1869
November 6, 1869, an inter-collegiate game was played between Princeton and Rutgers. The game played this day was very similar to soccer, with hints of rugby, with 25 players on the field for each team. Many call this the First American football game. We call that idea Hogwash. Check out our 1876 and 1880 posts for a better idea of when American football first started.
November 13, 1869 - Princeton hosted Rutgers in Princeton, NJ, winning 8-0. Again, not really American football, but an intercollegiate sporting event for sure.
1870
November 12, 1870: Columbia University's first football game was played, against Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers won the contest 6-3, which is recognized as one of the earliest intercollegiate football games. The match featured 20 players per side and was played under 19th-century rules that emphasized kicking over passing.
November 1870: Princeton and Rutgers played again, with Princeton defeating Rutgers 6–0. This game's violence caused such an outcry that no games were played at all in 1871.
1871
In 1871, Harvard University began playing a variation of the game called “the Boston Game,” which differed from the others by allowing a player to pick up the ball and run if he was chased. This was an inter-Harvard game, much like an intramural activity.
While intercollegiate play remained on hiatus, the spirit of the game lived on through fierce intra-university traditions. On campuses like the University of Pennsylvania, students kept the sport alive with spirited class rivalries in the fall of 1871—carrying forward a gridiron legacy that stretched back to the 1820s.
While the 1871 season remains largely a mystery, records suggest a historic clash took place between the University of Virginia and Washington & Lee. However, in a frustrating twist for historians, the final score and statistics have been lost to the fog of time.
1872
Nov 2, 1872 (First Game): Rutgers and Columbia played to a 0–0 tie, representing the first college football game in New York State and the first tie in college football history.
Nov 9, 1872: Rutgers defeated Columbia 7–5.
Nov 16, 1872 (New England's First Game): Yale played its first-ever game, defeating Columbia 3–0 at Hamilton Park in New Haven, Connecticut.
Nov 16, 1872: Princeton defeated Rutgers 4–1.
Yale's first football game took place on Yale won 3–0 in a 20-a-side matchup based on soccer rules, November 16, 1872, at Hamilton Park in New Haven against Columbia College. With Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin scoring the other two. This game was the first intercollegiate football match in New England.
Nov 23, 1872 (Stevens' First Game): Columbia defeated Stevens Tech 6–0, which was the first official intercollegiate game for Stevens Tech.
1873
October 20, 1873: Yale invited representatives from Harvard, Rutgers, Columbia, and Princeton to a convention in New York City to draft rules for an intercollegiate football association. ( a precursor to the NCAA) Harvard declined to attend because the other schools had no intention of honoring any of the rules of the Boston game. The four remaining schools established the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA) and set the maximum number of players per team at 15.
Harvard declined, stubborn in their commitment to their own specific rules.
Columbia failed to attend the meeting.
A win required scoring six goals (or a lead of two).
Officiating would consist of one referee and two judges.
Strictly prohibited: Throwing or carrying the ball (a rule that leaned heavily toward modern soccer).
1874
April, 1874: Harvard Captain, Henry Grant, got in touch with the captain of the McGill University team, David Roger, and invited them to play two games in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 13 and 14, 1874.
The May 13, 1874, contest began under Canadian colleges' rules and was scheduled for the second half to use Boston rules. The Harvard players enjoyed the Montreal version so much that they asked their opponents to play the remainder of the game according to the rules McGill had brought. Harvard won the first game 3-0.
The following day's game on May 14, 1874, ended in a scoreless tie between Harvard and McGill. Harvard went on to adopt many elements from the game their Canadian friends had shown them, including tackling, downs, and field goals.
October 23, 1874 (Rematch): Harvard traveled to Montreal and defeated McGill 3 tries to 0.
1875
British-born Augustus Hornsby wrote a letter that spurred the formation of the Chicago Football Club, which adopted a constitution in mid-November 1875 to play games under Rugby Union rules. (Tim Brown, Football Archaeology)
First Harvard-Yale Game ("The Game") - Nov 13, 1875: Harvard defeated Yale 4–0 at Hamilton Park in New Haven. This is regarded as the start of the historic rivalry and was watched by over 2,000 spectators, including future "father of American football" Walter Camp.
The "Concessionary Rules": The Harvard-Yale game was played under a compromise set of rules, as Harvard played a rugby-style game (derived from their 1874 match with McGill) and Yale played a soccer-style game. The 1875 match utilized 15 players per side and allowed carrying the ball.
