Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Types of bet [ ] Win [ ] A bet that produces a return only if the selection comes first in an event (i.e. A win bet may be placed on a single event. Place [ ] A bet that produces a return only if the selection finishes first or within a predetermined number of positions (places) of the winner of an event. The return is often based on a fixed proportion of the win odds of the selection.

Each-Way [ ] A combination of win and place bets of equal size. Each-Way bets may be placed on a single event or on two or more selections in a multiple bet. Each-Way multiple bets are settled on a win-to-win and place-to-place basis.

Single [ ] A bet on an individual selection or outcome. Multiple bet [ ] A double, treble or accumulator.

A linked series of win singles where all the return from the first selection is automatically staked on the second selection as a win single and so on until all selections have won, thus giving a return, or until one selection loses in which case the whole bet is lost. Double [ ] A bet on two selections; both of which must win to gain a return. Treble [ ] A bet on three selections; all three of which must win to gain a return.

Accumulator [ ] A bet on four or more selections; all of which must win to gain a return. Accumulators are often named after the number of selections they contain - thus we can get a fourfold, fivefold or sixfold accumulator (or even higher). Full cover bet [ ] A wager consisting of all possible doubles, trebles and accumulators across a given number of selections. These include: Trixie, Yankee, Canadian or Super Yankee, Heinz, Super Heinz and Goliath. A double may be thought of as a with only two selections.

Trixie [ ] A wager on three selections and consisting of four separate bets: 3 doubles and a treble. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return. Yankee [ ] A wager on four selections and consisting of 11 separate bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return. Canadian or Super Yankee [ ] A wager on five selections and consisting of 26 separate bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds and a fivefold accumulator. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return.

Any kind of profit from betting, particularly football betting, is because they bet on the wrong events, the wrong markets and most importantly the wrong teams, without even mentioning discipline and money management. People love to bet, and every week they will go to their local bookies and fill out a football coupon,. Dec 14, 2017 It is required that before you start your football betting journey to success- i mean ensuring you don't go through any month without some profits, you.

Heinz [ ] A wager on six selections and consisting of 57 separate bets: 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds and a sixfold accumulator. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return. It is named for the '57 varieties' advertising slogan of the. Super Heinz [ ] A wager on seven selections and consisting of 120 separate bets: 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds and a sevenfold accumulator. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return. Goliath [ ] A wager on eight selections and consisting of 247 separate bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 fourfolds, 56 fivefolds, 28 sixfolds, 8 sevenfolds and an eightfold accumulator.

A minimum two selections must win to gain a return. Full cover bets with singles [ ] Patent [ ] A wager on three selections and consisting of 7 separate bets: 3 singles, 3 doubles and a treble. Equivalent to a Trixie plus 3 singles. One winning selection will guarantee a return. Lucky 15 [ ] A wager on four selections and consisting of 15 separate bets: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator.

Equivalent to a Yankee plus 4 singles. One winning selection will guarantee a return. The 'Lucky' part of the name of this and other similar bets comes from the bookmaker's practice of offering bonuses for one or more winners; usually including 'double the odds' for only one winning selection. Lucky 31 [ ] A wager on five selections and consisting of 31 separate bets: 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds and a fivefold accumulator. Equivalent to a Canadian plus 5 singles. One winning selection will guarantee a return. Lucky 63 [ ] A wager on six selections and consisting of 63 separate bets: 6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 fourfolds, 6 fivefolds and a sixfold accumulator.

One winning selection will guarantee a return. Alphabet [ ] A bet consisting of six selections - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, usually on horse racing or greyhound racing. Selections 1, 2, and 3 form a patent, as described above. Selections 4, 5, and 6 form a second patent. Selections 2, 3, 4, and 5 form a Yankee, as described above. Selections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 form a sixfold accumulator, as described above. The total number of bets in an alphabet is therefore 26 [2 patents at 7 bets each, plus 1 yankee at 11 bets, and one accumulator at one bet - (7+7+11+1=26)].

At least one correct selection guarantees a return. 'Any to Come' (ATC) or 'if cash' bets [ ] Wagers which include conditional bets, i.e.

If part of the wager produces a sufficient return then a predetermined amount may be wagered on one or more of the other selections. ATC and 'if cash' bets (generally referred to as 'conditional bets') are normally not accepted on selections. Up-and-Down [ ] An example of an 'if cash' or 'any-to-come (ATC)' bet. A wager on two selections and consisting of two single bets. If one selection wins (hence the phrase 'if cash') then the original stake is placed as an additional single bet on the second selection. If both selections win each original stake is placed as a single on the other selection: in effect giving twice the winnings for just two stake units.

The downside of only one winning selection is that both original stakes are lost. Usually played for 'single stakes about (SSA)' meaning stakes identical to the original ones are placed on selections in the case of one or more winners.

'Double stakes about (DSA)' means twice the original stake is placed on selections in the case of one or more winners. Note: an odds-on winner will not supply enough money for 'double stakes about' so the whole amount actually available is used.

Round Robin [ ] A wager on three selections and consisting of 10 separate bets: 3 doubles, 1 treble and 3 up-and-down bets (each of 2 separate bets). It may be considered to be a Trixie to which 3 up-and-down bets have been added. One winning selection will guarantee a return. Flag [ ] A wager on four selections and consisting of 23 separate bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles, 1 fourfold and 6 up-and-down bets. It may be considered to be a Yankee to which 6 up-and-down bets have been added. One winning selection will guarantee a return.

Super Flag [ ] A wager on five selections and consisting of 46 separate bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 fourfolds, 1 fivefold and 10 up-and-down bets. It may be considered to be a Canadian to which 10 up-and-down bets have been added. One winning selection will guarantee a return. Rounder [ ] A wager on three selections A, B and C consisting of 3 singles and 3 any-to-come (ATC) doubles to the original singles stakes. For example: £1 win A, ATC £1 double BC; £1 win B, ATC £1 double AC; £1 win C, ATC £1 double AB. Roundabout [ ] As Rounder (above) except the ATC doubles are to twice the stake, e.g.

£1 win A, ATC £2 double BC etc. Note: In the event of an odds-on winner the complete returns ( less than £2 in this example) from the winning single are bet on the appropriate double.

Speciality bets [ ] Union Jack [ ] A wager on nine selections usually placed in a 3 by 3 grid on a purpose-designed betting slip and consisting of 8 trebles. If the selections A to I are placed thus: A B C D E F G H I then the 8 trebles are (horizontally) ABC, DEF, GHI, (vertically) ADG, BEH, CFI, (diagonally) AEI, CEG. All three selections in a particular treble must win to achieve a return. It is possible to get five or even six winners from the nine selections and yet still not achieve any return (e.g. A, B, E, F, G do not give a winning treble in example 1, and A, B, D, F, H, I do not produce a return in example 2, as shown below). Example 1 A B C D E F G H I Example 2 A B C D E F G H I Note that selection E appears in 4 of the trebles; A, C, G and I appear in 3 trebles; B, D, F, and H appear in only 2 trebles. This is considered more of a novelty bet.

