soybeans. ... George Stanley Halas, Sr. ... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue and Orange Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football...

By the mid-1920s, NFL membership had grown to 25 teams, and a rival league known as the American Football League was formed. The rival AFL folded after a single season, but it symbolized a growing interest in the professional game. Several college stars joined the NFL, most notably Red Grange from the University of Illinois, who was taken on a famous barnstorming tour in 1925 by the Chicago Bears.^[57]^[55] Note: There were three earlier and unrelated major American professional football leagues of the same name: One in 1926, one in 1936-1937 and one in 1940-1941. ... Harold (Red) Edward Grange (June 13, 1903 â€“ January 28, 1991), was a professional and college American football player. ... Head coach Ron Zook 3rd year, 13â€“22 Home stadium Memorial Stadium (Champaign) Capacity 65,143 - AstroPlay Conference Big Ten First year 1890 Athletic director Ron Guenther Website CoachRonZook. ...

1932 NFL playoff game

At the end of the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans were tied with the best regular-season records. To determine the champion, the league voted to hold its first playoff game. Because of cold weather, the game was held indoors at Chicago Stadium, which forced some temporary rule changes. Chicago won, 9–0. The playoff proved so popular that the league reorganized into two divisions for the 1933 season, with the winners advancing to a scheduled championship game. A number of new rule changes were also instituted: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between the hash marks, and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (instead of the previous five yards behind).^[58]^[59]^[60] In 1936, the NFL instituted the first ever draft of college players. The first selection was Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger, but he declined to play professionally.^[61] Also in that year, another AFL formed, but it also lasted only two seasons.^[62] The 1932 NFL Playoff Game was the first ever playoff game held by the National Football League (NFL), the major professional American football sports league in the United States. ... The 1932 NFL season was the 13th regular season of the National Football League. ... City Chicago, Illinois Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue and Orange Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football... City Detroit, Michigan Team colors Honolulu Blue, Silver, and Black Head Coach Rod Marinelli Owner William Clay Ford, Sr. ... The 1932 NFL Playoff Game was the first ever playoff game held by the National Football League (NFL), the major professional American football sports league in the United States. ... The Chicago Stadium was a famed and historic indoor sports arena in Chicago, Illinois. ... The 1933 NFL season was the 14th regular season of the National Football League. ... In ice hockey, the hash marks are two pairs of parrel lines on both sides of the face-off circles in both ends of the rink. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The NFL Draft (officially the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting[1]) is an annual sports draft in which National Football League (NFL) teams take turns, through seven rounds[2], selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players. ...

War years

In 1941, the NFL named its first Commissioner, Elmer Layden. The new office replaced that of President. Layden held the job for five years, before being replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers co-owner Bert Bell in 1946.^[63] Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 â€“ June 30, 1973) served as Commissioner of the National Football League and as head football coach at Notre Dame. ... Steelers redirects here. ... Bert Bell (1895-1959) was co-founder (with Lud Wray) of the Frankford Yellowjackets in 1924 (whose name was changed to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933), and commissioner of the National Football League from 1946 until his death. ...

During World War II, a player shortage led to a shrinking of the league as several teams folded and others merged. Among the short-lived merged teams were the Steagles (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) in 1943, the Carpets (Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh) in 1944, and a team formed from the merger of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Yanks in 1945.^[53]^[63] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Steagles is the popular nickname for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season. ... Card Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals, during the 1944 season. ... The Brooklyn Dodgers was an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. ... The Boston Yanks started play in the National Football League in 1944. ...

Stability and growth of the NFL (1946–1957)

1946 was an important year in the history of professional football. Bert Bell became commissioner of the NFL, providing a stable source of leadership for the next 13 years.^[63]^[64] Before he became commissioner, league membership was fluid; between 1920 and 1945, 53 teams had gone defunct.^[53] In 1946, the NFL had ten teams, nine of which are still in operation today.^[65] The league integrated in 1946, when the Los Angeles Rams signed two African American players, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode. Also that year, a competing league, the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), began operation.^[63] Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Ethnocracy Anti-discriminatory Affirmative action in the United States Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity... League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1936) National Football League (1937â€“present) Western Division (1937-1949) National Conference (1950-1952) Western Conference (1953-1969) Coastal Division (1967-1969) National Football Conference (1970-present) NFC West (1970-present) Current uniform Team colors Millennium Blue and New Century Gold Personnel Owner Chip... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Kenny Washington Kenneth S. Kingfish Washington (born August 31, 1918, Los Angeles, California; died June 24, 1971) was a professional football player who was one of the first African-Americans to play in the National Football Leagues modern (post-World War II) era. ... Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode (born July 25, 1914, Los Angeles, California; died December 31, 1994) was a decathlete and football star at UCLA before becoming a pioneering African-American film actor. ... The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. ...

