American football history
The history of American football was largely written in universities ( colleges ) on the east coast of the United States and consists of variants of football and rugby , in which a ball is shot either into a goal or over a line in the Anglo-Saxon world .
American football emerged in the second half of the 19th century through several changes to these football and rugby rules. Some of the biggest rule changes were the introduction of downs , the line of scrimmage , and the ability to actively block opposing players. In addition, the passing game was introduced in the early 20th century , which made it possible to move the ball forward with one throw. This was the definitive demarcation from rugby, where there is no forward pass. Football grew in popularity as it became the dominant sport in universities during the first half of the 20th century. Championship games between the individual schools, driven by lived traditions and passionate rivalries, gained national attention.
Although the first paid player contracts had been in existence since 1892, it was not until 1920 that the American Professional Football Association was founded to organize football on a professional basis. This was renamed the National Football League (NFL) two years later and ultimately became the United States' professional league. Originally played as a sport in the industrial centers of the Midwest , professional football has become a national phenomenon. The modern era of American football began with the 1932 NFL play-off game between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans . It was the first game in which hashmarks were used, the passing game was allowed anywhere behind the line of scrimmage , and the goal posts were moved to the end of the field. Other innovations and rules that still apply today were introduced after the game.
Another explosion in football's popularity in the second half of the 20th century came from the 1958 NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants . This game went down in history as "Greatest Game Ever Played".
In 1959, several business people founded the American Football League (AFL) to compete with the NFL . After three failed attempts to establish an alternative league, this was the only league that successfully existed alongside the NFL between 1960 and 1969. Due to the AFL's attractive style of play, the pressure on the NFL became so great over time that the two leagues finally merged in 1970. The name National Football League was retained, and the teams in both leagues were divided into the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). To determine the national champion, the masters of the respective conference have since competed against each other in the Super Bowl .
prehistory
Ball games, which could be considered the forerunners of football and soccer, are known from several continents and eras. But only the ball games that were practiced as "running games" or "kicking games" in the 1800s in the Anglo-Saxon region have led directly to today's types of play. See the history of football .
Emergence
The origin of Footballs is generally dated back to November 6, 1869, when the teams from the Universities of Rutgers and Princeton in New Brunswick ( New Jersey ) 6: played 4 - after soccer-like rules, because American football should be invented.
In 1874, the Harvard University team and the Canadian McGill University rugby team of Montreal , Canada , met in games of compromise rules. From this food for thought, Canadian football and American football evolved .
The decisive personality in American football was Walter Camp , who from 1876 as a player, coach and functionary at Yale University had a decisive influence on its development (and that of other sports) until 1925. The number of players was set at eleven, exclusive possession of the ball was introduced for at least three attempts, and the attack formation with seven players on the line and four in the back area was common. Approximately ten games were played from September through November, marked by the holidays of Labor Day and Thanksgiving .
Camp also put together a highly acclaimed "All America" selection team. B. is honored by the US President (see movie scene in Forrest Gump ). The games of the students at the " Ivy League " elite universities on the east coast became popular, and by the 1890s, 30,000 spectators were no exception. At that time there were also non-university competitions with the first professional approaches, but these were to remain in the shadow of college football for several decades. In 1902, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena established the tradition of bowl games on New Years Eve . A tournament to determine a master was never introduced; The “National Championship” honors were determined through surveys of coaches and journalists, with often disagreement.
November 18, 1892 is considered to be the beginning of the professional age in American football. Football was also played in so-called athletic clubs . It was all about honor. That day, the Allegheny Athletic Association (AAA) played against the rival Pittsburg Athletic Association (PAA) team. The club from Allegheny offered William Heffelfinger , who had already caused a sensation in college football, 500 US dollars to when he would play for their team. He should also receive $ 25 travel expenses. Heffelfinger took the money, secured a fumble in the game and carried it into the opposing end zone for the only touchdown of the game . The AAA won 4-0. The excitement about the appearance of the non-club player Heffelfinger was already great before the game with the opposing team and the public, but completely unjustified. The PAA team had also offered Heffelfinger money - but "only" 250 US dollars, which was not enough for him to risk his amateur status. Since it was already common at that time to place bets on the game results, these were all canceled. Both clubs have now agreed to play the game as a friendly. Although the AAA Heffelfinger had to pay a total of $ 525, it made a good profit at $ 621. The ban on professional football was broken, as other clubs were now also trying to make money with their games and offered players salaries between 50 and 500 US dollars per game.
