COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
HARVARD 0 – YALE 0
NOV.25, 1911. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS AND
PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, LC-USZ62-130692
Football practice at Yale (1908-1915)
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. LC-UCZ62128537
SUMMARY
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FOOTBALL MULTIPLE ORIGINS
THE STUDENT ERA, 1870-1905
WALTER CAMP PRINCIPLES
PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL FIRST
ATTEMPTS, FOOTBALL WORLD SERIES
FOOTBALL REFORM, 1905-1920
KING FOOTBALL ERA, 1920-1945
FOOTBALL vs. BASEBALL 1920-1930s
CONTEST
EARLY HISTORICAL ORIGINS:
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MANY CULTURES PRACTICED SPORT COMPETITIONS THAT
COULD BE CONSIDERED ANCESTORS OF FOOTBALL. IN
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME ADVANCING A BALL INTO THE
OPPONENT’S GOAL WAS CALLED HARPASTON OR
HASPASTUM
LATER IN EUROPE ENGLISH VILLAGES ORGANIZED MANY
GOAL/BALL-KICKING COMPETITIONS, SOMETIMES
INVOLVING THE MOST ATHLETIC BOYS IN EACH VILLAGE OR
PARISH
IN RENAISSANCE ITALY A BALL-KCKING SPORT WAS THE
CALCIO
BALL-CARRYING COMPETITIONS WERE COMMON TO MANY
CULTURES IN PREINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
INFORMAL RULES APPLIED TO FIELD SIZE, SCORING, ETC.
BRITISH HERITAGE:
BRITISH TRADITIONS ARE THE DIRECT ANCESTORS OF AMERICAN
FOOTBALL
IN THE 19TH CENTURY FOOTBALL WAS A FAVORITE SCHOOL YARD
GAME AND COMPETITIONS IN BRITAIN.
 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (SOCCER) AND RUGBY WERE DIFFERENT
VARIATIONS OF THE SAME TRADITION, AND ONLY SEPARATED
WITH AUTONOMOUS RULES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH
CENTURY
 1823 WILLIAM WEBB ELLIS STORY AND THE “BIRTH OF RUGBY”.
 1860s-70s ENGLISH RUGBY AND SOCCER ASSOCIATIONS.
 STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS.
 1863 LONDON FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION WAS BORN
FOOTBALL TRADITIONS IN THE
UNITED STATES
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FOLLOWING THE BRITISH TRADITIONS, STUDENTS IN
PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE EAST COAST ORGANIZED
FOOTBALL GAMES AS AFTER SCHOOL RECREATIONAL
ACTIVITIES
1840s YALE UNIVERSITY- AFTER SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES.
“BLOODY MONDAY” WAS A HARVARD FOOTBALL TRADITION,
ABOLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY AUTHORITIES IN 1860.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS TRADITIONALLY FEATURED
FOOTBALL CONTESTS IN FESTIVITIES AND OTHER
OCCASIONS.
FOOTBALL FOLLOWED DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION AND RUGBY
FOOTBALL IN THE U.S.
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SCHOOL TRADITION, IVY LEAGUE COLLEGES.
1869 NASSAU HALL (PRINCETON) vs. RUTGERS,
FOOTBALL MATCH. “FIRST FOOTBALL GAME”.
HYBRID SOCCER & RUGBY, 45 MIN-HALVES,
15on15, RUGBY SCRUM, KICKING & CARRYING.
1874 McGill vs. HARVARD
NOV 13 1875 HARVARD vs. YALE FOOTBALL, A
FOOTBALL MATCH HISTORIANS CONSIDERED THE
FIRST SINCE IT WAS PLAYED UNDER RULES
DIFFERENT FROM BOTH SOCCER AND RUGBY.
THE EVENT HAD OVER 2,000 SPECTATORS, 50
CENTS ENTRY, YALE 4-HARVARD 1 FINAL SCORE.
YALE ERA
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FIELD SIZE 140 BY 70
MARKS: GOALS AND HALF FIELD
BLOCKING & TACKLING UNRULED
BALL KICKED-BALL IN PLAY RULE
RUGBY SCRUM, NO SCRIMMAGE LINE
TWO 45 MINUTES HALVES
ADVANCE BY CARRYING THE BALL
INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL
ASSOCIATION, 1876.
