The Origin of American Football: From Ancient Rome to Super Bowl

When most people think of American football, they imagine muscular guys running around on a field trying to score touchdowns. In reality, the origin of American football can be traced directly to rugby, which originated in England in the mid-19th century. Still, the game that started it all was much, much older.

Today, we will be taking a trip down the history lane, looking at all the key moments that affected the game. We’ll also talk about the events that lead to creation of what we today know as football.

The Brief History of American Football

Believe it or not, the game that inspired the creation of rugby and American football is more than 2,000 years old. They played football way back in ancient Rome!

The first recorded game happened in 776 BC and featured two teams of 30 players each. Unlike the modern version, this contest involved picking up a ball and running rather than kicking it.

That game was called Harpastum, meaning “to seize.” The goal was to keep the ball on one side of the field for as long as possible. While the exact rules are long forgotten, some sources indicate there were barely any other rules except that anything goes. Yes, it was a very violent sport, and you could tell ancient Romans were a warrior nation.

The story of football history continued in the middle ages as Calcio Florentino, and it was as violent as its predecessor. In this variation, there were goals on opposing sides. Luckily, some rules were introduced, like banning hits to the head.

Although the public interest in the game waned over time, it is still played in Florence. The game is now known as Calcio Storico and was even featured as part of the Netflix docuseries Home Game.

The First American Football Game

So, now we know a bit about the game that was the precursor to rugby and football. But who invented football and when?

To answer that question, we need to skip ahead to the late ‘60s of the 19th century, more precisely to 1869. On November 6, two American colleges, Rutgers and Princeton, played the first official football game. The game was a mix of both soccer and rugby.

The rules were quite simple. There were 25 players on each side, and the objective was to score goals by getting the ball into the other team’s territory. The field was 150 yards long, and the goalposts were only 10 feet tall. This game is widely considered the origin of American football as we know it.

You could only score a goal if you kicked the ball into the other team’s territory. Running with the ball was not allowed, and neither was tackling or blocking players who didn’t have the ball. At half-time, the teams switched sides, and the game continued.

This system of play is still used today in rugby. The match ended in a draw, with each team scoring three goals, but it forever remained a part of the history of football in America.

Although this was the first official football game, it wasn’t the first time the game was played in America. There are records of games being played as early as 1843. These matches were more similar to rugby than football, as they allowed players to run with the ball and tackle their opponents.

Evolution of the Game

After the first football match, the game continued to evolve in the following years. Only two years after that match, in 1871, more colleges joined in and played the first intercollegiate football game. Six years later, the Thanksgiving football game tradition started.

Yale, Columbia, Rutgers, and Princeton were the teams involved this time. The game was again different from the modern-day version, as there were 20 players on each side.

The next big change happened in 1878 when Walter Camp,cconsidered the father of American football, introduced some major rule changes. The origins of American football, at least the modern game, lie at this moment.

First of all, he reduced the number of players on each team to 11 and changed the shape of the field, making it rectangular instead of square. This made the game faster and more dynamic. He also created the quarterback position and specified that the team had to advance the ball 10 yards to retain possession.

Other important changes included the introduction of downs, a system that allowed teams to keep trying to advance the ball until they either failed or scored, as well as the line of scrimmage, and the creation of penalties for various infractions.

Thanks to Walter Camp, the game began to take the form that we know today. Camp also played a key role in helping the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA) set the rules and coached the Yale team from 1888 to 1892.

The First Professional American Football League and Origins of NFL

Before there was the modern NFL, there was a lot of gridiron disagreement. Football players couldn’t agree on rules, so in 1920, representatives from 11 teams came together to found what is now the National Football League.

But even then, they didn’t have everything figured out. For example, the representatives didn’t know how long the playing field should be. One proposal suggested 100 yards, but some people thought that was too short. So they compromised and made it 120 yards. That’s still the length of a football field today.

The creation of the NFL was very humble. At first, there were only 12 teams in the league until the Chicago Cardinals and the Decatur Staleys joined. The latter went on to eventually become the Chicago Bears. The NFL was up and running!

In 1925, Red Grange changed football forever when he signed a contract with the Chicago Bears. He was the first player to ever sign a professional football contract, and his signing helped legitimize the NFL. Fans wanted to see this superstar in action, and they packed the stands to watch him play.

The First Super Bowl

We can’t discuss the professional American football origins without talking about the first NFL championship in 1933. The event was the first time football fans could see a game that determined who was the best team in the league.

The first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now simply known as the Super Bowl, was played on January 15, 1967. It was between the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League. The Packers won the game with a score of 35-10.

Today, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the world. It is also lucrative as players, coaches, and NFL refs earn millions of dollars by participating in this event.

Famous Moments in American Football History

Like any other sport, football had its legendary moments of triumph. The last-second touchdowns, record-breakers, and star players all contributed to the history of this sport. Here are some of the most famous American football moments:

• The “Immaculate Reception” was a last-second, game-winning touchdown catch by Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 1972 AFC divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.
• The “Miracle at the Meadowlands” was a late, come-from-behind victory by the Philadelphia Eagles over the New York Giants in 1978, thanks to a fumble recovery by cornerback Herman Edwards.
• “The Catch” – a touchdown reception made by Dwight Clark of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1982 NFC Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys. The catch helped the 49ers to victory and sent them to their first Super Bowl.
• “The Drive” – a 98-yard drive led by Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway in a 1986 AFC Championship game against the Cleveland Browns. The Broncos went on to win the game in overtime.
• “The Kick” – a game-winning field goal kicked by Uwe von Schamann of the Oklahoma Sooners in the 1977 college football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. This was one of the pivotal moments in NFL history, especially for von Schamann, who ended up playing for Miami Dolphins, where he set a record for the most converted extra-point attempts.

Final Word

American football came a long way from a game between two college teams in 1869. Today, it’s an important part of American culture, with millions of fans watching the Super Bowl every year and players like Tom Brady securing multi-million dollar deals. Whether you’re a football fan or not, it’s worth learning about the sport’s origins and how it has evolved over the years.