During the 1950s, additional teams entered the league. In 1950, the AAFC folded, and three teams from that league were absorbed into the NFL: the Cleveland Browns (who had won the AAFC Championship every year of the league's existence), the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Colts (not the same as the modern franchise, this version folded after one year). The remaining players were chosen by the now 13 NFL teams in a dispersal draft. Also in 1950, the Los Angeles Rams became the first team to televise its entire schedule, marking the beginning of an important relationship between television and professional football.^[63] In 1952, the Dallas Texans went defunct, becoming the last NFL franchise to do so.^[53] The following year a new Baltimore Colts franchise formed to take over the assets of the Texans. The players' union, known as the NFL Players Association, formed in 1956.^[66] Browns redirects here. ... City San Francisco, California Other nicknames Niners, The Red And Gold, Bay Bombers Team colors Cardinal red, metallic gold and black Head Coach Mike Nolan Owner Denise DeBartolo York and John York General manager Lal Heneghan Mascot Sourdough Sam League/Conference affiliations All-America Football Conference (1946-1949) Western Division... A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team folds, consolidates with another team, or for some other reason ceases to exist. ... The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11. ... League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1953â€“present) Western Conference (1953-1969) Coastal Division (1967-1969) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC East (1970-2001) AFC South (2002-present) Current uniform Team colors Royal Blue, White Mascot Blue Personnel Owner Jim Irsay General Manager Bill Polian Head Coach Tony Dungy... The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is the labor union of players in footballs National Football League. ...

NFL supremacy (1958–present)

The Greatest Game Ever Played

At the conclusion of the 1958 NFL season, the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants met at Yankee Stadium to determine the league champion. Tied after 60 minutes of play, it became the first NFL game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since become widely known as "the Greatest Game Ever Played". It was carried live on the NBC television network, and the national exposure it provided the league has been cited as a watershed moment in professional football history, helping propel the NFL to become one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States.^[67]^[66]^[68] Journalist Tex Maule said of the contest, "This, for the first time, was a truly epic game which inflamed the imagination of a national audience."^[69] The 1958 NFL Championship Game is regarded by many, and titled by the NFL, as the â€œGreatest Game Ever Playedâ€. The game featured the New York Giants led by defensive great Sam Huff and the Baltimore Colts led by quarterback Johnny Unitas. ... The 1958 NFL season was the 39th regular season of the National Football League. ... The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... This article is about the current National Football League team. ... This page is about the stadium the New York Yankees currently play in. ... For other uses, see Sudden death (disambiguation). ... Overtime is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport in order to bring the game to a decision and avoid declaring the contest a tie or draw. ... League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1953â€“present) Western Conference (1953-1969) Coastal Division (1967-1969) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC East (1970-2001) AFC South (2002-present) Current uniform Team colors Royal Blue, White Mascot Blue Personnel Owner Jim Irsay General Manager Bill Polian Head Coach Tony Dungy... This article is about the current National Football League team. ... This article is about the television network. ...

American Football League and merger

In 1959, longtime NFL commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack while attending an Eagles/Steelers game at Franklin Field. That same year, Dallas, Texas businessman Lamar Hunt led the formation of the rival American Football League, the fourth such league to bear that name. Unlike the earlier rival leagues, and bolstered by television exposure, the AFL posed a significant threat to NFL dominance of the professional football world. With the exception of Los Angeles and New York, the AFL avoided placing teams in markets where they directly competed with established NFL franchises. In 1960, the AFL began play with eight teams, and new NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle took office.^[66] Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvanias stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field (and formerly for soccer). ... Dallas redirects here. ... Lamar Hunt (August 2, 1932 â€“ December 13, 2006) was a promoter of American football, soccer, tennis, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee of the first three sports halls of fame. ... Note: There were three earlier and unrelated major American professional football leagues of the same name: One in 1926, one in 1936-1937 and one in 1940-1941. ... Alvin Ray Pete Rozelle (March 1, 1926–December 6, 1996) was the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from January 1960 to November 1989, when he retired from office. ...