Forecasts [ ] Forecasts are bets on a single event that require the correct forecasting of the finishing order of (usually) the first two or three finishers in the event. Returns on correctly predicted finishing orders are calculated by industry sources via computer software that uses the starting price of all participants in the event, and are usually declared to a £1 stake unit on (mainly) horse and greyhound races. Straight Forecast [ ] A straight forecast (SF) or computer straight forecast (CSF) is a wager requiring the naming of two selections a and b to finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order in a specified event. Requires a single unit stake. Usually declared on horse and greyhound races of three or more runners. Equivalent to the USA or, or the Canadian exactor. Reversed Forecast [ ] A reversed forecast (RF) is a wager requiring the naming of two selections to finish 1st and 2nd in either order in a specified event.

It is the same as two straight forecasts on selections a and b: a 1st, b 2nd and b 1st, a 2nd. Requires two unit stakes.

Equivalent to a 'boxed' exacta/perfecta in North America, where the quinella is a similar wager that requires only one unit stake. Combination Forecast [ ] A combination forecast is a wager on three or more named selections in order to choose two of the selections to finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order in a specified event.

It is the same as the number of straight forecasts on selections a, b. N given by the formula n( n − 1) and therefore requires this number of unit stakes. 3 selections - 6 bets; 4 selections - 12 bets; 5 selections - 20 bets; etc. Equivalent to boxing an exacta/perfecta with more than two runners in North America. Tricast [ ] A tricast is a wager requiring the choosing of three named selections a, b and c to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order in a specified event. Requires a single unit stake. Accepted on horse races where 8 or more horses are declared and at least 6 run, and on greyhound races of 5 or more runners that form part of the bookmakers' main service.

In North America, this wager is known as the (USA) or triactor (Canada). Combination Tricast [ ] A combination tricast is a wager on three or more named selections in order to choose three selections to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order in a specified event. Requires multiple unit stakes given by n( n − 1) ( n − 2) where n is the number of selections. 3 selections, 6 bets; 4 selections, 24 bets; 5 selections, 60 bets; etc. In North America, this is a 'boxed' trifecta. See also [ ] • • Betting calculator • Betting glossary • The Art of Legging (2003) by C Sidney • The Art of Legging (1976) by C Sydney References [ ].

• • • The history of American football can be traced to early versions of and. Both games have their origin in varieties of played in Britain in the mid-19th century, in which a is kicked at a or kicked over a line, which in turn were based on the varieties of. Resulted from several major divergences from association football and rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by, a and Hopkins School graduate who is considered to be the 'Father of American Football'. Among these important changes were the introduction of the, of rules and of the legalization of.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as,,,, and helped take advantage of the newly introduced. The popularity of grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century., a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for college teams. Boosted by fierce and colorful traditions, college football still holds widespread appeal in the United States. The origin of can be traced back to 1892, with $500 contract to play in a game for the against the. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the of American football.

Primarily a sport of Midwestern industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. The modern era of American football can be considered to have begun after the, which was the first indoor game and the first American football game to feature, forward passes anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, and the movement of the goal posts back to the goal line. Other innovations to occur immediately after 1932 were the introduction of the in 1934, the tapering of the ends of the football in 1934, the awarding of the first in 1935, the first and the. Another important event was the American football game at the, which combined with a similar demonstration game at, led to the first in 1934, which in turn was an important factor in the growth of in the United States.

American football's explosion in popularity during the second half of the 20th century can be traced to the, a contest that has been dubbed the 'Greatest Game Ever Played'. A rival league to the NFL, the (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a between the two leagues and the creation of the, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis. See also: and Forms of traditional football have been played throughout Europe and beyond since antiquity. Many of these involved handling of the ball, and scrummage-like formations. These archaic forms of football, typically classified as mob football, would be played between neighboring towns and villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams, who would clash in a heaving mass of people struggling to drag an inflated by any means possible to markers at each end of a town.

By some accounts, in some such events any means could be used to move the ball towards the goal, as long as it did not lead to manslaughter or murder. These antiquated games went into sharp decline in the 19th century when the was passed banning the playing of football on public highways. Football in America [ ]. A Native American college football team Although there are some mentions of playing football-like games, modern American football has its origins in the traditional football games played in the cities, villages and schools of Europe for many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. Early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional ' played in England.

The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Alice Monteiro De Barros Curso De Direito Do Trabalho Pdf Creator. Each school played its own variety of football.

Students played a game called 'ballown' as early as 1820. A tradition known as 'Bloody Monday' began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, played at The Delta, the space where now stands. (A poem, 'The Battle of the Delta,' was written about the first match: 'The Freshmen’s wrath, to Sophs the direful spring / Of shins unnumbered bruised, great goddess sing!' ) In 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed that Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a mock figure called 'Football Fightum', for whom they conducted funeral rites.

The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was once again played at Harvard. Played its own version called ', the rules of which were first published in 1871, though the game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities. They remained largely 'mob' style games, with huge numbers of players attempting to advance the ball into a goal area, often by any means necessary.

Rules were simple, and violence and injury were common. The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them., under pressure from the city of, banned the play of all forms of football in 1860.

The game began to return to college campuses by the late 1860s. Yale, Princeton,, and began playing the popular 'kicking' game during this time. In 1867, Princeton used rules based on those of the London. A 'running game', resembling, was taken up by the in Canada in 1868. Intercollegiate football (1869–present) [ ]. Main article: Pioneer period (1869–1875) [ ] On November 28, 1869, faced (then known as the College of New Jersey) in a game that was played with a round ball and, used a set of rules suggested by Rutgers captain William J. Leggett, based on the 's first set of rules, which were an early attempt by the former pupils of England's public schools, to unify the rules of their public schools games and create a universal and standardized set of rules for the game of football and bore little resemblance to the American game which would be developed in the following decades.

It is still usually regarded as the first game of. The game was played at a Rutgers field. Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal.

Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed, but there was plenty of physical contact between players. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers won by a score of six to four. A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton's own set of rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a 'free kick' to any player that caught the ball on the fly, which was a feature adopted from the Football Association's rules; the rule has survived through to modern American game). Princeton won that game by a score of 8–0.

