history of football

Standardization of rules

Oct 19, 1873

rulesOn 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. Before 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.

rules

Jan 11, 1876

rulesAt the Massasoit convention, the first rules for American football were written. Walter Camp, who would become known as the father of American football, first became involved with the game

football started

Jan 1, 1879

American football American football Derived from the English game of rugby, American football was started in 1879 with rules instituted by Walter Camp, player and coach at Yale University

history of football

Period: Jan 1, 1879 to Jan 1, 2012

first professional football player

Nov 12, 1892

williamyale all-american guard william "pudge" heffelfinger was knows as the first professional football player

American Football vs Canadian Football

Jan 13, 1895

Canadian FootballOther 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

touchdown

Jan 11, 1912

touchdownA touchdown was increased from five points to six.

AFL-NFL

Jan 1, 1920

NFLIn 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.

First Black Head Coach

Jan 1, 1921

black coachAkron Pros star Fritz Pollard adds coaching responsibilities to his on-field duties, becoming the NFL's first black head coach.

Expansion Of AFL

Jan 13, 1921

AFLIn 1921, several more teams joined the league, increasing the membership to 22 teams.

Strongest Franchises Survive

Apr 23, 1927

Strongest Franchises SurviveThe NFL, hoping to eliminate rampant turnover in financially weak franchises, decides to eliminate all but its most economically stable teams. The move cuts the number of franchises from 22 to 12, and permanently moves the league's center of gravity from small Midwestern towns to large Eastern cities.

In it to quit it!!

Jan 1, 1929

In the NFL's first twelve years of existence, more than forty different teams will join the league, only to drop out almost right away or go out of business completely.

NFL Playoff Game, 1932

Jan 13, 1932

NFL Playoff Game, 1932At 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

Football Segregates

Jan 11, 1933

Football SegregatesAt the insistence of Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall, the NFL imposes a new de facto policy of total racial segregation. No more black athletes will play in the NFL until after World War II.

Heisman Trophy is introduced

Jan 1, 1935

heismanIn 1935, New York City's Downtown Athletic Club awarded the first Heisman Trophy to Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger

First Draft

Jan 1, 1936

first draftThe NFL holds its first annual draft of college players. The first player selected, Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger

First Televised Game

Jan 11, 1939

First Televised GameAn NFL game airs on television for the first time, with NBC producing a local broadcast of a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles. Since fewer than 1,000 TV sets are known to exist in New York at the time, it is unclear whether anyone actually watches the broadcast.

National Titles for the Army

Jan 13, 1945

army footballDuring 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 o

First African-Americans

Jan 11, 1946

First African-AmericansThe Los Angeles Rams sign former UCLA stars Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, who will become the first African-Americans to play in the NFL in the modern era, ending 13 years of whites-only football in the league.

First Helmet Logo

Jan 11, 1948

first logoThe Los Angeles Rams become the first NFL team to wear a helmet logo, painting rams' horns onto their leather hats.

NFL Championship

Feb 28, 1951

For the first time, the NFL Championship Game is televised nationwide.

First Black Quarterback

Jan 11, 1953

black quarterbackThe Chicago Bears' Willie Thrower becomes the first black player to throw a pass as quarterback in the modern NFL

first supwe bowl

Jan 15, 1957

first super bowlThe first super bowl played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and was then named the AFL-NFL World Championship.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Jan 1, 1958

overtimeAt 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".

Football Beats Baseball as Favorite Sport

Jan 11, 1965

football over basketballFor the first time, more people polled in a national survey choose pro football than baseball as their favorite sport.

First Super Bowl

Jan 15, 1967

First Super BowlThe NFL's Green Bay Packers easily defeat the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs to win the first Super Bowl. More than 32,000 tickets go unsold for the game, held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but the game draws more television viewers than any previous sporting event.

AFC is Out

May 20, 1970

AFC is OutThe AFL-NFL merger takes full effect, therefore leaving the AFL completely out. The National Football Conference and The American Football Conference are formed.

Coke Ad

Jan 22, 1979

coke adDuring the broadcast of Super Bowl XIII, Coca-Cola airs one of the most popular Super Bowl ads of all time, showing fearsome Pittsburgh linebacker "Mean" Joe Greene and a young fan "having a Coke and a smile" in a stadium tunnel after a game

First Halftime Concert

Jan 24, 1982

First Halftime ConcertSuper Bowl XVI, held just outside Detroit in Pontiac, Michigan, includes the first Super Bowl musical performance by a major recording industry superstar: Motown's own Diana Ross. Ross's performance will kick off a new era in elaborately produced pregame and halftime entertainment.

Brett Favre Retires

Apr 11, 2008

Brett Favre Retires Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre announces his retirement from football after seventeen seasons. He was the only three time MVP in NFL history and started 253 consecutive games at quarterback. He left holding the league's all-time records in passing attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and wins as a starting quarterback. August 2008

Forty-Two Years Too Long

Jan 28, 2010

New Orleans SaintsAfter forty-two long years, the New Orleans Saints are the 2010 National Football League Champions!!