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HARVARD, YALE, COLUMBIA, PRINCETON.
ORIGINAL RULES WERE A COMBINATION FROM SOCCER &
RUGBY GAMES.
STUDENT RUN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY & COMPETITION.
RITUAL OF MANHOOD, SCHOOL LOYALTY AND ELITES’
PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
BY THE LATE 1870s FOOTBALL WAS IN A FAST PROCESS OF
EVOLUTION INTO A SPORT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM
SOCCER AND RUGBY.
FOOTBALL MIRRORED THE ASPIRATIONS OF UPPER CLASS
STUDENTS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO PROJECT A POSITIVE
IMAGE OF MANHOOD WHILE DISPLAYING LOYALTY TO THEIR
OWN UNIVERSITY AGAINST OTHER STUDENTS.
YALE FOOTBALL TEAM 1908.
THE FATHER OF AMERICAN
FOOTBALL
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WALTER CAMP, YALE STUDENT, 1870s.
1888-1892 COACH FOR YALE, “FIRST COACH” IN FOOTBALL.
WALTER CAMP IS CREDITED WITH THE INNOVATIONS THAT
TRANSFORMED FOOTBALL INTO A FAST-PACED, STRATEHYBASED SPORT IN THE 1880s. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP
FOOTBALL BECAME A UNIQUE AND INDEPENDENT SPORT.
HERE ARE SOME THE RULES HE ADOPTED:
RULES CHANGE: 11on11, 110-120 YARDS FIELD-SIZE.
LINE OF SCRIMMAGE RULE
CONTINUED POSSESSION
OFFENSIVE PLAYS PLANNED IN ADVANCE.
WALTER CAMP
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BORN IN A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY, NEW HAVEN, CT.
PLAYER, TEAM CAPTAIN, TEAM ADVISOR (NEVER
OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED COACH), RULES-MAKER, WRITER,
LECTURER.
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE, ALSO A MANAGER IN A CLOCK
FACTORY IN NEW HAVEN, INTERESTED IN HIGH EFFICIENT
WAYS OF MANUFACTURING.
TRIED TO ADAPT SOME “TIME-MOTION” THEORIES OF
SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT TO THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL
THE TIME-MOTION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT INNOVATIONS BY
CAMP GAVE YALE FOOTBALL TEAM A CONSIDERABLE EDGE
IN THE COMPETITION.
WALTER CAMP PRINCIPLES
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“TIME-AND-MOTION”
EFFICIENCY CONCEPTS FROM FREDERICK
W. TAYLOR “TAYLORISM”,
ENGINEERING/MANUFACTURING
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS.
FOOTBALL: SPECIALIZATION IN THE FIELD,
SYNCHRONIZED COLLECTIVE ACTION OVER
INDIVIDUAL SPONTANEITY.
ORGANIZED, RATIONAL, PLANNED ADVANCE
OVER FREE-FLOW ACTION
WALTER CAMP PRINCIPLES
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FOOTBALL WAS REORGANIZED BY “SCIENTIFIC PLANNING” WITH
“STRATEGY AND TACTICS”; TEAMS: “ORGANIZED HUMAN
MACHINES”, TEAM ADVISORS “INDUSTRIAL MANAGERS”.
ORGANIZED PATTERNS OF PLAY, LEARNED AND EXECUTED
THROUGH DISCIPLINE, STUDY AND SPECIALIZATION.
NO ROOM FOR CHANCE AND SPONTANEITY
“METHOD, NOT MEN”, SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SPECIFIC
PLAYERS.
OVERALL, CAMP EXPERIMENTS WERE A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF
YALE’S SUPREMACY IN THE FIELD
OVERALL, CAMP’S INNOVATIONS WERE PIVOTAL IN THE DEFINITIVE
TRANSFORMATION OF FOOTBALL AS A COMPLETELY UNIQUE
SPORT, BASED ON CAREFULLY PREARRANGED OFFENSIVE PLAYS
DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST GAINS UNDER THE MOST
EFFICIENT WAYS TO ORGANIZE PLAYERS’ POSITION AND
MOVEMENT.