Joined the series in 1870, and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and. Rutgers was first to extend the reach of the game. An intercollegiate game was first played in the state of when Rutgers played on November 2, 1872. It was also the first scoreless tie in the history of the fledgling sport. Started the same year and had its first match against Columbia, the nearest college to play football.

It took place at in and was the first game in New England. The game used a set of rules based on with 20-man sides, played on a field 400 by 250 feet. Yale wins 3-0, Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin the other two. By 1873, the college students playing football had made significant efforts to standardize their fledgling game. Teams had been scaled down from 25 players to 20. The only way to score was still to bat or kick the ball through the opposing team's goal, and the game was played in two 45 minute halves on fields 140 yards long and 70 yards wide. On October 20, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules.

Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on the Football Association's rules than the rules of the recently founded, was drawn up for intercollegiate football games. Game played in 1874. Harvard refused to attend the rules conference organized by the other schools and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's decision to maintain its code made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to play, from, in a two-game series in 1874. Harvard won the first game, in which its rules were used, 3–0.

The second game, which was played under rugby regulations, did not have a winner as neither team managed to score. Harvard quickly took a liking to the rugby game, and its use of the which, until that time, was not used in American football.

The try would later evolve into the score known as the. On June 4, 1875, Harvard faced in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts. The rules included each side fielding 11 men at any given time, the ball was advanced by kicking or carrying it, and tackles of the ball carrier stopped play. Further elated by the excitement of McGill's version of football, Harvard challenged its closest rival, Yale, to which the Bulldogs accepted.

The two teams agreed to play under a set of rules called the 'Concessionary Rules', which involved Harvard conceding something to Yale's soccer and Yale conceding a great deal to Harvard's rugby. They decided to play with 15 players on each team. On November 13, 1875, Yale and Harvard played each other for the first time ever, where Harvard won 4-0. At the first —the annual contest between Harvard and Yale, among the 2000 spectators attending the game that day, was the future 'father of American football'. Walter, who would enroll at Yale the next year, was torn between an admiration for Harvard's style of play and the misery of the Yale defeat, and became determined to avenge Yale's defeat.

Spectators from Princeton admired this type of game and it became the most popular version of football there. Walter Camp: Father of American football [ ] is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football. As a youth, he excelled in sports like, baseball, and association football, and after enrolling at in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered. Following the introduction of rugby-style rules to American football, Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. Dissatisfied with what seemed to him to be a disorganized mob, he proposed his first rule change at the first meeting he attended in 1878: a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but passed in 1880.

The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp's most famous change, the establishment of the and the from to, was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of the center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass. Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized the game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress towards the end zone during each.

Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that a team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby football into the distinct sport of American football. Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53​ 1⁄ 3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters).

Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with the scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for, two points for safeties, and five for. Camp's innovations in the area of point scoring influenced rugby union's move to point scoring in 1890. In 1887, game time was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a and an —were mandated for each game. A year later, the rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches. The last, and arguably most important innovation, which would at last make American football uniquely 'American', was the legalization of interference, or, a tactic which was highly illegal under the rugby-style rules. Interference remains strictly illegal in both rugby codes to this day.

The prohibition of interference in the rugby game stems from the game's strict enforcement of its, which prohibited any player on the team with possession of the ball to loiter between the ball and the goal. At first, American players would find creative ways of aiding the runner by pretending to accidentally knock into defenders trying to tackle the runner. When Walter Camp witnessed this tactic being employed against his Yale team, he was at first appalled, but the next year had adopted the blocking tactics for his own team.

During the 1880s and 1890s, teams developed increasingly complex blocking tactics including the interlocking interference technique known as the or 'V-trick formation', which was developed by and first introduced by in a against in 1892. Despite its effectiveness, it was outlawed two seasons later in 1894 through the efforts of the rule committee led by, because of its contribution to serious injury. After his playing career at Yale ended in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock Company until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annual every year from 1889 through 1924. The continues to select All-American teams in his honor. Scoring table [ ] Historical college football scoring Era (kick) (touchdown) 1883 2 5 4 – 1 – – 1883–1897 4 5 2 – 2 – – 1898–1903 5 5 1 – 2 – – 1904–1908 5 4 1 – 2 – – 1909–1911 5 3 1 – 2 – – 1912–1957 6 3 1 – 2 – – 1958–present 6 3 1 2 2 1 2 Note: For brief periods in the late 19th century, some penalties awarded one or more points for the opposing teams, and some teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries chose to negotiate their own scoring system for individual games. Period of the American Intercollegiate Football Association (1876–1893) [ ].

An early American football team, from the turn of the twentieth century On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House in to standardize a new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. The rules were based largely on the 's code from England, though one important difference was the replacement of a kicked goal with a touchdown as the primary means of scoring (a change that would later occur in rugby itself, favoring the try as the main scoring event).

Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale did not join the group until 1879, because of an early disagreement about the number of players per team. 1902 football game between the and the University of Michigan In 1879, the became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish a college football team. On May 30, 1879 Michigan beat 1–0 in a game played in. The Chicago Daily Tribune called it 'the first rugby-football game to be played west of the.' Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the,, and the. The first western team to travel east was the, which played at Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the, was founded in 1895. Organized intercollegiate football was first played in the state of and the south on November 2, 1873 in between and.

Washington and Lee won 4–2. Some industrious students of the two schools organized a game for October 23, 1869 – but it was rained out.

On April 9, 1880 at, (then called Kentucky University) beat by the score of 13¾–0 in what is often considered the first recorded game played in the. The first game of 'scientific football' in the South was the first instance of the rivalry between and (then known as Trinity College) held on, 1888, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in. On November 13, 1887 the and Pantops Academy fought to a scoreless tie in the first organized football game in the state of. Students at UVA were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim that some industrious ones organized a game against in 1871, just two years after Rutgers and Princeton's historic first game in 1869. But no record has been found of the score of this contest. Washington and Lee also claims a 4 to 2 win over in 1873.

College football expanded greatly during the last two decades of the 19th century. Several major date from this time period. November 1890 was an active time in the sport. In, on November 22, 1890, college football was first played in the state of. On the 27th, played (Peabody) at and won 40–0. It was the first time organized football played in the state of.

The 29th also saw the first instance of the. The first was played in on September 28, 1892 between and and ended at halftime in a 0–0 tie. The Army-Navy game of 1893 saw the first documented use of a by a player in a game. Had a crude leather helmet made by a shoemaker in and wore it in the game after being warned by his doctor that he risked death if he continued to play football after suffering an earlier kick to the head.

