| American football emerged from the European | | | | |
| game of Rugby in 1879. Walter Camp, a player | | | | In 1873, the Intercollegiate Football |
| and coach of Yale University, is recognized | | | | Association was formed by the representatives |
| as "The Father Of American Football" as the | | | | of Columbia, Rutgers, Princeton, and Yale. |
| early rules of the game was instituted by | | | | Till then, the increasingly popular game was |
| him. However, previous to that, the students | | | | being played with many different rules. The |
| of Princeton were already playing a game | | | | association brought into effect the first set |
| called "Ballown". It was about fisting the | | | | of rules of intercollegiate football which |
| ball and then using their feet to advance the | | | | allowed fifteen players in each team. |
| ball past their opponents. There were no hard | | | | However, it was Walter Camp, a coach at Yale, |
| and fast rules that applied and could be | | | | who began the final process of evolution from |
| stated as the easiest form of football at | | | | rugby like game to what we know today as the |
| it's early times. However, the physical | | | | American Football. The number of players was |
| aspect of the game was immense and often it | | | | reduced to eleven and the standard size of |
| turned violent. | | | | the field was set to hundred and ten yards. A |
| | | | little later downs were introduced and |
| At Harvard too, a football-type game was | | | | tackling below the belt was legalized. |
| being played on the first Monday of the | | | | |
| school year. This game was so much physical | | | | However, the violent physical challenge that |
| that the day it was played was often | | | | the game demanded, caused many serious |
| mentioned as "Bloody Monday". The year 1865 | | | | injuries and deaths in the next few years. As |
| was very important for American Football. The | | | | a result, though still gaining popularity, |
| Civil War had ended and football started | | | | football was banned in many colleges. In |
| gaining popularity in the colleges. It was in | | | | 1905, under a directive from President |
| this year that some basic rules for the game | | | | Theodore Roosevelt, Yale, Harvard and |
| were established and the game got its patent | | | | Princeton setup a couple of meetings between |
| for the first time. Thus on 6th November, | | | | schools and formed a seven member Rules |
| 1869 the first inter-collegiate football was | | | | Committee which was later came to be known as |
| played between Rutgers and Princeton where | | | | National Collegiate Athletic Association, or |
| Rutgers won by a score of six goals to four. | | | | the NCAA. |