First Use of Uniforms - June 4, 1875: Harvard and Tufts played what was likely the first game where teams wore uniforms. Harvard wore white shirts and pants with crimson trimming and stockings. Tufts upset Harvard 1–0 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge.
First Game in Maine - Nov 6, 1875: Bates College and Tufts played the first college football game in Maine, described as a "roughhouse affair" with rudimentary rules.
1875 College Football Season Champions: The season had no single, clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton as selected national champions, although only Princeton and Harvard generally claimed it.
1876
September 1, 1876 - During the next few years, though, a new figure entered the Yale football scene, yes, you guessed it, Walter Chauncey Camp. Camp arrived at the New Haven campus in 1876 and enjoyed the game between the Yale and Harvard clubs. Camp so loved the sport that he joined the Yale team in 1877 and essentially became its first head coach, as the title of Captain then served as the role. Camp not only coached the team but also played. He played on the varsity teams of Yale from 1877 to 1882, serving as Captain in 1878, 1879, and again in 1881. Camp’s leadership gave Yale 25 wins, one loss, and 6 ties over his playing career. He was a sure tackler, a great kicker, and an elusive runner.
November 11, 1876 - The University of Pennsylvania had its first football game. The Penn Quakers faced the Princeton Tigers, ending in a 6-0 Princeton win.
November 23, 1876 - Many experts, including Timothy Brown, regard this as the start of American Football. Yale's legendary player/coach, Walter Camp, represented Yale at a meeting of top Eastern Schools at the Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts, which helped establish a printed set of rules, very similar to the European Rugby Code, and the group formed the Intercollegiate Football Association.
1877
Fall of 1877 - Walter Camp, a student at Yale, joined the football team.
November 3, 1877: Yale vs. Tufts (Hamilton Park, New Haven, CT) — W 1–0
November 3, 1877 - Princeton's L.P. Smock introduced wearing padding to the game of football when he and his team faced Harvard. Smock sewed padding made mostly of cotton into his uniform jersey and pants for this game. The rules in that contest more closely resembled rugby than our modern American Football, but it was a rough sport nonetheless. Per the source, sportsrec.com, Smock's pads were thin, quilted layers sewn to the shoulders, thighs, and knees of the laced-up jersey and knee pants he designed as the first football uniform for Princeton's players. The pads were not very heavy and provided little protection.
November 21, 1877: Yale vs. Trinity (CT) (Hamilton Park, New Haven, CT) — W 7–0
November 24, 1877: Yale vs. Stevens (Hamilton Park, New Haven, CT) — W 13–0
December 8, 1877: Yale vs. Princeton (St. George's Cricket Club grounds, Hoboken, NJ) — T 0–0
1878
Spring of 1878 - The IFA met to discuss rules revisions. Walter Camp proposed reducing the number of players from 15 to 11 per side (though this wasn't fully adopted until 1880).
Fall 1878 - Canvas pants and jackets replaced tights as uniforms
November 28, 1878, the most significant game of the 1878 season took place in Hoboken, New Jersey. An unprecedented 4,000 spectators attended. To put this in perspective, just a few years earlier, crowds were often measured in the dozens or low hundreds. Princeton defeated Yale 1–0. The game was so popular that the $300 rental fee for the field—considered "grossly extravagant" at the time—was actually criticized by some as a sign the sport was becoming too commercialized.
He proposed reducing the number of players from 15 to 11 per side (though this wasn't fully adopted until 1880).
His leadership during the 1878 season cemented his influence on the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA) rules committee.
Brown University and Swarthmore College officially established their football programs this year.
The season saw a shift in focus toward "perfection of play" and strategic stability, as the rules remained largely consistent with the previous year to allow teams to master the rugby-style tackle and carry.
1881
October, 1881 - The 1881 convention of the IFA officially standardized the field dimensions at 110 yards by 53.3 yards. The rules also empowered the Referee to eject players.
October 29, 1881 - The Princeton Tigers traveled to Philadelphia to face the Penn Quakers. The Tigers won the game 7-0, en route to a 7-0-2 overall record, and were retroactively named national champion by the Billingsley Report and as co-national champion by Parke H. Davis.
