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Start Of Football
The birth date of football in the United States is generally regarded by football historians as November 6, 1869, when teams from Rutgers and Princeton Universities met for the first intercollegiate football game. These early games were more like rugby then modern football with 20players to a team -
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History of Football
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IFA
representatives from Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale Universities met in New York City to formulate the first intercollegiate football rules for the increasingly popular game. These four teams established the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA) and set 15 as the number of players allowed on each team. -
Rugby Into American Football
Walter Camp of Yale University , disagreed with a 15 men team and fought for a 11 men team. He also added other rules like instituting the size of the playing field, at one hundred ten yards. -
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Beginning of Football
Derived from the English game of rugby, American football started in 1879 -
Downs
Camp introduced the system of downs. -
1st Professional Player
William "Pudge" Heffelfinger was know as the first professional football player. Heffelfinger played at Yale University in 1889, 1890 and 1891. He was the first player to be paid to play the game. They offered him $500. -
1st Pro Game
the first professional game of football was played, in Latrobe, Pennslyvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette athletic club. -
1st Professional Team
The Latrobe YMCA became the first fully professional football team beacause the team payed all of its players for the whole season. -
The End Of American Football?
Within a decade, concern over the increasing brutality of the game led to its ban by some colleges. Nearly 180 players had suffered serious injuries, and 18 eighteen deaths had been reported from the brutal mass plays that had become common practice. So President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport if serious changes werent made -
Beginning of NCAA
At a meeting between the schools, reform was agreed upon, and at a second meeting, attended by more than sixty other schools, the group appointed a seven member Rules Committee and set up what would later become known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA. -
New NCAA Rules
From this committee came the legalization of the forward pass, which resulted in a redesign of the ball and a more open style of play on the field. The rough mass plays, which once caused so many serious injuries, were prohibited by the committee. Also prohibited was the locking of arms by teammates in an effort to clear the way for their ball carriers. The length of the game was shortened, from seventy to sixty minutes, and the neutral zone, which separates the teams by the length of the ball -
Distance
After first allowing three attempts to advance the ball five yards, in 1906 the distance was changed to ten yards -
4th Down
The fourth down was added in 1912. -
1st Black Head Coach
Akron Pros star Fritz Pollard adds coaching responsibilities to his on-field duties, becoming the NFL's first black head coach. -
1st APFA Trophy & New APFA President
The Akron Pros are awarded the first APFA championship trophy because they are the only undefeated team for the 1920 season. Joe Carr, executive of the Columbus Panhandles, replaces Thorpe as APFA president. -
NFL Begins
The American Professional Football League (APFL) officially renames itself as The National Football League (NFL) -
NY Giants Join The NFL
NFL president Joe Carr convinces businessman Tim Mara to start a New York NFL team. After signing an agreement to play at the Polo Grounds, he names his team the Giants after the baseball team which also played there. -
Education Before Football
The NFL institutes a rule banning teams from signing college players until their class has graduated after complaints from numerous colleges. -
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers become the first team to win three consecutive NFL championships -
Eagles & Pirates (Future Steelers)
The Philadelphia Eagles are founded by two former members of the Frankford Yellowjackets. The Pittsburgh Pirates (the future Steelers) are founded by Art Rooney as well. -
1st Plastic Helmets
Riddell develops the first plastic helmet. It doesn't become popular for nearly a decade. -
Joe Carr Dies
NFL president Joe Carr dies. Carl Strock, the NFL's secretary/treasurer since its inception, is named his temporary replacement -
Biggest Lost
The Chicago Bears humilate the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the Championship Game. It is both the largest margin of victory and most points by one team ever in an NFL game. -
AAFC & NFL Stay Seperate
NFL Commisioner Elmer Layden rejects a final offer by the AAFC teams to merge with the NFL -
Overtime Added In Playoffs
The NFL league offices move from Chicago to Philadelphia. Rules for sudden death overtime in playoff games are added. -
AAFC & NFL Finally Merge
The AAFC merges with the NFL, which takes on three of the teams: the Cleveland Browns, the San Fransisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Colts. -
Bad Start Of The Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys join the NFL with Tom Landry at head coach and Tex Schramm as general manager. Their first season ends with a miserable 0-11-1 record. -
Viking Joins The NFL
The Minnesota Vikings join the NFL. -
NFL makes a number of changes.
Rules on pass blocking are relaxed and defensive contact with recievers is limited to within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. The side judge is added as the seventh official. The number of games is increased to 16. -
Sacks Arent the Same Tackles
The NFL begins counting sacks seperately from tackles -
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) begins play with 12 teams and games in the spring. -
USFL Exands Team #
The USFL expands to 18 teams. -
NFL President
Neil Austrian is named to the newly created posistion of NFL President. -
Start of the Baltimore Raven
The Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore and become the Ravens. To appease angry Cleveland fans, the Browns team history is left behind; the Ravens are treated as a completely new team -
Browns Are Back
The Cleveland Browns return to the NFL. -
Texans
The Houston Texans (AFC) join the NFL.