Period of Rules Committees and Conference (1894–1932) [ ] Although the beginnings of the contemporary and start in 1892. Upon organizing the first football team in that year, arranged for the team to play the team at Piedmont Park in. Auburn won the game, 10–0, in front of 2,000 spectators. The game inaugurated what is known to college football fans as the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

It was in 1894 the (SIAA) was founded on December 21, 1894, by Dr., a chemistry professor. The original members were,,,,,, and.,,,,,, (Mississippi State),,,,, and the joined the following year in 1895 as invited charter members. The conference was originally formed for 'the development and purification of college athletics throughout the South'.

It is thought that the first in football occurred on October 26, 1895 in a game between Georgia and when, out of desperation, the ball was thrown by the North Carolina back Joel Whitaker instead of punted and caught the ball. On November 9, 1895 executed a hidden ball trick utilizing quarterback to get 's only touchdown in a 6 to 9 loss to.

It was the first game in the south decided by a field goal. Heisman later used the trick against 's Georgia team. Warner picked up the trick and later used it at Cornell against Penn State in 1897. He then used it in 1903 at Carlisle against Harvard and garnered national attention. 's 1899 'Iron Men.'

The are one of the all-time great teams of the early sport. The team went 12–0, outscoring opponents 322 to 10. Known as the 'Iron Men', with just 13 men they had a six-day road trip with five shutout wins over;;;; and. It is recalled memorably with the phrase '. and on the seventh day they rested.' Called them 'the most durable football team I ever saw.' The first college football game in Oklahoma Territory occurred on November 7, 1895 when the 'Oklahoma City Terrors' defeated the 34 to 0. The Terrors were a mix of Methodist college students and high schoolers.

The Sooners did not manage a single first down. By next season, Oklahoma coach had left to prospect for gold in the Arctic. Organized football was first played in the territory on November 29, 1894 between the Oklahoma City Terrors and Oklahoma City High School.

The high school won 24 to 0. In 1891, the first was hastily organized and played a four-game season beginning in January 1892 with no official head coach. Following the season, Stanford captain John Whittemore wrote to coach asking him to recommend a coach for Stanford. To Whittemore's surprise, Camp agreed to coach the team himself, on the condition that he finish the season at Yale first. As a result of Camp's late arrival, Stanford played just three official games, against San Francisco's and rival. The team also played exhibition games against two Los Angeles area teams that Stanford does not include in official results. Camp returned to the East Coast following the season, but coached Stanford for two further years from 1894–1895.

USC first fielded an American football team in 1888. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, in which USC gained a 16–0 victory.

Frank Suffel and were playing coaches for the first team which was put together by quarterback Arthur Carroll; who in turn volunteered to make the pants for the team and later became a tailor. USC faced its first collegiate opponent the following year in fall 1889, playing to a 40–0 victory. In 1893, USC joined the Intercollegiate Football Association of Southern California (the forerunner of the ), which was composed of USC,,, and.

Was invited to enter, but declined to do so. An invitation was also extended to. The between Stanford and California was played as rugby union from 1906 to 1914. The between Stanford and California is the oldest college football rivalry in the West.

The first game was played on San Francisco's on March 19, 1892 with Stanford winning 14–10. The term 'Big Game' was first used in 1900, when it was played on Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco. During that game, a large group of men and boys, who were observing from the roof of the nearby S.F. And Pacific Glass Works, fell into the fiery interior of the building when the roof collapsed, resulting in 13 dead and 78 injured. On December 4, 1900, the last victim of the disaster (Fred Lilly) died, bringing the death toll to 22; and, to this day, the 'Thanksgiving Day Disaster' remains the deadliest accident to kill spectators at a U.S. Sporting event. In May 1900, was hired as the football coach at, and, after traveling home to West Virginia, he arrived in, on August 21, 1900.

Yost led the 1900 Stanford team to a 7–2–1 record, outscoring opponents 154 to 20. The next year in 1901, Yost was hired by as the head football coach for the team.

Led by Yost, Michigan became the first 'western' national power. From 1901 to 1905, Michigan had a 56-game undefeated streak that included a 1902 trip to play in the first college football, which later became the. During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40. In 1906, citing concerns about the violence in American Football, universities on the, led by and, replaced the sport with rugby union. At the time, the future of American football was very much in doubt and these schools believed that rugby union would eventually be adopted nationwide.

Other schools followed suit and also made the switch included,,, and (in 1911). However, due to the perception that West Coast football was inferior to the game played on the anyway, East Coast and Midwest teams shrugged off the loss of the teams and continued playing American football. With no nationwide movement, the available pool of rugby teams to play remained small. The schools scheduled games against local club teams and reached out to rugby union powers in Australia, New Zealand, and especially, due to its proximity, Canada. The annual between Stanford and California continued as rugby, with the winner invited by the to a tournament in Vancouver over the Christmas holidays, with the winner of that tournament receiving the Cooper Keith Trophy. 'No sport is wholesome in which ungenerous or mean acts which easily escape detection contribute to victory.' , President of (1869–1909) opposing football in 1905.

From its earliest days as a mob game, football was a violent sport. The 1894 Harvard-Yale game, known as the 'Hampden Park Blood Bath', resulted in crippling injuries for four players; the contest was suspended until 1897. The annual Army-Navy game was suspended from 1894 to 1898 for similar reasons. One of the major problems was the popularity of mass-formations like the, in which a large number of offensive players charged as a unit against a similarly arranged defense. The resultant collisions often led to serious injuries and sometimes even death. Georgia fullback died on the field from a concussion received against Virginia in 1897, causing some southern universities to temporarily stop their football programs.

In 1905 there were 19 fatalities nationwide. President reportedly threatened to shut down the game if drastic changes were not made. However, the threat by Roosevelt to eliminate football is disputed by sports historians. What is absolutely certain is that on October 9, 1905, Roosevelt held a meeting of football representatives from,, and. Though he lectured on eliminating and reducing injuries, he never threatened to ban football.

He also lacked the authority to abolish football and was, in fact, actually a fan of the sport and wanted to preserve it. The President's sons were also playing football at the college and at the time. Meanwhile, held an in that reduced the number of scrimmage plays to earn a first down from four to three in an attempt to reduce injuries. The reported an increase in punts and considered the game much safer than regular play but that the new rule was not 'conducive to the sport.' Finally, on December 28, 1905, 62 schools met in New York City to discuss rule changes to make the game safer.

As a result of this meeting, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later named the (NCAA), was formed. One rule change introduced in 1906, devised to open up the game and reduce injury, was the introduction of the legal. Though it was underutilized for years, this proved to be one of the most important rule changes in the establishment of the modern game.

