Yes. The ORFU adopted the Burnside Rules in 1903, which brought downs to Canadian rugby. American football rules required gaining five yards in three downs while Burnside required ten yards in three downs. We switched to ten yards in three downs in 1906 and then to ten yards in four downs in 1912.
Wait, so both the first forward pass and the first touchdown pass came at Maine?!
Yes. Partly its a function of them starting the season earlier than most schools, but both occurred in Orono.
Indeed. I still think it's a remarkable coincidence. #RememberTheMaine
Thank you for another great story! The research you do is amazing!
Thank you. The idea occurred to me about noon today and had fun digging into it.
So I can probably safely say that 1912 would be the year American and Canadian football diverged on the downs issue (America four, Canada three)...
Yes. The ORFU adopted the Burnside Rules in 1903, which brought downs to Canadian rugby. American football rules required gaining five yards in three downs while Burnside required ten yards in three downs. We switched to ten yards in three downs in 1906 and then to ten yards in four downs in 1912.