The Rutgers-Princeton games were a big deal. They were the first intercollegiate games between American colleges playing a football-like game. (Crew and baseball preceded "football.") Warding, interference, or blocking arrived in 1884. See this post for more: https://www.footballarchaeology.com/p/todays-tidbit-1876-ifa-rule-22-onside
Tidbits are intended to touch on a point without a deeper discussion of where things fit from a broader context. My book, How Football Became Football, pieces together many of those issues.
The formation of the 2nd Intercollegiate Football Association was clearly a starting point, but I would ask: when did American Football become a "distinct sport with its mechanics defined," and not just a rugby variant?
It would be through a series of rule changes and one's specific answer depends on which foundational gridiron mechanics in totality "encapsulate / made" the sport. Multiple years mark the introduction of a rule that defines the modern game, and I'll briefly elaborate on later rule impacts.
- 1880 was the birth of possession through the line of scrimmage, a first defining characteristic and officially adopted the 11-player requirement, which also began to distinguish it.
- 1882 was the birth of strategy through the system of downs; this also created the unique "stop-and-start" tactical rhythm to a distinct game forming.
- 1883 was the birth of the points system; this established different numerical values for successfully executing different plays at different points on the field, fundamentally changing how the winner was determined in this new sport.
- 1906 was the birth of the forward pass; originally instituted as part of measures to address player safety and preserve the sport of college football (save it from being banned), it ultimately added a dimension to the nature of the sport that's been prioritized. The tension between attempting to play American football in a manner that is safe enough for its participants continues to be a theme the sport wrestles with as part of its modern era.
- 1941/1950 was the birth of unlimited substitution. Prior, players were required to play both offense and defense. If a player left the game, they couldn't return until the next quarter or sometimes at all. The change allowed for player specialization, with the possibility for entirely separate units for offense and defense. It paved the way for players to become experts in specific roles, and the games increased speed and power; players no longer had to conserve energy for 60 minutes of two-way play, allowing for more explosive, high-intensity action on every snap. The NCAA (which became college rules committee after 2nd IFA, IFRC and IAAUS) first allowed unlimited substitutions during World War II due to the difficulty of fielding full rosters with many players serving in the military. The National Football League (NFL) officially and permanently adopted unlimited free substitution first. Unlike the NCAA, the NFL never went back to restricted substitutions, allowing the professional game to specialize much faster.
I would argue that the pass and unlimited substitution changed the nature of American Football but the line of scrimmage, downs and points made American Football. That's my current gut on the defining moment. If you watched a game today where the players used a line of scrimmage and downs, but the final score was "2 goals to 1," with the team with 2 goals scoring no touchdowns and the team scoring 1 goal scoring 3 touchdowns, would you consider that American football or something else?
So I lean October 26, 1883 (NYC) as the best date to select as the start of American Football though October 14, 1882 (Springfield, MA) carries some weight for me too. The shift from "goals-only" to a point system in 1883 was a tectonic shift because it further emphasized territorial conquest and carrying to kicking; from that point forward, you wouldn't confuse college football with rugby union.
When did American Football become a distinct sport with its mechanics defined for you?
That fact that you can accurately argue about 7 or 8 key mechanical changes as potential dates for when football became football tells me that is the wrong path. Each was a step in the game's evolution, with the latter changes generally dependent on the earlier ones. As I argued in a comment above, just as soccer and rugby's starting points are recognized as the points in which they developed governing bodies that defined the game's rules, so does the IFA's formation in 1876 mark the beginning of football as a distinct game. Identifying to point when football became mechanically distinct from rugby is like trying to determine when dogs became different from wolves.
Greatly appreciate that you took the time to read and reply as well as all of your important contributions and knowledge about the game we both enjoy.
Mechanical distinctions is what creates a new sport; even if writing down Rugby union rules undeniably formed the platform from which American football rose (and represented an active choice to divorce from soccer), it did NOT create American football. All of the sport's history illuminates its origins and pathway to the game that's played today. The line of scrimmage created an initial distinction from Rugby union, and the system of downs coupled with successfully executing different plays resulting in different number of points to determine a winner created something markedly different from Rugby union and that I can recognize as American football.
I'm fine with agreeing to disagree. To carry your analogy further, there's value in understanding the when, how and why of subspecies' distinct migration from (and between) one another; rugby and American football may share the same, deeply ingrained DNA, but their environments and treatments created profound differences in the look and feel between them, even if we can admire both.
It's in American Football's very DNA to constantly mutate, which helps illustrate why the sports has so far adapted well to its environment, given its popularity to date. On November 30, 1876, Yale beating Princeton 2 goals to 0, was Rugby Union played in Hoboken, NJ, USA, and was not yet American football.
Love the blog! I feel like Rutgers and Princeton deciding to play the folk games is a big deal too. Also a big deal is when it diverged from rugby - when exactly did blocking and down and distance get instituted?