1906 photograph of, who threw the first legal forward pass and was the sport's first As a result of the 1905–1906 reforms, mass formation plays became illegal and legal., playing for visionary coach at, threw the first legal pass in a September 5, 1906, game against. Other important changes, formally adopted in 1910, were the requirements that at least seven offensive players be on the line of scrimmage at the time of the snap, that there be no pushing or pulling, and that interlocking interference (arms linked or hands on belts and uniforms) was not allowed. These changes greatly reduced the potential for collision injuries. Several coaches emerged who took advantage of these sweeping changes. Introduced such innovations as the, the tackling dummy, and the pre-snap shift. Other coaches, such as and, introduced new strategies that still remain part of the game. Besides these coaching innovations, several rules changes during the first third of the 20th century had a profound impact on the game, mostly in opening up the passing game.

In 1914, the first roughing-the-passer penalty was implemented. In 1918, the rules on eligible receivers were loosened to allow eligible players to catch the ball anywhere on the field—previously strict rules were in place only allowing passes to certain areas of the field. Scoring rules also changed during this time: field goals were lowered to three points in 1909 and touchdowns raised to six points in 1912.

Star players that emerged in the early 20th century include,, and; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and helped turn it into a successful league. Sportswriter helped popularize the sport with his poetic descriptions of games and colorful nicknames for the game's biggest players, including Notre Dame's ' backfield and 's linemen, known as the '.

In 1907 at Chicago and played in the first game to have a halftime show featuring a. Chicago won 42–6. On and played the first football game. The game was 'broadcast' play-by-play over telegraph to at least 1,000 fans in. It ended in a 3–3 tie.

The game between and on October 8, 1921, saw the first live radio broadcast of a college football game when Harold W. Arlin announced that year's played at on. Pitt won 21–13.

On October 28, 1922, Princeton and Chicago played the first game to be nationally broadcast on radio. Princeton won 21–18 in a hotly contested game which had Princeton dubbed the 'Team of Destiny.' Notable intersectional games [ ] In 1906 Vanderbilt defeated 4–0, the result of a Bob Blake field goal. In 1907 Vanderbilt fought Navy to a 6–6 tie. In 1910 Vanderbilt held defending national champion Yale to a scoreless tie. Of runs against undefeated and unscored upon in the 1918 game. Helping Georgia Tech's claim to a title in 1917, the held undefeated, led Big Ten champion to a scoreless tie the week before Georgia Tech beat the Tigers 68–7.

The next season, with many players gone due to World War I, a game was finally scheduled at with. The Panthers, led by halfback, defeated 32–0. 1917 saw the rise of another Southern team in of. In 1921 led Centre upset defending national champion Harvard in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in college football history. The next year Vanderbilt fought Michigan to a at the inaugural game on, the first stadium in the South made exclusively for college football. Michigan coach and Vanderbilt coach were brothers-in-law, and the latter the protege of the former.

The game featured the season's two best defenses and included a goal line stand by Vanderbilt to preserve the tie. Its result was 'a great surprise to the sporting world.' Commodore fans celebrated by throwing some 3,000 seat cushions onto the field.

The game features prominently in Vanderbilt's history. That same year, Alabama upset 9–7. Vanderbilt's line coach then was, who in 1925 coached to the south's first victory. This game is commonly referred to as 'the game that changed the south.' Wade followed up the next season with an undefeated record and tie.

Modernization of intercollegiate American football (1933–1969) [ ] In the early 1930s, the college game continued to grow, particularly in the, bolstered by fierce rivalries such as the ', between Virginia and North Carolina and the ', between and. Although before the mid-1920s most national powers came from the or the, the trend changed when several teams from the South and the West Coast achieved national success. 's team won the after receiving its first national title and 's 1928 team defeated in the.

College football quickly became the most popular spectator sport in the South. Several major modern college football conferences rose to prominence during this time period. The had been founded in 1915. Consisting mostly of schools from Texas, the conference saw back-to-back national champions with (TCU) in 1938 and in 1939. The (PCC), a precursor to the (Pac-12), had its own back-to-back champion in the which was awarded the title in 1931 and 1932.

The (SEC) formed in 1932 and consisted mostly of schools in the. As in previous decades, the Big Ten continued to dominate in the 1930s and 1940s, with Minnesota winning 5 titles between 1934 and 1941, and Michigan (1933, 1947, and 1948) and (1942) also winning titles.

Don Hutson in 1940. As it grew beyond its regional affiliations in the 1930s, college football garnered increased national attention. Four new were created: the,, the in 1935, and the in 1937. In lieu of an actual national championship, these bowl games, along with the earlier Rose Bowl, provided a way to match up teams from distant regions of the country that did not otherwise play. In 1936, the began its of prominent sports writers, ranking all of the nation's college football teams. Since there was no national championship game, the final version of the AP poll was used to determine who was crowned the of college football.

The 1930s saw growth in the passing game. Though some coaches, such as General at Tennessee, continued to eschew its use and was the last college team to produce an undefeated, untied & unscored upon season in 1939. Several rules changes to the game had a profound effect on teams' ability to throw the ball. In 1934, the rules committee removed two major penalties—a loss of five yards for a second incomplete pass in any series of downs and a loss of possession for an incomplete pass in the end zone—and shrunk the circumference of the ball, making it easier to grip and throw.

Players who became famous for taking advantage of the easier passing game included Alabama end and TCU passer. In 1935, New York City's awarded the first to halfback, who was also the first ever pick in 1936.

The trophy was designed by sculptor and modeled after player. The trophy recognizes the nation's 'most outstanding' college football player and has become one of the most coveted awards in all of American sports.

During World War II, college football players enlisted in the, some. As most of these players had eligibility left on their college careers, some of them returned to college at, bringing Army back-to-back national titles in 1944 and 1945 under coach. (known as 'Mr. Inside') and (known as 'Mr.

Outside') both won the, in 1945 and 1946 respectively. On the coaching staff of those 1944–1946 Army teams was future coach.

The 1950s saw the rise of yet more and power programs., under coach, won three national titles (1950, 1955, 1956) and all ten championships in the decade while building a record 47-game winning streak. Led Ohio State to two national titles, in 1954 and 1957, and dominated the Big Ten conference, winning three —more than any other school. Wilkinson and Hayes, along with Robert Neyland of Tennessee, oversaw a revival of the running game in the 1950s.

Passing numbers dropped from an average of 18.9 attempts in 1951 to 13.6 attempts in 1955, while teams averaged just shy of 50 running plays per game. Nine out of ten Heisman trophy winners in the 1950s were runners. Notre Dame, one of the biggest passing teams of the decade, saw a substantial decline in success; the 1950s were the only decade between 1920 and 1990 when the team did not win at least a share of the national title., Notre Dame quarterback, did, however, win the Heisman in 1956, becoming the only player from a losing team ever to do so. Modern intercollegiate football (1970–present) [ ] Following the enormous success of the 's, college football no longer enjoyed the same popularity as the NFL, at least on a national level. While both games benefited from the advent of television, since the late 1950s, the NFL has become a nationally popular sport while college football has maintained strong regional ties.