The AFL became a viable alternative to the NFL as it made a concerted effort to poach established talent from the NFL and worked hard to secure top college players. Led by Oakland Raiders owner and AFL commissioner Al Davis, the AFL established a "war chest" to entice top talent with higher pay than they got from the NFL. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Babe Parilli became a star for the Boston Patriots during the early years of the AFL, and University of Alabama passer Joe Namath rejected the NFL to play for the New York Jets. Namath became the face of the league as it reached its height of popularity in the mid-1960s. Davis's methods worked, and in 1966, the junior league forced a partial merger with the NFL. The two leagues agreed to have a common draft and play in a common season-ending championship game, known as the AFL-NFL World Championship. Two years later, the game's name was changed to the Super Bowl.^[70]^[71]^[72] Image File history File links AmericanFootballLeague. ... Image File history File links AmericanFootballLeague. ... Note: There were three earlier and unrelated major American professional football leagues of the same name: One in 1926, one in 1936-1937 and one in 1940-1941. ... City Oakland, California Other nicknames The Silver and Black Team colors Silver and Black Head Coach Lane Kiffin Owner Al Davis General manager Al Davis League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960â€“1969) Western Division (1960â€“1969) National Football League (1970â€“present) American Football Conference (1970â€“present) AFC West (1970... For other persons named Al Davis, see Al Davis (disambiguation). ... Vito Babe Parilli (born 1930) of the University of Kentucky was an All-American starting quarterback for the Wildcats under Coach Paul Bear Bryant. ... City Foxborough, Massachusetts Other nicknames The Pats Team colors Nautical Blue, New Century Silver, Red, and White Head Coach Bill Belichick Owner Robert Kraft General manager Bill Belichick (de facto) Mascot Pat Patriot League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960â€“69) Eastern Division (1960â€“69) National Football League (1970â€“present... Joseph William Namath (born May 31, 1943), also known as Broadway Joe, was an American football Hall of Fame quarterback in the American Football League and National Football League during the 1960s and 1970s. ... City East Rutherford, New Jersey Other nicknames Gang Green, the Green and White, Jersey Jets Team colors Hunter green and white Head Coach Eric Mangini Owner Woody Johnson General manager Mike Tannenbaum League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Eastern Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970â€“present) American... The NFL Draft (officially the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting[1]) is an annual sports draft in which National Football League (NFL) teams take turns, through seven rounds[2], selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players. ... The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ...

The NFL won the first two Super Bowls handily, and it looked as though the younger AFL was outclassed. Following the 1968 season, Super Bowl III proved to be the turning point in the AFL's fortunes. The heavily favored Baltimore Colts lost to the New York Jets and Joe Namath, cementing the AFL's place as equal in stature to the NFL. In 1970, the two leagues merged to form a new 26-team league.^[70] Date January 12, 1969 Stadium Miami Orange Bowl City Miami, Florida MVP Joe Namath, Quarterback Favorite Colts by 18 National anthem Anita Bryant Coin toss Tom Bell Referee Tom Bell Halftime show America Thanks with Florida A&M University Attendance 75,389 TV in the United States Network NBC Announcers... The AFL-NFL Merger of 1970 involved the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States during the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). ...

Modern NFL

The NFL continued to grow, expanding several times to its current 32-team membership, and the Super Bowl has become more than simply a football championship. One of the most popular televised events annually in the United States,^[1] it has become a major source of advertising revenue for the television networks that have carried it and it serves as a means for advertisers to debut elaborate and expensive commercials for their products.^[73] The NFL has grown to become the most popular spectator sports league in the United States.^[74] NFL redirects here. ... A number of commercials are show during the Super Bowl, one of footballs biggest annual events. ...

One of the things that has marked the modern NFL as different from other major professional sports leagues is the apparent parity between its 32 teams. While from time to time, dominant teams have arisen, the league has been cited as one of the few where every team has a realistic chance of winning the championship from year to year.^[75] The league's complex labor agreement with its player's union, which mandates a hard salary cap and revenue sharing between its clubs, prevents the richest teams from stockpiling the best players and gives even teams in smaller cities such as Green Bay and New Orleans the opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl.^[76] One of the chief architects of this labor agreement was former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who presided over the league from 1989–2006.^[77] In addition to providing parity between the clubs, the current labor contract, established in 1993 and renewed in 1998 and 2006, has kept player salaries low—the lowest among the four major league sports in the United States—^[78] and has helped make the NFL the only league since 1993 not to suffer any player strike or work stoppage.^[79] Major Leagues redirects here. ... In sports, the term dynasty is often used to refer to a team that dominates their sport for a period of time. ... The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is the labor union of players in footballs National Football League. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Green Bay is the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... NOLA redirects here. ... Paul John Tagliabue (born November 24, 1940 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was the Commissioner of the National Football League. ...

