Some claim the birth of colligiate football really ocurred when in the 1880's Walter Camp helped transform a rugby-style sport into the game we now call football. Others argue that amercan rules football began many years earlier possibly pre-dating the Civil War.
Walter Camp was Yale's first coach and is considered the father of American collegiate football. It all began in the Ivy League schools. At first there were between fifteen and twenty-five players on the field and no officials or referees. The only uniforms were heavy sweaters and long pants. There were few rules. Basically it was an organized melee. Mr. Camp changed all of this with sets of rules and regulations that made football more controlled, more entertaining, and more safe. Many of Camps' ideas remain as official rules to this day.
Some early Camp ideas included sets of downs and a standard way to measure the field, which is by the way where we get the term gridiron. The number of players, scoring, time of the game, and the use of referees are all credited to this innovative man.
The first real game played under these rules happened in either 1896 or 1897. There continued many injuries and even deaths related to college football. Since accurrate records were not kept it is estimated that there were approximately 150 serious injuries and 15 deaths. President Theodore Roosevelt almost banned the sport because of the violence involved. A commission was set up and they formed the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States. The IAAUS was the predicessor of The National Collegiate Athletic Association which was established in 1910.
Like Camp, Amos Alonzo Stagg was a driving force behind the reformation of college football. Stagg is a legendary coach who came up with many innovations for this increasingly popular sport. The famous coach John Heisman also left his mark on the newness of the game. He championed the use of the forward pass which completely changed the strategy and complexion of football.
Even the shape of the football changed. It originally resembled a watermellon but as the pass became more popular the shape became more airodynamic. It has evolved into a spiraling, very odd bouncing ball.
Today collegiate football is one of the most popular sports in the world. The NCAA consists of about 1000 schools and universities or other affiliates. It is divided into three divisions. Devision I and II programs can offer scholarships. Division III programs cannot.
Besides the NCAA there is the NAIA or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The NAIA usually consists of smaller programs throughout the country
College football has changed much. The uniforms offer great protection. The rules keep the game exciting. A lot has happened over the past one hundred or so years. The more things change the more they stay the same.
Walter Camp was adamant that college football players not receive any money for playing the game. To this day it is illegal to pay any player for his exploits on or off the field.
