Ncaa Football History

NCAA football has been an intercollegiate sport for more then one hundred years. The first game was played on Nov 6, 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University. The game was at college field (now the site of the college avenue gymnasium) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers won by a score of 6 to 4, but the game showed little resemblance of today's game. The rules were from the English Football Association, the basis of modern day soccer Ivy League schools dominated college footballs early days. Yale University's Walter Camp thought up many of the rules in the early game. He made up rules and regulations such as 11 men lineups, lines of scrimmage separating offensive and defensive teams. Soon Camp has a say
in reducing the field size since it was nearly double the size when the game first started. He also allowed the offense to get a first down after gaining 5 yards and 3 downs, much different then today's 10 yards in 4 downs. Yale University was one of the greatest teams of the era.
The earned a 324-17-18 record from 1872-1909 and won 11 National Championships. One of their greatest stars was 5 foot 9 150 pound Frank Hinkey, a four time All-American who is said to be one of the top players of his generation. Though college football was great for the players who played the game it was just as good for the fans that watched. It was said that the sport served as a unifying force for the increasingly large pool of diverse college students who were almost always seen wearing their school colors. Pleased University administrators viewed football as a means to require a larger student
body. College football was a game of strength in the early contests. There was no such thing as a forward pass so teams come up with formations such as the flying wedge in which the ball carrier would take the handoff and run while being surrounded by a wall of blockers. The best way for the defense to break the wedge was to dive into the knees of the oncoming blockers. A very dangerous move when you consider the only head gear was a stocking cap. The first real uniform wasn't created until a Princeton player by the name of L.P. Smock in 1877. It consisted of a tightly laced canvas jacket, black knee pant, stockings, and a jersey. Cloth padding was sometimes was added to the shoulders, thighs, and knees but there still wasn't a lot protection for the players in the early game. As football increased in popularity it was also growing increasingly violent. By the year 1905 the public outcry against the game was so dominate it made several colleges ban their football programs. Even the President of the United States demanded the reforms be made. But since the majority of the fans didn't want to eliminate the sport the reforms were never made and the National Collegiate Athletic Association was formed. The NCAA has been a major part in rule changes and setting up procedures and guidelines under which colleges operate their football programs. College football was the predominant venue of American football prior to the founding of the National Football League.
Although the NFL's income was very good the large crowds that packed the college stadiums was a financial equalizer for the game and most division one programs were consistently selling out huge stadiums which could hold over 100,000 screaming fans. But statistics for the years before 1937 are hard to come by because the NCAA didn't start keeping official stats until 1937. Most teams played 8 or 9 game seasons before World War II, compared to the 11 to 12 games seasons they play today. The players played both offense and defense in the 1940's and 1950's unlike today when teams have players that just play special
teams. The college football season begins two weeks earlier than the NFL season and starts towards the end of August. Until 2003 the regular college football season was opened with the kickoff classic. But recent NCAA rule changes have eliminated some of the games. The regular season continues through early December ending the annual Army vs. Navy game and several conference championships that same weekend. The postseason for college football is said to be very controversial. It is made up of a series of bowl games that showcase some of the best college teams. The bowl games are normally match two teams that are similar is talent but play in different conferences. Division 1 football was the only NCAA sport which decided its champion without a playoff. In the past the national champion was voted on by various polls but this was proved ineffective because the different polls chose different teams. Since 1998 the national champion has been determined by the Bowl Championship Series. The BCS uses computer rankings and various human polls to determine the top two teams in the country and they would play in one of the four BCS bowl games. And the winner would be crowned the national champion. But some critics say the system favors the teams from the larger conferences. College Football's rich heritage and lore are sometimes forgotten these days because of the hyping stars that dominate the game today. The development of the game is credited to the players and coaches who created the guidelines from the early of soccer and rugby style play and they also were innovators of the techniques of the years between the world wars to the highly talented fast paced game played today. Some of the games most unique stories are the ones of the players who first started the incredible game.