Since taking over as commissioner prior to the 2006 season, Roger Goodell has made player conduct a priority of his office. Since taking office, several high profile players have experienced trouble with the law, from Adam "Pacman" Jones to Michael Vick. In these and other cases, commissioner Goodell has mandated lengthy suspensions for players who fall outside of acceptable conduct limits.^[80] The 2006 season of the National Football League (NFL) was the 87th one played by the major professional American football league in the United States. ... Roger S. Goodell (born February 19, 1959, in Jamestown, New York[1]) is the Commissioner of the National Football League, having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. ... Commissioner Goodell frequently emphasizes the protection of the NFLs public image, including the shield. ... Adam Bernard Pacman Jones (born September 30, 1983) is an African American cornerback and kick return specialist currently signed to the Tennessee Titans American football franchise of the National Football League (NFL). ... Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980 in Newport News, Virginia) is an American football quarterback for the National Football Leagues Atlanta Falcons franchise. ...

Other professional leagues

Several other professional football leagues have been formed since the AFL-NFL merger, though none have had the success of the AFL. In 1974, the World Football League formed and was able to attract such stars as Larry Csonka away from the NFL with lucrative contracts. However, most of the WFL franchises were insolvent and the league folded in 1975; the Memphis Southmen, the team that had signed Csonka and the most financially stable of the teams, unsuccessfully sued to join the NFL. WFL logo The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The Memphis Southmen was a franchise in the World Football League which operated in 1974 and 1975. ...

In 1982, the United States Football League formed as a spring league, and enjoyed moderate success during its first two seasons behind such stars as Jim Kelly and Herschel Walker. It moved its schedule to the fall in 1985, and tried to compete with the NFL directly, but it was unable to do so and folded, despite winning an anti-trust suit against the older league. â€œUSFLâ€ redirects here. ... For other persons named Jim Kelly, see Jim Kelly (disambiguation). ... Herschel Walker (born March 3, 1962 in Wrightsville, Georgia) is a former professional American football player in the United States Football League and the National Football League. ...

In 2001, the XFL was formed as a joint venture between the World Wrestling Federation and the NBC television network. It folded after one season due to a lack of fan interest. However, XFL stars such as Tommy Maddox and Rod "He Hate Me" Smart later saw success in the NFL.^[81]^[82]^[83] â€¹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Thomas (Tommy) Alfred Maddox (born September 2, 1971 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a football quarterback who most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. ... Rod Smart Torrold D. Rod Smart (born January 9, 1977, Lakeland, Florida) is an American football player who played for the Super Bowl XXXVIII runner-up Carolina Panthers as a kick return man/running back. ...

The NFL founded a developmental league known as the World League of American Football with teams based in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The WLAF ran for two years, from 1991 to 1992. The league went on a two-year hiatus before reorganizing as NFL Europe in 1995, with teams only in European cities. The name of the league was changed to NFL Europa in 2006. After the 2007 season, the NFL announced that it was closing down the league to focus its international marketing efforts in other ways, such as playing NFL regular season games in cities outside of the U.S.^[84] The World League of American Football (WLAF) was founded in 1990 with support from the NFL to play semi-professional American Football in North America, Europe and later maybe Asia. ... NFL Europa is an American football league which operates in Europe. ...

Two football leagues are scheduled to begin play in the near future. The All American Football League, a six team league scheduled to begin play in April 2009, will be based in communities with large college football followings.^[85]^[86] The United Football League, scheduled to open in August 2009, will be a fall league in direct competition with the NFL. Involved in this league are Mark Cuban, media mogul and owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks and William Hambrecht, a prominent Wall Street investor.^[87]^[88]^[89] The All American Football League is a professional American football league. ... Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American billionaire entrepreneur. ... NBA redirects here. ... The Dallas Mavericks (also known as the Mavs) are a professional basketball team of the National Basketball Association based in Dallas, Texas. ... Bill Hambrecht (born 1935) is an American investment banker and chairman of W.R. Hambrecht + Co. ... Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ...