LINE OF SCRIMMAGE & FIRST
DOWN RULES IMPACT
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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LINE OF SCRIMMEAGE IN
FOOTBAL GAVE THE QUARTER BACK A NEW IMPORTANT
ROLE IN THE SPORT
THE USE OF SIGNS AND OTHER PLAY-CALLING DEVICES
MADE POSSIBLE TO PLAN IN ADVANCE DIFFERENT
OFFENSIVE PLAYS
OFFENSIVE PLAYS WERE NO LONGER IMPROVISED, BUT
FOLLOWED A “TIME-MOTION” STRATEGY CAREFULLY
DESIGNED IN ADVANCE
FIRST DOWN RULE: 3 CHANCES TO GAIN 5 YARDS.
LINES IN EVERY FIVE YARDS
SCORING SYSTEM: TD=2, FIELD GOAL=5, SAFETY=1, 1883:
TD=4, FG=2, SAFETY=2..
1890s FOOTBALL
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LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
FIRST DOWN RULES
GRIDIRON LINING
TD MORE VALUE THAN FG
PREMEDITATED OFFENSIVE PLAYS
“STUDENT GLADIATORS” IMAGE
COLLEGE RITUAL AND ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONS
AFTER GRADUATION.
TACKLING BELOW THE WAIST ALLOWED
THANKSGIVING BIG GAME IN NYC
1900s FOOTBALL
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WALTER CAMP INFLUENCE-LEGACY, COACH-SCHOOL
COACHES REPLACED TEAM CAPTAINS
COLLEGE AUTHORITIES REPLACED STUDENT
ORGANIZATIONS
IVY LEAGUE HEGEMONY
UPPER CLASS RITUAL OF LOYALTY/MEMBERSHIP. “SCHOOL
SPIRIT”
AS RIVAL TEAMS IMITATED YALE’S STRATEGIES THE GAME
BECAME MORE EFFICIENT, FASTER AND SIGNIFICANTLY
MORE VIOLENT
TEAM MASCOTS RITUAL VIOLENCE: ACCORDING TO
SOURCES IN 1908 HARVARD COACH STRANGLED A
BULLDOG IN THE LOOKER ROOM WITH THE INTENT TO
INSPIRE HIS PLAYERS.
Walter Camp Sr. 1925. New York World Telegram
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Library of Congress, USZ62-116343
Walter Camp, Coach. Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division.
Walter Camp, Portrait Bust
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division. LC-DIG-ggbain-0838
PRO FOOTBALL 1890s
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AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL BECAME VERY POPULAR IN THE EAST
COAST URBAN AREAS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION CLUBS IN
DIFFERENT CITIES DECIDED TO EXTEND THEIR RIVALRIES BY
FIELDING FOOTBALL TEAMS WITH COLLEGE AND SEMIPROFESSIONAL PLAYERS.
1893 PITTSBURGH ATH CLUB vs. ALLEGHENY ATH ASSOC. “FIRST
PRO” PUDGE HEFFELFINGER WAS PAID $500 TO PLAY FOR
PITTSBURGH.
1898 MORGAN ATHLETIC CLUB, CHICAGO, RACINE-CLUB, BECAME
LATER CHICAGO CARDINALS, ULTIMATELY AN NFL FRANCHISE IN
ST-LOUIS, AND CURRENTY IN ARIZONA.
PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR PLAYERS PARTICIPATED IN THESE
FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS, DESPITE CRITICISM FROM SCHOOL
AUTHORITIES.
FOOTBALL WORLD SERIES 19021903.
ONE OF THE FIRST EFFORTS TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL
FOOTBALL ORGANIZATION CAME IN 1902-1903 WITH THE
FOOTBALL WORLD SERIES, WHICH TRIED TO FOLLOWED
THE SUCCESS OF THE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES IN 1903,
THE FIRST ONE ORGANIZED BY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDOOR TOURNAMENT, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
 TOM O’ROURKE, PROMOTER, RECRUITED TEAMS AND
PARTICIPANTS ATHLETIC CLUBS.