October 31, 1881 - A historic game took place when the University of Michigan traveled East to face Harvard. The game was played at the South End Grounds, home of the Boston Braves, a stadium that could accommodate 6800 spectators. Harvard won by a lone touchdown scored, 4-0 (TDs were only worth 4-points in 1881).
November 2, 1881 - Michigan played game two of their three-day swing into the East, facing Yale. The powerhouse Eli team dashed the Wolverines' hopes with an 11-0 lopsided victory.
November 4, 1881 - Michigan took it on the chin for a third straight game against the Eastern powerhouses, this time visiting Princeton, where the Tigers overcame the Wolverines by the score of 13-4.
November 12, 1881 - Penn State had its first-ever football game, as the Nittany Lions pounded Lewisburg College (PA), 9-0.
November 19, 1881- Princeton and Harvard played to a scoreless tie at the Polo Grounds in New York City.
November 24, 1881 - Yale and Princeton played to a scoreless tie at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Years later, the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listed Princeton and Yale as having been selected national champions
1882
September 29, 1882 - The Minnesota Golden Gophers played their first football game. It was a successful outing as Minnesota defeated Hamline University of St. Paul in a 4-0 victory. A couple of weeks later, the two teams met again, and Hamline downed Minnesota 2-0.
October 1882 - Fordham University (then St. John's College ) played its first football game, defeating Seton Hall University in its first varsity football game on its way to a 6-1, 1882 campaign..
November 30, 1882 - In the "game of the year," Yale and Princeton squared off in a contest famously dubbed “The Block Game.” The matchup earned this moniker because Princeton held possession for the entire first half without ever attempting to score; Yale then seized the ball in the second half and effectively repeated the same strategy. This defensive stalemate directly inspired a landmark rule change: the offensive team had to gain at least 5 yards in 3 downs, or they would forfeit possession of the ball. Yale did win 2-1. This game prompted Walter Camp to suggest an impactful rules change for a series of downs.
December 1, 1882 - The College Rules body, IFA, upon the recommendation of Walter Camp, introduced a rule to incorporate a series of downs, three to gain five yards.
December 25, 1882 - Colorado College played its first organized football game, defeating the local Sigafus Hose Company 10–8 in Colorado Springs. It was the first known game in the Rockies.
1884
October 15, 1884 - The new rules of 1884 concentrated on the kicking game. Fair catches of kicks and punts seemed to be a major priority of this convention, as a few rules were amended to mold fair catch guidelines.
October 25, 1884 - Yale entered the 1884 season riding a 17-game winning streak and had won multiple National Championships in the past few years. The powerhouse Bulldog squad really flexed their muscles against the Dartmouth team that season. It marked the first game in which over 100 points were scored, as Yale toppled Dartmouth 113-0.
On November 27, 1884, another rules convention was held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. This convention was an appeal by Yale and its coach, Walter Camp, to have the decision of referee R.M. Appleton (from Harvard) in the Princeton-Yale game of that year declared a “no-contest,” with the score officially recorded as 0-0. Mr. Appleton’s decision was upheld after a long debate.
The "Fair": This technical term described returning the ball to play from the sidelines after it went out of bounds.
Downs: Officials classified "fairs" as downs, even though they started differently than standard plays.
The 1876 Definition: Originally, the rules defined a fair catch as a catch made directly from an opponent’s kick, forward throw, or "knock on," as well as from a punt-out or punt-on.
The Heel Mark: This original rule required the catching player to mark the spot by digging his heel into the ground.
1885
October 12, 1885, saw the IFA adjust rules to restrict running with the ball after a caught punt, aimed at protecting backs. They also changed the number of officials in games, increasing it to four to better manage the play.
November 2, 1885 - The University of South Carolina has its first-ever win in its game against Columbia AA (20-0) in Columbia, SC. The very first game for the University of South Carolina football program occurred on December 24, 1892, in a contest against Furman College in Charleston, S.C., where the early Gamecocks were blanked 44-0 by the Paladins. Special thanks to the University of South Carolina's Athletic Department for furnishing this information to us!
November 21, 1885 - College football's first viral moment, as Princeton scored on a game-ending play to defeat rival Yale 6-5. It was also the first contest between these two schools played on one of their campuses rather than a neutral site.
1886
May 5, 1886 - At the IFA Rules Convention, Harvard was reinstated as a member school after a one-year hiatus. Rules protecting the center were instituted to improve player safety.