A college football game between Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy As professional football became a national television phenomenon, college football did as well. In the 1950s, Notre Dame, which had a large national following, formed its own network to broadcast its games, but by and large the sport still retained a mostly regional following. In 1952, the NCAA claimed all television broadcasting rights for the games of its member institutions, and it alone negotiated television rights. This situation continued until 1984, when several schools brought a suit under the; the and schools are now free to negotiate their own television deals. Began broadcasting a national Game of the Week in 1966, bringing key matchups and rivalries to a national audience for the first time. New formations and play sets continued to be developed., an assistant coach under at the, developed a three-back style offense known as the.

The wishbone is a run-heavy offense that depends on the quarterback making last second decisions on when and to whom to hand or pitch the ball to. Royal went on to teach the offense to other coaches, including at Alabama, at Oklahoma and at; who all adapted and developed it to their own tastes. The strategic opposite of the wishbone is the, developed by professional and college coaches throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Though some schools play a run-based version of the spread, its most common use is as a passing offense designed to 'spread' the field both horizontally and vertically.

Some teams have managed to adapt with the times to keep winning consistently. In the rankings of the,,, and are ranked first, second, and third in total wins. Growth of bowl games [ ]. See also: Growth of bowl games 1930–2010 Year # of games 1930 1 1940 5 1950 8 1960 8 1970 8 19 19 20 35 In 1940, for the highest level of college football, there were only five bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Sun, and Cotton).

By 1950, three more had joined that number and in 1970, there were still only eight major college bowl games. The number grew to eleven in 1976. At the birth of cable television and cable sports networks like, there were fifteen bowls in 1980.

With more national venues and increased available revenue, the bowls saw an explosive growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the thirty years from 1950 to 1980, seven bowl games were added to the schedule. From 1980 to 2008, an additional 20 bowl games were added to the schedule. Some have criticized this growth, claiming that the increased number of games has diluted the significance of playing in a bowl game. Yet others have countered that the increased number of games has increased exposure and revenue for a greater number of schools, and see it as a positive development. With the growth of bowl games, it became difficult to determine a national champion in a fair and equitable manner. As conferences became contractually bound to certain bowl games (a situation known as a ), match-ups that guaranteed a consensus national champion became increasingly rare.

In 1992, seven conferences and independent Notre Dame formed the, which attempted to arrange an annual No.1 versus No.2 matchup based on the final AP poll standings. The Coalition lasted for three years; however, several scheduling issues prevented much success; tie-ins still took precedence in several cases. For example, the Big Eight and SEC champions could never meet, since they were contractually bound to different bowl games. The coalition also excluded the Rose Bowl, arguably the most prestigious game in the nation, and two major conferences—the Pac-10 and Big Ten—meaning that it had limited success. In 1995, the Coalition was replaced by the, which reduced the number of bowl games to host a national championship game to three—the, Sugar, and Orange Bowls—and the participating conferences to five—the,,,, and.

It was agreed that the No.1 and No.2 ranked teams gave up their prior bowl tie-ins and were guaranteed to meet in the national championship game, which rotated between the three participating bowls. The system still did not include the,, or the, and thus still lacked the legitimacy of a true national championship. Bowl Championship Series [ ].

The final score of the game In 1998, a new system was put into place called the Bowl Championship Series. For the first time, it included all major conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC) and all four major bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta). The champions of these six conferences, along with two 'at-large' selections, were invited to play in the four bowl games. Each year, one of the four bowl games served as a national championship game. Also, a complex system of human polls, computer rankings, and strength of schedule calculations was instituted to rank schools.

Based on this ranking system, the No.1 and No.2 teams met each year in the national championship game. Traditional tie-ins were maintained for schools and bowls not part of the national championship. For example, in years when not a part of the national championship, the Rose Bowl still hosted the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions.

The system continued to change, as the formula for ranking teams was tweaked from year to year. At-large teams could be chosen from any of the conferences, though only one selection— in 2005—came from a non-BCS affiliated conference. Starting with the 2006 season, a fifth game—simply called the —was added to the schedule, to be played at the site of one of the four BCS bowl games on a rotating basis, one week after the regular bowl game. This opened up the BCS to two additional at-large teams. Also, rules were changed to add the champions of five additional conferences (, the, the, the and the ), provided that said champion ranked in the top twelve in the final BCS rankings, or was within the top 16 of the BCS rankings and ranked higher than the champion of at least one of the (also known as 'AQ' conferences, for Automatic Qualifying). Several times after this rule change was implemented, schools from non-AQ conferences played in BCS bowl games.

In 2009, played in the, the first time two schools from non-BCS conferences played each other in a BCS bowl game. The last team from the non-AQ ranks to reach a BCS bowl game was, which played in (and lost) the. College Football Playoff [ ]. Main article: Due to the intensification of the after nearly a decade of the sometimes disputable results of the BCS, the conference commissioners and Notre Dame's president voted to implement a which was to be called the 'College Football Playoff'.

The College Football Playoff is the annual postseason tournament for the (FBS) and just as its predecessors, has failed to receive sanctioning from the NCAA. The playoff began with the. Four teams play in two semifinal games, and the winners advance to the. The first season of the new system was not without controversy, however, after TCU and Baylor (both with only one loss) both failed to receive the support of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Professional football (1892–present) [ ]. 1897 football team: The first entirely professional team to play an entire season. In the early 20th century, football began to catch on in the general population of the United States and was the subject of intense competition and rivalry, albeit of a localized nature.

Although payments to players were considered unsporting and dishonorable at the time, a area club, the, of the, surreptitiously hired former Yale All-American guard. On November 12, 1892, Heffelfinger became the first known professional football player. He was paid $500 to play in a game against the.

Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble and ran 35 yards for a touchdown, winning the game 4–0 for Allegheny. Although observers held suspicions, the payment remained a secret for years. On September 3, 1895 the first wholly professional game was played, in, between the and the. Latrobe won the contest 12–0.

During this game, Latrobe's quarterback, became the first player to openly admit to being paid to play football. He was paid $10 plus expenses to play. Download Aiv Editor Stronghold Crusader Game more. In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association paid all of its players for the whole season, becoming the first fully professional football team.

In 1898, took over the team payments for the, a professional football team based in Pittsburgh from 1895 until 1900, becoming the first known individual football club owner. Later that year, the Morgan Athletic Club, on the, was founded. This team later became the, then the and now is known as the, making them the oldest continuously operating professional football team. The first known professional football league, known as the (not the same as the modern league) began play in 1902 when several baseball clubs formed football teams to play in the league, including the, and the.

