Today's Tidbits... The 1903 Columbia-Penn Checkerboard

One of these days, I will put together a list of my ten favorite football images. This shot of the 1903 Pennsylvania-Columbia game at the Polo Grounds will be among them because it communicates so much about football at the time.

1903 Columbia-Penn game at the Polo Grounds in New York (Columbia University Archives) -CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE-

Played at the third version of the Polo Grounds, 10,000 people attended the game, with most arriving via the subway cars seen just beyond the stands on the far side of the field. Another several hundred people watch the game from Coogan's Bluff. They are at the top of the image above the gap in the fence.

The crowd in the foreground includes a few ladies with fine hats and a bunch of guys with bowlers. Several people stand on the far side of the field, including a cheerleader holding a megaphone.