October 9, 1886 - A 2nd IFA Rules Convention for the year took place. The first scheduled championship game is set for Thanksgiving Day. The first time an “official game ball” was recorded by rule, the Lillywhite number “J” was the ball to be used in all games.
November 25, 1886 - Yale and Princeton played the first ever pre-scheduled championship on Thanksgiving Day, which ended in a scoreless tie.
1887
March 26, 1887 - A football rules convention was held where revisions were made to make the referee the ultimate authority on the field, and to adjust wording on a try for goal after a touchdown.
On November 23, 1887, the University of Notre Dame invited some interested students to visit their campus to teach ND students how to play football. The meeting, widely considered a controlled scrimmage the next morning, was intended to teach Notre Dame students how to play the game.
November 24, 1887 - On Thanksgiving Day, Yale defeated Harvard 17-8 in a major intersectional college football game.
1888
May 5, 1888 - Association's Rules meeting. A rule was instituted that prevented the snapper-back (center) from running with the ball until it touched a third player. Also, a precursor to preventing holding was written into the rules by limiting members of the rush line's use of extended arms.
October 18, 1888 - The first intercollegiate game in the state of North Carolina was when Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 6–4. This was Wake Forest's first football game ever played.
November 14, 1888 - The University of California played its first football game. The team known as the Fighting Methodists (not Trojans yet) played the Alliance Athletic Club, and USC won the game 16-0.
November 29, 1888 - The first "scientific game" took place on Thanksgiving, as North Carolina played Duke (then the Trinity Blue and White). Duke won 16 to 0.
1889
March 2, 1889 - Football Advisory Committee held a rules meeting. One rule brought to fruition was an official's timeout after a score. Other revisions included a hefty 25-yard penalty for offending teams for illegal tackling and unnecessary roughness.
March 30, 1889 - A second football rules meeting was held to redefine what a touchdown was. Other precepts included allowing the defense to use their hands and arms to block opponents, while offensive players could not use their arms or hands. Referees were given whistles for the first time by rule to signal the stoppage of play.
November 16, 1889 - The University of Iowa plays its first official varsity football game against Iowa College (now Grinnell College) in Grinnell, Iowa. Iowa College won the game 24-0, which was also the first collegiate football game played west of the Mississippi River.
November 23, 1889 - The Wisconsin Badgers played their first-ever football game in Madison, losing 27–0 to the Calumet Club of Milwaukee. Played on the "lower campus athletic field" (now Library Mall), this marked the start of the program's history.
December 14, 1889 - Wofford defeated Furman in the first intercollegiate game played in the state of South Carolina.
December 1889 - Journalist Caspar Whitney selected the inaugural All-America college football team, which was composed entirely of players from the "Big Three": Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. Among these legendary honorees, four individuals eventually earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame: Knowlton Ames (Fullback, Princeton), Hector Cowan (Tackle, Princeton), Pudge Heffelfinger (Guard, Yale), Amos Alonzo Stagg (End, Yale), Edgar Allen Poe (Princeton), among others.
1890
May 3, 1890 - Ohio State University played its first-ever football game against Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, with the Buckeyes winning 20-14. (Ohio State Buckeyes)
May 10, 1890 - The Rules Committee convened for a look at amending gridiron rules for the upcoming 1890 season. Harvard withdrew from the Association once again. The new rule provided kick-catching protections, injury substitution, and prevented disqualified players from re-entering the game.
October 2, 1890 - The University of Illinois' first game was a 16-0 loss to Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington. IL. (Illinois Illini)
October 11, 1890 - The University of Pittsburgh (then known as Western University of Pennsylvania) played its first official football game vs. Shadyside Academy, which resulted in a 38–0 loss. (Pitt Panthers)
October 20, 1890 - The Missouri Tigers played their first-ever football game, a 22-6 win over a local picked-up football team.
November 15, 1890 - Colorado Buffaloes' first football game ever, as they lost the contest to the Denver Athletic Club 20-0.
On November 22, 1890, Kansas hosted its first-ever college football game, in which the Baker Methodists defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, 22–9. It was the 1st game college game officially played in the state of Kansas.
November 27, 1890 - In the inaugural college football game held in the state of Tennessee, the Vanderbilt Commodores delivered a dominant 40–0 shutout victory over Nashville (Peabody Normal School).