Youth and high school football

American football is a popular participatory sport among youth. One of the earliest youth football organizations was founded in Philadelphia, in 1929, as the Junior Football Conference. Organizer Joe Tomlin started the league to provide activities and guidance for teenage boys who were vandalizing the factory he owned. The original four-team league expanded to sixteen teams in 1933 when Pop Warner, who had just been hired as the new coach of the Temple University football team, agreed to give a lecture to the boys in the league. In his honor, the league was renamed the Pop Warner Conference.^[90]^[91] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 1140 KB) My photo from December 2006 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 1140 KB) My photo from December 2006 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. ... The current official logo of the Pop Warner Little Scholars. ...

Today, Pop Warner Little Scholars—as the program is now known—enrolls over 300,000 young boys and girls ages 5–16 in over 5000 football and cheerleading squads, and has affiliate programs in Mexico and Japan.^[91] Other organizations, such as the Police Athletic League,^[92] Upward,^[93] and the National Football League's NFL Youth Football Program^[94] also manage various youth football leagues. Youth Cheerleaders during a football halftime show. ... The Police Athletic League (PAL) is an organization in many American police departments in which members of the police force coach young people, both boys and girls, in sports, and help with homework and other school-related activities. ... Upward is a Christian sports program that is found in many churches. ...

Football is a popular sport for high schools in the United States. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) was founded in 1920 as an umbrella organization for state-level organizations that manage high school sports, including high school football. The NFHS publishes the rules followed by most local high school football associations.^[90]^[95] More than 13,000 high schools participate in football, and in some places high school teams play in stadiums that rival college-level facilities. In Denton, Texas, for example, a 12,000 seat, $21,000,000 stadium hosts two local high school football teams.^[96] The growth of high school football and its impact on small town communities has been documented by landmark non-fiction works such as the 1990 book Friday Night Lights and the subsequent fictionalized film and television series.^[97] For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... The National Federation of State High School Associations (or NFHS) is the body which oversees and governs most high school interscholastic athletics and extracirriculars in the United States at the national level. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas US Government Portal A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... A running back sweeps the left end in a high school football game near // Link title Cincinnati, Ohio High school football or prep(s) football is one of most popular interscholastic sports at high schools in the United States and among the most popular in Canada after ice hockey. ... Motto: North of Ordinary Location within the state of Texas County Denton County Government - Mayor Perry McNeill Area - City 161. ... Friday Night Lights is the 1990 book and 2004 movie that documents the coach and players of a high school football team and the Texas city of Odessa that supports and is obsessed with them. ... Friday Night Lights is an award-winning American television serial drama adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book of the same name. ...

American football outside the United States

American football is most popular in Russia. American football has been played outside the US since the 1920s and accelerated in popularity after World War II, especially in countries with large numbers of U.S. military personnel, who often formed a substantial proportion of the players and spectators. This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football. ... The 1920s they were sexy referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In 1998, the International Federation of American Football, was formed to coordinate international amateur competition. At present, 45 associations from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania are organized within the IFAF, which claims to represent 23 million amateur athletes.^[98] The IFAF, which is based in Paris, France, organizes the quadrennial American Football World Cup. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... IFAF Logo International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of American football associations outside of the United States. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of France. ... American Football World Cup is an international competition held every four years since 1999 to decide on a world champion of American football. ...

Until 2007, Japan dominated amateur football outside of the USA.^[99] The Japanese national team won the first two world cups — hosted by Italy in 1999 and Germany in 2003 — defeating Mexico in the play-off on both occasions. Japan had never lost a game until it went down at home, 23-20, to the US Amateur Team in the final of the 2007 World Cup. The 1999 IFAF World Cup was the first world championship of American football 6 nations entered the championship. ... The 2003 IFAF World Cup was the second American football world championship held by IFAF. Japan won the championship. ... The United States national american football team is the official American football team nationally of the United States. ... The 2007 IFAF World Cup will be the 3rd IFAF World Cup to be held. ...

Mexico

American football has been played in Mexico since the early 1920s, and is a strong minority sport at Mexican colleges and universities, mainly in Mexico City. Over successive decades, more universities and colleges joined the championship, and four categories, called fuerzas, were created. The First Fuerza became the National League in 1970. In 1978, this was reorganized under the name Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano (ONEFA).^[100] Nickname: Location of Mexico City Coordinates: , Country Federal entity Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded c. ... The National Student Organization of American Football, (in Spanish, ONEFA: OrganizaciÃ³n Nacional Estudiantil de FÃºtbol Americano) is a Mexican college football league. ...

Japan

The Japan American Football Association was founded in 1934 with three collegiate teams: Rikkyo, Meiji and Waseda.^[101] By 1937, an allstar game involving teams representing eastern and western Japan, attracted over 25,000 spectators. Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rikkyo University (St. ... Meiji UniversitySchool house. ... Waseda University ), often abbreviated to SÅdai ), is a private university in Japan. ...