 SOME PLAYERS WERE ALSO FROM COLLEGE TEAMS
 TEAMS HAD NO SCHOOL AFFILIATION, PUBLIC ATTENDANCE
WAS LOW.
 THE EVENT HAD NO APPEAL FOR LOWER CLASSES
 PRO FOOTBALL DISAPPEARED FROM THE EAST, MOVED TO
THE MIDWEST AND GREAT LAKES IN THE NEXT YEARS
FOOTBALL REFORM, 1905-1920
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IN THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 20TH CENTURY COLLEGE ATHLETICS
EXPERIENCE THEIR FIRST MAJOR CRISIS, A FOOTBALL-BASED
CRISIS. HERE ARE THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:
THE NEED TO CLEARLY ESTABLISH AND PROTECT THE AMATEUR
STATUS OF THE PLAYERS (ELEGIBILITY, RECRUITMENT,
SUBSIDIZATION)
THE NEED TO CURBE VIOLENCE IN THE SPORT, TO REDUCE
INJURIES AND DEATHS ON THE FIELD
“TRAMP ATHLETES” SAT-SUN/COL-PRO
1905 3 COLLEGE PLAYERS, 18 H.S. PLAYERS DIED, 167 SUFFERED
SERIOUS INJURIES. THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT’S SON
BROKEN NOSE vs. YALE, RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT INTERVENTION
WHITE HOUSE MEETING, OCTOBER 9, 1905
BIG-THREE MEETING, HARVARD-PRINCETON-YALE
FOOTBALL REFORM
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THE FOOTBALL CRISIS PROVOKED A NEGATIVE REACTION BY
SCHOOL AUTHORITIES IN VARIOUS CAMPUSES: UNIVERSITY OF
MASSACHUSETTS AND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY DECIDED TO
ABOLISH FOOTBALL GAMES ALTOGETHER
IN 1906 THE INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION WAS
CREATED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS, IN 1910 IT BECAME THE
NATIONAL COLLEGE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION (NCAA).
AT THE INITIATIVE OF THE U.S. PRESIDENT 62 COLLEGES SEND
AUTHORITIES TO THE MEETING
PRINCIPLES: RULES COMMITTEES TO CURB VIOLENCE, MAINTAIN
AMATEUR STATUS.
FORWARD PASS APPROVED TO REDUCE VIOLENT CONTACT. IN
ADDITION FIRST DOWNS WERE TO BE GRANTED ONLY AFTER 10
YDS GAIN.
FOOTBALL REFORM
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FORWARD PASS ALLOWED TO REDUCE
VIOLENCE AT THE SCRIMMAGE LINE.
“MASS MOMENTUM PLAYS” (PUSHING,
PULLING, LAUNCHING BALL CARRIERS
THROUGH/OVER THE LINE) PROHIBITED.
SEVEN MEN LINE, MANDATORY, TO AVOID
FULL SPEED CRASHES INTO ONE
DEFENSIVE POINT.
BALL RESHAPED (ELONGATED AND “TIGHTLY
INFLATED”) TO ENCOURAGE ACCURACY IN
PASSING.
FOOTBALL REFORM
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THE MOST IMPORTANT TRANSFORMATION IN THE SPORT,
HOWEVER, OCCURRED OUTSIDE THE FIELD LINES, AS THE
IAA AND NCAA BECAME THE REGULATORS OF THE GAME
AND TRANSFERRED ITS ORGANIZATION AND SCHEDULE
FROM STUDENT ASSOCIATION TO COLLEGE AUTHORITIES
AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONEL.
FOOTBALL SEASON AND ANY OTHER INTERCOLLEGIATE
ATHLETIC COMPETITION WOULD BE NOW CONCEIVED,
ORGANIZED, RUN AND SUPERVISED BY NCAA OFFICIALS.
STUDENT FRATERNITIES AND ASSOCIATIONS WOULD BE
RELEGATED AS SPECTATORS OR FANS.
TEAMS WOULD REPRESENT THE INSTITUTION.