November 27, 1890 - The University of Nebraska played its first-ever football game on Thanksgiving Day in a win over the Omaha YMCA team, 18-0. The game was played on lot that had been logged out the year before by civil engineering students, and was attended by several hundred spectators. (Nebraska Cornhuskers)
November 29, 1890 - The first official Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, NY, where the US Naval Academy (Navy) defeated the US Military Academy (Army) 24-0.
1891
November 7, 1891 - The Sewanee Tigers made their football debut as they fell to Vanderbilt 0-22, at Hardee Field in Sewanee, Tennessee.
November 21, 1891 - The University of Tennessee fielded its first-ever team in a football game on Thanksgiving Day, falling to Sewanee 0-24.
November 28, 1891 - The West Virginia Mountaineers debuted on the gridiron against nearby Washington and Jefferson. W&J won the game by a staggering 72-0 score.
1892
March 21, 1892 - The Graduate Rules Committee convened to propose changes to the rules on a “punt-out,” missed field goal attempts would result in loss of possession, and a 2 and your gone policy for violators who coached from the sideline.
May 12, 1892 - The Rules Convention was held, which approved the Graduate Advisory Committee recommendations from March 21. The rules were officially adopted.
November 12, 1892 - Pudge Heffelfinger became the first known paid American football player, who was handed $500 by the Allegheny Athletic Association when they played the Pittsburgh Athletic Club at Exhibition Park on the North Shore of Pittsburgh.
November 19, 1892 - During the season-ending Yale vs Harvard game, the Crimson unveiled their surprise new tactic, a variation of the “Princeton V”, which they called the “V-Trick.” Yale learned about the tactic days before and prepared, defeating Harvard 6-0, in front of 20,000 fans at Hamden Park in Springfield, MA.
1893
January 1893 - Yale proposed a rule change to restrict player eligibility to undergraduates pursuing a degree at the school.
September 30, 1893 - Philip King of Princeton introduced a new scheme against Lafayette, which was used by most teams from the mid-1890’s until well into the twentieth century. The idea was to line up an end and a back directly behind an offensive tackle.
November 25, 1893 - Harvard surprised Yale in their annual rivalry game by wearing smooth leather one-piece suits that made them slippery and harder to tackle. This prompted changes to the rules on uniforms.
November 25, 1893 - Harvard’s legendary Coach Lorin F. Deland unleashed his new “Push-Play,” in which a runner would be lifted by teammates and thrown over the rush line.
December 2, 1893: Many claim the leather helmet first appeared in football on this date. Admiral Joseph Mason Reeve, fearing "instant insanity" from another head injury, commissioned an Annapolis shoemaker to fashion a protective moleskin hat with earflaps. Reeve wore this first version during the annual Army-Navy game.
1894
October 27, 1894 - In its most competitive game of the season, Yale outlasted a tough Army team 12-5.
November 24, 1894 - A late-season battle of undefeateds. Yale beat Harvard 12-4 at Hamden Park in Springfield, MA, as part of a 16-0 season.
November 29, 1894 - Harvard suffered a second straight setback in the season finale against undefeated Penn, 18-4.
1895
January 11, 1895, Purdue University President James Henry Smart invited the presidents of six other universities to Chicago to regulate intercollegiate athletics. During the meeting, the group prioritized student-athlete eligibility and mandated that athletes maintain full-time status in good standing. The representatives officially founded the conference at a second meeting on February 8, 1896. Although Lake Forest College missed this session, the University of Michigan joined in its place. These seven attendees became the founding members of the organization known as the Western Conference.
March 31, 1895 - The football rules committee convened as Alexander Moffatt of Princeton, Walter Camp of Yale, W.A. Brooks of Harvard, and John C. Bell of Penn met to discuss their differing opinions on football rules.
September 3, 1895 - John Brallier, a top local athlete, suited up and was paid to play for the Latrobe Athletic Association against the Jeanette Athletic Club. For many years, many believed this to be the first instance of a professional football player until new evidence proved it was Pudge Heffelfinger in 1892.
November 1, 1895 - The Chicago Athletic Association traveled to Philadelphia to play the Penn Quakers at Franklin Field. Penn beat the CAA 12-4.
November 23, 1895 - Penn defeated Harvard 17-14 to keep their undefeated record intact.
1896
February 8, 1896 - Big 10 Conference is founded - The second meeting of the organization (1st on January 11, 1895), which became the founding members of the Western Conference (Big 10). During the process, the University of Michigan replaced Lake Forest after Lake Forest skipped the meeting.
