The History of American Football

Did you know rugby is an early form of what American's call football? In Europe near the middle of the 19^th century a game was play where you kicked a ball into a goal and then ran over a line. They call it rugby, but in the United States it's called football.

However there are some differences. The Father of American Football, Walter Camp applied some rules that are not applied to rugby. For example, the line of scrimmage and down and distance are American football rules. Once the game gained steam and college coaches in the early 20^th got a hold on the game more rules came. Forward pass is one of those rules introduced by Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn Warner.

The superbowl was derived from college bowl games where fierce rivalries fought to win the game. 1892 is the year where we can say that today game started, thanks to a wager of $500 by William Heffelfinger. The game was played by the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.

In 1920 the NFL was formed, which was formerly the American Professional Football Association. The game was primarily played by Midwesterners in the early day until it grew into what we know today.

1958 NFL Championship game also known as the "Greatest Game Played" helped make the game so popular. Today the superbowl is reported to be the most watched television event every year. And to think, it could have been called rugby.

He's reported to be the Father of American football. Walter excelled at sports. He played baseball, soccer and ran track. In 1876 while in Yale he won every sport at the school.

Camp was a key figure with forming and changing the rules of American football. Rules such as the number of players, game times, and scoring rules. However Camp worked at New Haven Clock Company until his death.