Some very interesting football facts can be found if you do a little searching. The game of football today has been around for about 150 years. It was England, 1863, and association football and the game of rugby split and headed into two separate directions. This is when we had our formulation of the very first football association, and it was known as 'The Football Association of England'.
Both of these types of football are steeped in history. But they still have very much in common, and the similarities can be seen when the two are looked at with this knowledge. They have been traced back to about six different old types of games which have been formed to make what we know as football today.
It's believed that the difficulty factor involved in controlling the ball with feet and abolishing the use of hands, is what first made this type of exercise appealing. The challenges of the physical adeptness and coordination made it a very popular form of exercise and recreation. This made a great place for the creation of stiff competition between men, and groups of men, and became a starting place for team competitions.
An old military exercise manual has an element of what was then called the 'Tsu'Chu'. This was a type of exercise that involved the basic elements of kicking and controlling a ball with precision and skill, and this dated as far back as the third century before Christ. The ball for this exercise was filled with feathers and mixed with hair. The goal was to put the ball into a small opening in a net that was stretched between two canes made of bamboo. (Like Soccer).
This brought on one of the most obvious differences in the two styles of football we know today. In our modern American football, the hands are used extensively in playing the game, whereas in soccer they are not allowed and will cause you to incur penalties if used. But our NFL football uses the hands for running (Carrying), passing, catching, and lateraling the ball, while it also includes some foot action with kickoffs, punting, and field goals.
It was in 1876 that the very first set of rules were set down for what laid the foundation of our American style football of today. It was done at a gathering known as 'the Massasoit Convention'. And the man responsible went by the name of Walter Camp. He has since been called the father of our American football. The game progressed from there into fierce rivalries and competition, which ultimately brought us to our first 'professional' player in 1892.
Our first professional player made a total of $500 for his efforts. His name was William (pudge) Heffelfinger. He played for the AAA, or the 'allegheny athletic association'. He was pitted against the PAC, or the pacific athletic club. He himself hailed from Yale, and was the first man paid for his talents in competing against another team. In this first game he recovered a fumble and ran it for 35 yards and a then 'four point' touchdown. They emerged victorious, 4-0.
Some old and interesting football facts are recorded for anyone to find. Facts like the first professionally signed contract in 1893 that led to the 1895 signing of John Brallier to be paid ten dollars for playing for the Latrobe YMCA. His competition came in the form of the Jeanette Athletic Club. In 1898 they changed the point score of a touchdown from four to five, and finally it came down to the six we see now. Football has been woven into the fabric of America, and will always be a big part of it's history.
Both of these types of football are steeped in history. But they still have very much in common, and the similarities can be seen when the two are looked at with this knowledge. They have been traced back to about six different old types of games which have been formed to make what we know as football today.
It's believed that the difficulty factor involved in controlling the ball with feet and abolishing the use of hands, is what first made this type of exercise appealing. The challenges of the physical adeptness and coordination made it a very popular form of exercise and recreation. This made a great place for the creation of stiff competition between men, and groups of men, and became a starting place for team competitions.
An old military exercise manual has an element of what was then called the 'Tsu'Chu'. This was a type of exercise that involved the basic elements of kicking and controlling a ball with precision and skill, and this dated as far back as the third century before Christ. The ball for this exercise was filled with feathers and mixed with hair. The goal was to put the ball into a small opening in a net that was stretched between two canes made of bamboo. (Like Soccer).
This brought on one of the most obvious differences in the two styles of football we know today. In our modern American football, the hands are used extensively in playing the game, whereas in soccer they are not allowed and will cause you to incur penalties if used. But our NFL football uses the hands for running (Carrying), passing, catching, and lateraling the ball, while it also includes some foot action with kickoffs, punting, and field goals.
It was in 1876 that the very first set of rules were set down for what laid the foundation of our American style football of today. It was done at a gathering known as 'the Massasoit Convention'. And the man responsible went by the name of Walter Camp. He has since been called the father of our American football. The game progressed from there into fierce rivalries and competition, which ultimately brought us to our first 'professional' player in 1892.
Our first professional player made a total of $500 for his efforts. His name was William (pudge) Heffelfinger. He played for the AAA, or the 'allegheny athletic association'. He was pitted against the PAC, or the pacific athletic club. He himself hailed from Yale, and was the first man paid for his talents in competing against another team. In this first game he recovered a fumble and ran it for 35 yards and a then 'four point' touchdown. They emerged victorious, 4-0.
Some old and interesting football facts are recorded for anyone to find. Facts like the first professionally signed contract in 1893 that led to the 1895 signing of John Brallier to be paid ten dollars for playing for the Latrobe YMCA. His competition came in the form of the Jeanette Athletic Club. In 1898 they changed the point score of a touchdown from four to five, and finally it came down to the six we see now. Football has been woven into the fabric of America, and will always be a big part of it's history.
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