Summer 1896 - The Football Rules committee convened to institute new rules, including adopting the heel mark system for fair catches and requiring at least five offensive players to be on the line of scrimmage at the snap.
October 24, 1896 - The University of Pennsylvania’s unbeaten streak was snapped by a Lafayette 6-4 upset victory. More on the Lafayette Upset here.
1897
February 19, 1897 - The football rules committee changed scoring values as a touchdown’s worth changed from four points to five points.
November 13, 1897 - Clarence Herschberger, a University of Chicago star player for Amos Alonzo Stagg, could not play in the game against Wisconsin after suffering gastritis. Apparently, Clarence challenged Chicago's quarterback, Walter S. Kennedy, to an egg-eating contest before the game, which left him with an upset tummy. The Maroons lost the game to the Badgers 8-23, leading Coach Stagg to say: "We weren't beaten by 11 Badgers. We were beaten by 13 eggs."
November 20, 1897 - The battle of undefeated teams met at Yale Field as Yale entertained rival Princeton. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 6-0 in front of 18,000 spectators.
1898
March 7, 1898 - The Football Rules Committee made a couple of tweaks to the rulebook. The 15-yard penalty for piling on was added, and the beginnings of protection for punt returners.
Summer 1898 - The Morgan Athletic Club was founded in Chicago. The MAC was a team that would eventually become the Chicago Cardinals and, later, the Arizona Cardinals, and was formed, making it the oldest continuous operation in pro football.
Fall 1898 - University of Chicago star Clarence Herschberger is credited with introducing the first spiral punt in American football.
October 12, 1898 - Michigan defeated Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University) 39–0, marking the start of the long rivalry between the Michigan schools.
November 24, 1898 - The Michigan Wolverines finished 10-0, winning their first Western Conference championship by defeating Chicago 12–11 at Marshall Field in Chicago, a game that inspired their fight song, "The Victors."
1899
March 17, 1899 - The Football Rules Committee met and introduced that the officials were now part of the playing field, so that a ball that struck them would no longer be declared dead.
October 28, 1899 - Columbia registered perhaps its biggest victory since its inception when the Lions upset Yale 5-0 at Manhattan Field in New York.
November 11, 1899 - Undefeated Harvard and a one-loss Yale battled to a scoreless tie at Soldier Field in Cambridge, Mass., in front of 50,000 onlookers.
November 25, 1899 - Princeton’s Art Poe, one of the famous Poe Brothers, drop- kicked a 35-yard field goal in the final seconds to beat Yale 11-10 in front of 15,000 fans atYale Field.
1900
November 3, 1900 - University Park, Ithaca, New York - Two undefeated heavyweights of the early gridiron era squared off in a week seven showdown as the Cornell Big Red would travel to play the Princeton Tigers. Entering the game, according to an article on the cornellbigred.com website, Princeton had never lost at home with an excellent 121-0-1 record there. Cornell featured All-American fullback Ray Starbuck while Princeton countered with their leading man, captain H. W. Pell. Cornell made history as they handed the Tigers their first loss at home, 12-0, on a rainy afternoon. The Big Red's Raymond Starbuck and Henry Purcell each scored touchdowns, and Starbuck booted a pair of extra-point kicks to lead Cornell past the Tigers. It was the first time in 31 seasons of Princeton football that they had ever suffered a loss in their own house! Truly a remarkable feat!
November 17, 1900 - Riverside Park, Montgomery, Alabama - The 5th Iron Bowl Classic was played at a neutral site in Montgomery. It was a big day for the Tigers as Auburn dispatched the Alabama squad 53-5.
1901
November 15, 1901 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama - From Onthisday.com, the 6th Iron Bowl classic took place, as the Auburn Tigers blanked the Alabama Crimson Tide 17-0.
December 2, 1901 - George Owen, a swift Harvard halfback and a standout hockey and baseball athlete, was born. His brilliant collegiate career earned him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
1902
January 1, 1902 - Technically, it was the First-ever Rose Bowl game. Though called the Tournament East-West Football Game, Michigan beat Stanford 49–0.
October 18, 1902 - Birmingham, Alabama - The famous Iron Bowl is played for the seventh time as Auburn defeats its longtime rival Alabama 23-0. The term "Iron Bowl" comes almost as a tribute to the City of Birmingham's involvement in the steel industry. The Crimson Tide holds the advantage at the time of this writing with 45 wins compared to 36 victories for the Auburn Tigers over the history of the series. There was only one tie in the series between these two founding members of the SEC, and that occurred in 1907.