In Japan, high school teams also began to appear. In the 1970s, the movement of players between Japan and the U.S. increased dramatically, along with greater exposure on Japanese television.

Europe

American football in Europe first began as a four-team tournament between NATO allies on the west coast of Italy. The game began to take hold in Italy, with the first game between two European teams occurring between teams from Piacenza and Bergamo. The German Football League was formed in 1979. By 1981, the first international games between European nations occurred, as a two game series between German and Italian teams.^[102] This article is about the military alliance. ... Piacenza (Placentia in Latin and old-fashioned English, PiasÃ«insa in the local dialect of Emiliano-Romagnolo) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. ... Small street (via della Noca) leading to cittÃ alta. ... The German football League (GFL) is the elite bundesliga for American football in Germany. ...

The first European governing body, the American European Football Federation (AEFF) was formed in 1982 by representatives from Finland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and France. The league expanded in 1985 to include Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Great Britain and changed its name to the European Football League. Now known as the European Federation of American Football, it now is made up of 14 member nations. Today, there are approximately 800 American football clubs throughout Europe, with Germany's American Football Verband Deutschland (AFVD) overseeing more than 230 clubs.^[102] The Eurobowl is both the final game and the trophy of an European American football contest. ...

Similar codes of football

Other codes of football share a common history with American football. Canadian football is a form of the game that evolved parallel to American football. While both games share a common history, there are some important differences between the two.^[103] A more modern sport that derives from American football is Arena football, designed to be played indoors inside of hockey or basketball arenas. The game was invented in 1981 by Jim Foster and the Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as the first major professional league to play the sport. Several other indoor football leagues have since been founded and continue to play today.^[104] Diagram of a Canadian football field. ... Diagram of a Canadian football field Diagram of an American football field Canadian and American football are very similar, as both have their origins in rugby. ... Arena football is a sport invented by Jim Foster, a former executive of the United States Football League and the National Football League. ... Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round disc called a puck, into the opponents net or goal, using a hockey stick. ... This article is about the sport. ... Jim Foster is the founder of the Arena Football League in 1987. ... The Arena Football League (AFL) was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. ...

American football's parent sport of rugby continued to evolve. Today, two distinct codes of rugby, known as rugby union and rugby league are played. Since the two codes split in 1895, the history of rugby league and the history of rugby union have evolved separately.^[105] For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Rugby league football is a full-contact team sport played with a prolate spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... A comparison of rugby league and rugby union is possible due to the games similarities and shared origins. ... The history of rugby league began with the early schism of 1895 in the sport of Rugby football. ... The history of rugby union follows from various football games played long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that rules were formulated and codified. ...

Contents

Early Years

First Games

Intercollegiate football

Rutgers v. Princeton (1869)

Rules standardization (1873–1880)

Walter Camp: Father of American football

Violence and controversy (1905)

Modernization and innovation (1906–1930)

Pop Warner

Knute Rockne

From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)

Modern college football (1958–present)

Growth of bowl games

Bowl Championship Series

Professional football

Early players, teams, and leagues (1892–1919)

Early years of the NFL (1920–1945)

Formation

Expansion

1932 NFL playoff game

War years

Stability and growth of the NFL (1946–1957)

NFL supremacy (1958–present)

The Greatest Game Ever Played

American Football League and merger

Modern NFL

Other professional leagues

Youth and high school football

American football outside the United States

Mexico

Japan

Europe

Similar codes of football

See also

Notes

Expansion (1880–1904)

References

Further reading

Contents

Early Years GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

First Games

Intercollegiate football

Rutgers v. Princeton (1869)

Rules standardization (1873–1880)

Walter Camp: Father of American football

Violence and controversy (1905)

Modernization and innovation (1906–1930)

Pop Warner

Knute Rockne

From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)

Modern college football (1958–present)

Growth of bowl games

Bowl Championship Series

Professional football

Early players, teams, and leagues (1892–1919)

Early years of the NFL (1920–1945)

Formation

Expansion

1932 NFL playoff game

War years

Stability and growth of the NFL (1946–1957)

NFL supremacy (1958–present)

The Greatest Game Ever Played

American Football League and merger

Modern NFL

Other professional leagues

Youth and high school football

American football outside the United States

Mexico

Japan

Europe

Similar codes of football

See also

Notes

Expansion (1880–1904)

References

Further reading

Early Years