FOOTBALL REFORM
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THE TRANSFORMATION OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND COLLEGE
ATHLETICS FROM A STUDENT-RUN RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY TO AN
INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COMPETITION SANCTIONED BY THE NCAA,
IN COMBINATION WITH THE NEW SET OF RULES AND CHANGES IN
THE SPORT, MADE FOOTBALL GAMES MORE ATTRACTIVE AND
APPEALING TO BOTH STUDENTS AND ALUM.
AS FOOTBALL BECAME MORE POPULAR, IT ALSO BECAME AN
IMPORTANT SOURCE OF SCHOOL PRIDE, IDENTITY AND EVEN
ECONOMIC REVENUE.
COLLEGE AUTHORITIES AND STATE GOVERNMENTS DECIDED TO
RAISE FUNDS TO INVEST IN SIGNIFICANT SPORTS
INFRASTRUCTURE, TO CREATE WINNING FOOTBALL TEAMS AND
TO BUILD SUCCESFUL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS.
KING FOOTBALL ERA, 1920-1945
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IN THE 1920s THE COLLAPSE IN BASEBALL’S REPUTATION,
AFTER THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX SCANDAL IN 1919-1920,
PLUS THE ARRIVAL OF RADIO BROADCASTING, GAVE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL AN ENORMOUS POPULARITY BEYOND
THE STUDENT POPULATION. COLLEGE AUTHORITIES
SECURED FINANCIAL HELP TO BUILD ENORMOUS FOOTBALL
STADIUMS, MAKING POSSIBLE TO NON-STUDENTS TO
ATTEND GAMES.
WITH THE NEW WAVE OF STEEL-CONCRETE STADIUMS,
ATTENDANCE TO COLLEGE GAMES DOUBLED, INCOME
TRIPLED.
RADIO, NEWSPAPERS AND MOVIE THEATERS NEW
COVERAGE TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
ROSE BOWL 1920s IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, STATES OF
FLORIDA, TEXAS, LOUISIANA AND OTHERS FOLLOWED IN
THE 1930s
KING FOOTBALL ERA
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BECAME A SOURCE OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL
IDENTITIES IN DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE COUNTRY. UNLIKE
PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL, WHOSE FRANCHISIS WERE CONFINED
TO EAST COAST AND GREAT LAKES, COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAD
TEAMS REPRESENTING EACH STATE OF THE NATION.
FOOTBALL BECAME A MIRROR FOR LOCAL AND REGIONAL
IDENTITIES.
MEDIA AND SPORTS ANALISTS MADE COMPARISONS BETWEEN
DIFFERENT FOOTBALL STYLES AND DIFFERENT REGIONS=MIRROR
FOR A REGION SPECIFIC CHARACTER, MIDWEST RUNNING,
SOUTHWEST= WILD WEST SHOOTOUT PASSING ATTACK, SOUTH=
OLD SOUTH PRIDE.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS WERE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH
FOOTBALL TEAMS = NOTRE DAME, BOSTON COLLEGE, SMU, ETC.
KING FOOTBALL ERA
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COACH = REGIONAL HERO
COACHES ROLE DIFF. FROM PLAYERS ROLE.
KNUTE ROCKNE, AMOS ALONZO STAGG,
POP WARNER.
FOOTBALL COACH= SELF MADE HERO,
MOVIE PROTAGONIST, MORAL AUTHORITY
FOOTBALL= MELTING POT FOR EUROPEAN
IMMIGRANTS.
FOOTBALL “UNIQUE” INFORMAL RULES FOR
AFRICAN AMERICAN ATHLETES.
KING FOOTBALL ERA
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1920s FOOTBALL vs. BASEBALL
AMATEUR, “LOVE OF THE GAME”, NATIONAL
SPECTACLE, SMALL COMMUNITIES, MORE
OPEN TO COMPETITION, MORE DIVERSE,
MORE MASCULINE, MORE “CHARACTER
BUILDING”
HIGH POPULARITY, LOCAL RADIO STATIONS,
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS.
REACTION TO POPULARITY: IVY LEAGUE,
PRIVATE COLLEGES LOST HEGEMONY,
INTEREST. 1939 U-CHICAGO ABOLISHED IT.