November 18, 1902 - Rawlings is credited with introducing the first football shoulder pads when they introduced Whitley's Armor Clothing. William P Whitley, an executive at Rawlings, filed for US Patent 714079. He did this on behalf of the Rawlings Sporting Goods Company. The product was made of felt and fiber, and though it offered poor protection compared to the pads of our era, it was a significant upgrade over what they had at the time.
November 28, 1902 - The title game of the three-team original National Football League was played in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Stars defeated the Philadelphia Athletics on late-game touchdowns by Ellis and another by Artie Miller, leading Pittsburgh to an 11–0 victory.
November 29, 1902 - The third and deciding game of a series of professional games between Pennsylvania powerhouses Oil City and Franklin was played. Oil City hired many players from the original NFL Philadelphia Athletics club and defeated Franklin 10-0.
December 29, 1902 - The First World Series of Football started a multiple-night gridiron tournament inside New York's Madison Square Garden. Four of the top professional teams from across the country competed, and the All-Syracuse team outlasted a "New York-Philadelphian" squad, the Knickerbocker Club, and the Orange Athletic Club to win the title.
1903
March 28, 1903 - Atlantic City, NJ - The Football Rules Committee met and passed new rules that disallowed hard surfaces on headwear during games. Also, that teams would exchange goals and ends of the field after every point scored on a touchdown attempt and after every goal from the field. Additionally, the team that scored could either take the free kick or kick it off themselves to the team that scored. Quarterbacks were now allowed to run with the ball without it touching a third player after the snap. (Source)
June 6, 1903 - Philadelphia, PA - The Football Rules Committee met and passed new rules that seven men should play in the rush line of both the attacking and defending teams. When, however, the ball is within either of the twenty-five-yard lines, either team may play with as few as only five men in the line. A Holding foul, formerly penalized as loss of possession, would now be a 25-yard penalty. (Source)
October 23, 1903 - Montgomery, Alabama - The 8th installment of the famed Iron Bowl took place as the Alabama Crimson Tide knocked off the Auburn Tigers 18-6. The victory helped head Coach W.B. Blount's Alabama team finish the season with a 3-4 record, while Auburn, coached by Billy Bates, finished 4-3 according to sports-reference.com's records.
October 28, 1903 - Franklin, Pennsylvania - The undefeated Jamestown Club team traveled to play the Franklin All-Stars. Franklin, the World’s Greatest Pro Gridiron team, demolished the visitors 46-0. Check out our book on the World's Greatest Pro Gridiron Team: The 1903 Franklin All-Stars.
November 14, 1903 - What many say is the First American Football Game Ever Filmed was played: 1903 Princeton Tigers vs Yale Bulldogs. Princeton won the game 11-6 in front of 30,000 at Yale Field.
December 17, 1903 - Madison Square Garden, NYC - The 1903 World Series of Football culminated in the title game, as the host Watertown Red Blacks faced the Franklin All-Stars. The All-Stars took the prize with a 12-0 blanking of the Watertown Eleven. Check out our book on the World's Greatest Pro Gridiron Team: The 1903 Franklin All-Stars.
1904
January 28, 1904, the world’s 1st college sports letters were given to Seniors who played on the University of Chicago’s football team by Amos Alonzo Stagg, who awarded them with a letter “C”. According to Jennifer Taylor Hall’s book Amos Alonzo Stagg: Football’s Man in Motion, the inaugural class of these dare we say, lettermen was called the “Order of the C.” It became an honored tradition that each spring the men of this exclusive club would return and gather together with the latest class, having to sing to their coach in order to receive their letters.
November 12, 1904- Birmingham, Alabama - The 9th edition of the Iron Bowl was played. The rivalry was heated back then, too. According to sports-reference.com, this game, though Auburn got the better of Alabama 29-5. (source)
1905
October 9, 1905 - President Theodore Roosevelt summoned representatives from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton to the White House to discuss ways to tame the game of football to save it from public outcry.
December 1905 - Chancellor Henry M. MacCracken of New York University convened a meeting of 13 college leaders to initiate changes in football playing rules.
December 28, 1905 - in New York City, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) was founded by 62 members.