The Pirates' team the were awarded the league championship. However, the and also claimed the title. A five-team tournament, known as the was organized by Tom O'Rouke, the manager of. The event featured the first-ever indoor pro football games.

The first professional indoor game came on December 29, 1902, when the defeated the ' 5–0. Syracuse would go on to win the 1902 Series, while the won the Series in 1903.

The World Series only lasted two seasons. The first black person to be paid for his play in football games is thought to be two-sport athlete, A member of the Shelby Steamfitters for five years starting in 1902, Follis turned professional in 1904. Playing on grid field on November 24, 1906, during the.

The game moved west into, which became the center of professional football during the early decades of the 20th century. Small towns such as,,, and all supported professional teams in a loose coalition known as the ', the direct predecessor to today's. In 1906 the became the first major scandal in professional football in the United States. It was the first known case of professional gamblers attempting to fix a professional sport. Although the could not prove that the had thrown the second game, the scandal tarnished the Bulldogs' name and helped ruin professional football in Ohio until the mid-1910s.

In 1915, the reformed Canton Bulldogs signed former Olympian and standout to a contract. Thorpe became the face of professional football for the next several years and was present at the founding of the National Football League five years later. Early years of the NFL (1920–1932) [ ] Formation [ ] In 1920, the (APFA) was founded, in a meeting at a car dealership in Canton, Ohio.

Was elected the league's first president. After several more meetings, the league's membership was formalized.

The original teams were. Was the first president of the NFL. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • In its early years the league was little more than a formal agreement between teams to play each other and to declare a champion at season's end. Teams were still permitted to play non-league members.

The 1920 season saw several teams drop out and fail to play through their schedule. Only four teams: Akron, Buffalo, Canton, and Decatur, finished the schedule. Akron claimed the first league champion, with the only undefeated record among the remaining teams. The APFA, which later became known as the National Football League (NFL), had a limited number of black players. In the league's first seven years, nine African-Americans played in the APFA/NFL.

Two black players took part in the league's inaugural season: and. In 1921, Pollard coached in the league, becoming the first African-American to do so. Expansion [ ] In 1921, several more teams joined the league, increasing the membership to 22 teams. Among the new additions were the, which now has the record for longest use of an unchanged team name. Also in 1921,, the owner of the Decatur Staleys, sold the team to player-coach, who went on to become one of the most important figures in the first half century of the NFL.

In 1921, Halas moved the team to Chicago, but retained the Staleys nickname. In 1922 the team was renamed the.

The Staleys won the 1921 AFPA Championship, over the in an event later referred to as the '. By the mid-1920s, NFL membership had grown to 25 teams, and a rival league known as the was formed. The rival AFL folded after a single season, but it symbolized a growing interest in the professional game. Several college stars joined the NFL, most notably from the, who was taken on a famous barnstorming tour in 1925 by the Chicago Bears. Centered on a 1925 game between the and the. The scandal involved a Chicago player,, hiring a group of high school football players to play for the Milwaukee Badgers, against the Cardinals.

This would ensure an inferior opponent for Chicago. The game was used to help prop up their win-loss percentage and as a chance of wrestling away the 1925 Championship away from the first place. All parties were severely punished initially; however, a few months later the punishments were rescinded. Also that year a stripped the NFL title from the Maroons and awarded it to the Cardinals. 1932 NFL playoff game [ ]. Main article: At the end of the, the and the were tied with the best regular-season records. To determine the champion, the league voted to hold its first.

Because of cold weather, the game was held indoors at, which forced some temporary rule changes. Chicago won, 9–0. The playoff proved so popular that the league reorganized into two divisions for the, with the winners advancing to a scheduled championship game. A number of new rule changes were also instituted: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between the, and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind the (instead of the previous five yards behind).

In 1936, the NFL instituted the first of college players. With the first ever draft selection, the Philadelphia Eagles picked Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger, but he declined to play professionally. Also in that year, another AFL formed, but it also lasted only two seasons.

Stability and growth of the NFL (1933–1969) [ ] The 1930s represented an important time of transition for the NFL. League membership was fluid prior to the mid-1930s. 1936 was the first year where there were no franchise moves, prior to that year 51 teams had gone defunct. In 1941, the NFL named its first Commissioner,. The new office replaced that of President. Layden held the job for five years, before being replaced by co-owner in 1946. During World War II, a player shortage led to a shrinking of the league as several teams folded and others merged.

Among the short-lived merged teams were the (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) in 1943, the (Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh) in 1944, and a team formed from the merger of the and the in 1945. 1946 was an important year in the history of professional football, as that was the year when the league. The signed two African American players, and. Also that year, a competing league, the (AAFC), began operation. During the 1950s, additional teams entered the league. In 1950, the AAFC folded, and three teams from that league were absorbed into the NFL: the (who had won the AAFC Championship every year of the league's existence), the, and the Baltimore Colts (not the same as the modern franchise, this version folded after one year).

The remaining players were chosen by the now 13 NFL teams in a. Also in 1950, the Los Angeles Rams became the first team to televise its entire schedule, marking the beginning of an important relationship between television and professional football. In 1952, the went defunct, becoming the last NFL franchise to do so.

The following year a new franchise formed to take over the assets of the Texans. The players' union, known as the, formed in 1956. The Greatest Game Ever Played [ ]. Main article: At the conclusion of the, the and the met at to determine the league champion. Tied after 60 minutes of play, it became the first NFL game to go into.

The final score was 23, 17. The game has since become widely known as 'the Greatest Game Ever Played'.

It was carried live on the television network, and the national exposure it provided the league has been cited as a watershed moment in professional football history, helping propel the NFL to become one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States. Journalist Tex Maule said of the contest, 'This, for the first time, was a truly epic game which inflamed the imagination of a national audience.' American Football League and merger [ ] In 1959, longtime NFL commissioner Bert Bell died of a heart attack while attending an Eagles/Steelers game.

That same year, businessman led the formation of the rival, the fourth such league to bear that name, with war hero and former South Dakota Governor as its Commissioner. Unlike the earlier rival leagues, and bolstered by television exposure, the AFL posed a significant threat to NFL dominance of the professional football world. With the exception of Los Angeles and New York, the AFL avoided placing teams in markets where they directly competed with established NFL franchises. In 1960, the AFL began play with eight teams and a double round-robin schedule of fourteen games. New NFL commissioner took office the same year.