At the same time, however, football was already in its first crisis, as more than a dozen players per year were killed because they stormed each other in wedge formations ( Flying Wedge - German "flying wedge"). In the Flying Wedge, as many players on the offensive line as possible move together immediately after the snap and block forwards. The halfback and fullback slide from behind. The quarterback is protected from all sides in the middle of the wedge, holds the ball and in this formation one tries to gain space. The defense also holds against it with a lot of force. This formation was banned in 1894. Even so, 18 players were killed in 1905. US President Theodore Roosevelt then forced rule changes that should make the game safer. By 1912, football had taken its current form. In particular, the introduction of the forward pass marked the separation from rugby for good. A touchdown counted from now on six points. The dimensions of the pitch have been adapted to the newly built Harvard stadium.
As the most important of various awards, the Heisman Trophy has been given to the best (attacking) player of a year since 1935 , and OJ Simpson was one of the winners .
Rule changes
Slowly but steadily, football was taking on a face of its own. In 1876 a first binding set of rules came into force, which fixed the size of the pitch at 140 by 70 meters. The playing time was then divided into two 45-minute halves. Four years later, the field was again the size of 110 by 53.34 yards (100.6 by 48.8 meters). In addition, the usual rugby scrummage (scrum) has been replaced by what is known as scrimmage (possession of the ball by the attacking team). That was the first big step towards today's American football. At that time the attacking team still had three attempts instead of four, but only had to bridge 5 yards.
Almost a science in itself is the change in the ratings for different points successes. The following table should clarify this.
| until 1884 | 1884 | 1910 | 1912 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touchdown | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6th |
| Extra kick | 4th | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Conversion | The conversion was only introduced around 1970 and has been worth 2 points since then. | |||
| Field goal | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Safety | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Some changes that had a decisive impact on the game came between 1906 and 1912. In 1906 the forward pass was allowed for the first time, but with considerable restrictions. The pass thrower had to stand at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage and was not allowed to throw more than 20 yards. In addition, the penalty for an incomplete pass was the loss of the right to attack ( turnover ). The penalty was reduced to 15 yards of space shortly thereafter. Furthermore, the passing game was restricted in that a pass was not allowed to go over the goal line . In 1912 one of the last major rule changes came. The number of attempts was increased from three to four, the playing field was shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards, the ten-yard deep end zones were introduced, the value of a touchdown was increased from five to six points, and a pass over the goal line was prohibited and the restriction of passes to 20 yards was also lifted.
However, there were not only peaceful developments, as the development of the Flying Wedge showed. Despite the prohibition of this style of play, fatalities and serious injuries occurred again and again. Numerous other rule changes followed, mostly for the safety of the players. The goal posts for the field goal in 1927 were also moved behind the end zone (until then they were in front of it). In 1940 wearing a helmet became compulsory, in 1956 reaching into the face grille was banned (this often resulted in serious neck injuries) and in 1962 the last players without face grille disappeared.
The NFL professional league had its beginnings in the 1920s. At first, the rules of amateur sports were adopted. The games with very few points at that time were of little interest to the audience and therefore different rules were introduced in 1933 in order to make the game more spectacular and more points. Passes no longer had to be thrown at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage, but could be thrown from anywhere behind the line. Furthermore, the goal posts that were only moved to the end line in 1927 were brought back to the goal line. That should mean more field goals. The most important innovation was the introduction of hash marks. Up until now, the next down had to be played exactly where the previous one ended. Having to start a down directly on the edge of the field was rarely successful, so moves to the edge of the field were avoided. Since every down could now be started within the hash marks, the offenses now use the entire width of the playing field, which quickly led to more touchdowns. The hashmarks and the easing of passport throws were gradually adopted by amateur sports. The goalposts, on the other hand, were kept at the end line for safety reasons, where the NFL moved them back in 1974.
In 1951 the first is NFL championship game broadcast nationwide, the NFL receives 75,000 US dollars . In 1955, NBC was granted the right to broadcast the NFL Championship Game for a payment of US $ 100,000, and in 1956 the first CBS games were shown on regional television. But it was not until 1958, with the NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts , broadcast nationwide by NBC and seen by 45 million viewers , that television and its rise made it the most successful professional league in the entire sports world today (9 billion US -Dollar annual sales). In 1971 the Kansas High School Activities Association first introduced overtime to reduce draws, followed by the NFL in 1974. Overtime was introduced in 1981 for divisions I-AA (now I FCS), II and III, followed by Division IA (now I FBS) in 1996.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ NFL History and Stats - Football History | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site. Retrieved September 2, 2018 .
- ^ William Heffelfinger (1867-1954) - Find A Grave ... Retrieved September 2, 2018 .
- ↑ Description of the Flying Wedge ( Memento from June 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Ban on the Flying Wedge ( Memento from August 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ History of American Football ( Memento from June 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ John Kryk: Why American football added a 4th down. Toronto Sun, February 2, 2012, accessed March 6, 2018 .
- ^ NFL History by Decade. Retrieved September 2, 2018 .
- ↑ Adopting overtime has built 20 years of thrills into college football: An oral history. October 13, 2016, accessed October 23, 2016 .