The Rutgers-Princeton games were a big deal. They were the first intercollegiate games between American colleges playing a football-like game. (Crew and baseball preceded "football.") Warding, interference, or blocking arrived in 1884. See this post for more: https://www.footballarchaeology.com/p/todays-tidbit-1876-ifa-rule-22-onside
The rule of possession arrived in 1880, but teams were not required to gain yardage in a set number of downs until 1884. You can read more about that here: https://www.footballarchaeology.com/p/todays-tidbit-1876-ifa-rule-11-scrimmage
Tidbits are intended to touch on a point without a deeper discussion of where things fit from a broader context. My book, How Football Became Football, pieces together many of those issues.
Let me know if you have other questions.
The formation of the 2nd Intercollegiate Football Association was clearly a starting point, but I would ask: when did American Football become a "distinct sport with its mechanics defined," and not just a rugby variant?
It would be through a series of rule changes and one's specific answer depends on which foundational gridiron mechanics in totality "encapsulate / made" the sport. Multiple years mark the introduction of a rule that defines the modern game, and I'll briefly elaborate on later rule impacts.
- 1880 was the birth of possession through the line of scrimmage, a first defining characteristic and officially adopted the 11-player requirement, which also began to distinguish it.
- 1882 was the birth of strategy through the system of downs; this also created the unique "stop-and-start" tactical rhythm to a distinct game forming.
- 1883 was the birth of the points system; this established different numerical values for successfully executing different plays at different points on the field, fundamentally changing how the winner was determined in this new sport.
- 1906 was the birth of the forward pass; originally instituted as part of measures to address player safety and preserve the sport of college football (save it from being banned), it ultimately added a dimension to the nature of the sport that's been prioritized. The tension between attempting to play American football in a manner that is safe enough for its participants continues to be a theme the sport wrestles with as part of its modern era.
- 1941/1950 was the birth of unlimited substitution. Prior, players were required to play both offense and defense. If a player left the game, they couldn't return until the next quarter or sometimes at all. The change allowed for player specialization, with the possibility for entirely separate units for offense and defense. It paved the way for players to become experts in specific roles, and the games increased speed and power; players no longer had to conserve energy for 60 minutes of two-way play, allowing for more explosive, high-intensity action on every snap. The NCAA (which became college rules committee after 2nd IFA, IFRC and IAAUS) first allowed unlimited substitutions during World War II due to the difficulty of fielding full rosters with many players serving in the military. The National Football League (NFL) officially and permanently adopted unlimited free substitution first. Unlike the NCAA, the NFL never went back to restricted substitutions, allowing the professional game to specialize much faster.
I would argue that the pass and unlimited substitution changed the nature of American Football but the line of scrimmage, downs and points made American Football. That's my current gut on the defining moment. If you watched a game today where the players used a line of scrimmage and downs, but the final score was "2 goals to 1," with the team with 2 goals scoring no touchdowns and the team scoring 1 goal scoring 3 touchdowns, would you consider that American football or something else?
So I lean October 26, 1883 (NYC) as the best date to select as the start of American Football though October 14, 1882 (Springfield, MA) carries some weight for me too. The shift from "goals-only" to a point system in 1883 was a tectonic shift because it further emphasized territorial conquest and carrying to kicking; from that point forward, you wouldn't confuse college football with rugby union.
When did American Football become a distinct sport with its mechanics defined for you?
That fact that you can accurately argue about 7 or 8 key mechanical changes as potential dates for when football became football tells me that is the wrong path. Each was a step in the game's evolution, with the latter changes generally dependent on the earlier ones. As I argued in a comment above, just as soccer and rugby's starting points are recognized as the points in which they developed governing bodies that defined the game's rules, so does the IFA's formation in 1876 mark the beginning of football as a distinct game. Identifying to point when football became mechanically distinct from rugby is like trying to determine when dogs became different from wolves.
Sorry. When I referenced a comment above, it referred to a comment I made in response to a post from last week: https://www.footballarchaeology.com/p/what-might-have-been-harvards-football
Greatly appreciate that you took the time to read and reply as well as all of your important contributions and knowledge about the game we both enjoy.
Mechanical distinctions is what creates a new sport; even if writing down Rugby union rules undeniably formed the platform from which American football rose (and represented an active choice to divorce from soccer), it did NOT create American football. All of the sport's history illuminates its origins and pathway to the game that's played today. The line of scrimmage created an initial distinction from Rugby union, and the system of downs coupled with successfully executing different plays resulting in different number of points to determine a winner created something markedly different from Rugby union and that I can recognize as American football.
I'm fine with agreeing to disagree. To carry your analogy further, there's value in understanding the when, how and why of subspecies' distinct migration from (and between) one another; rugby and American football may share the same, deeply ingrained DNA, but their environments and treatments created profound differences in the look and feel between them, even if we can admire both.
It's in American Football's very DNA to constantly mutate, which helps illustrate why the sports has so far adapted well to its environment, given its popularity to date. On November 30, 1876, Yale beating Princeton 2 goals to 0, was Rugby Union played in Hoboken, NJ, USA, and was not yet American football.
Danke schoen, baby!
Love the blog! I feel like Rutgers and Princeton deciding to play the folk games is a big deal too. Also a big deal is when it diverged from rugby - when exactly did blocking and down and distance get instituted?
Congrats on the Milestone Anniversary Football Archaeology. And to Many More to Come!!