The AFL became a viable alternative to the NFL as it made a concerted effort to attract established talent away from the NFL, signing half of the NFL's first-round draft choices in 1960. The AFL worked hard to secure top college players, many from sources virtually untapped by the established league: small colleges and predominantly black colleges. Two of the eight coaches of the AFL franchises, () and () eventually were inducted to the Hall of Fame. Led by owner and AFL commissioner, the AFL established a 'war chest' to entice top talent with higher pay than they got from the NFL. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback became a star for the during the early years of the AFL, and University of Alabama passer rejected the NFL to play for the.

Namath became the face of the league as it reached its height of popularity in the mid-1960s. Davis's methods worked, and in 1966, the junior league forced a partial merger with the NFL.

The two leagues agreed to have a common and play in a common season-ending championship game, known as the AFL-NFL World Championship. Two years later, the game's name was changed to the.

AFL teams won the next two Super Bowls, and in 1970, the two leagues to form a new 26-team league. The resulting newly expanded NFL eventually incorporated some of the innovations that led to the AFL's success, such as including names on player's jerseys, official scoreboard clocks, national television contracts (the addition of gave the NFL broadcast rights on all of the ), and sharing of gate and broadcasting revenues between home and visiting teams. Post-merger NFL (1970–present) [ ]. See also: and The NFL continued to grow, eventually adopting some innovations of the AFL, including the two-point conversion. It has expanded several times to its current 32-team membership, and the Super Bowl has become a cultural phenomena across the United States. One of the most popular televised events annually in the United States, it has become a major source of advertising revenue for the television networks that have carried it and it serves as a means for advertisers to debut for their products. The NFL has grown to become the most popular spectator sports league in the United States.

One of the things that have marked the modern NFL as different from other is the apparent parity between its 32 teams. While from time to time, have arisen, the league has been cited as one of the few where every team has a realistic chance of winning the championship from year to year. The league's complex labor agreement with its, which mandates a hard and revenue sharing between its clubs, prevents the richest teams from stockpiling the best players and gives even teams in smaller cities such as and New Orleans the opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl.

One of the chief architects of this labor agreement was former NFL commissioner, who presided over the league from 1989 to 2006. In addition to providing parity between the clubs, the current labor contract, established in 1993 and renewed in 1998 and 2006, has kept player salaries low—the lowest among the four major league sports in the United States— and has helped make the NFL the only major American professional sports league since 1993 not to suffer any player strike or work stoppage. Since taking over as commissioner before the, has made a priority of his office. Since taking office, several high-profile players have experienced trouble with the law, from to. In these and other cases, Commissioner Goodell has mandated lengthy suspensions for players who fall outside of acceptable conduct limits. Goodell, however, has remained a largely unpopular figure to many of the league's fans, who perceive him attempting to change the NFL's identity and haphazardly damage the sport. Other professional leagues [ ] Minor professional leagues such as the, (ACFL), and existed in abundance in the 1960s and early 1970s, to varying degrees of success.

In 1970, became the first woman to ever play on a men's semipro football team when she joined the Orlando Panthers of the ACFL. Several other professional football leagues have been formed since the AFL–NFL merger, though none have had the success of the AFL. In 1974, the formed and was able to attract such stars as away from the NFL with lucrative contracts. However, most of the WFL franchises were insolvent and the league folded in 1975. In 1982, the formed as a spring league, and enjoyed moderate success during its first two seasons behind such stars as and. In 1985, the league, which lost a considerable amount of money due to overspending on players, opted to gamble on moving its schedule to fall in 1986 and filing a billion-dollar antitrust lawsuit against the NFL in an effort to stay afloat. When the lawsuit only drew a three-dollar judgment, the USFL folded.

The NFL founded a developmental league known as the with teams based in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The WLAF ran for two years, from 1991 to 1992. Its successor, the all-European League, ran from 1995 to 2007. In 2001, the was formed as a joint venture between the and the NBC television network. It folded after one season in the face of rapidly declining fan interest and a poor reputation. However, XFL stars such as and later saw success in the NFL. Youth and high school football (1863–present) [ ].

High school football stadium in Football is a popular participatory sport among youth. One of the earliest youth football organizations was founded in Philadelphia, in 1929, as the Junior Football Conference. Organizer Joe Tomlin started the league to provide activities and guidance for teenage boys who were vandalizing the factory he owned. The original four-team league expanded to sixteen teams in 1933 when Pop Warner, who had just been hired as the new coach of the Temple University football team, agreed to give a lecture to the boys in the league. In his honor, the league was renamed the. Today, Pop Warner Little Scholars—as the program is now known—enrolls over 300,000 young boys and girls ages 5–16 in over 5000 football and squads, and has affiliate programs in Mexico and Japan. Other organizations, such as the,, and the National Football League's NFL Youth Football Program also manage various youth football leagues.

Football is a popular sport for high schools in the United States. The (NFHS) was founded in 1920 as an umbrella organization for state-level organizations that manage high school sports, including. The NFHS publishes the rules followed by most local high school football associations. More than 13,000 high schools participate in football, and in some places high school teams play in stadiums that rival college-level facilities. For example, the serving the suburb of opened a 12,000-seat stadium in 2017 that cost over $70 million to host the district's eight high school teams. The growth of high school football and its impact on small town communities has been documented by landmark non-fiction works such as the 1990 book and the subsequent fictionalized and.

American football outside the United States (1874–present) [ ]. It has been suggested that this section be out into another article titled. () (December 2017) American football has been played outside the US since the 1920s and accelerated in popularity after World War II, especially in countries with large numbers of U.S. Military personnel, who often formed a substantial proportion of the players and spectators. In 1998, the, was formed to coordinate international amateur competition. At present, 45 associations from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania are organized within the IFAF, which claims to represent 23 million amateur athletes.

The IFAF, which is based in, France, organizes the quadrennial. A long-term goal of the IFAF is for American football to be accepted by the as an. The only time that the sport was played was in Los Angeles, but as a.

Among the various problems the IFAF has to solve in order to be accepted by the IOC are building a competitive women's division, expanding the sport into Africa, and overcoming the current worldwide competitive imbalance that is in favor of American teams. Similar codes of football [ ] Other codes of football share a common history with American football. Is a form of the game that evolved parallel to American football. While both games share a common history, there are some. A more modern sport that derives from American football is, designed to be played indoors inside of or basketball arenas. The game was invented in 1981 by and the was founded in 1987 as the first major professional league to play the sport.

Several other indoor football leagues have since been founded and continue to play today. American football's parent sport of rugby continued to evolve. Today, two distinct codes known as and are played throughout the world. Since the following a schism on how the sport should be managed in 1895, the and the have evolved separately. Both codes have adopted innovations parallel to the American game; the rugby union scoring system is almost identical to the American game, while rugby league uses a gridiron-style field and a six-tackle rule similar to the system of downs in American Football. See also [ ].