Who Invented Football?
The origins of American football probably date to the early 1800s when teams in various colleges and secondary schools (necessarily from the Eastern part of the United States because established institutions of learning existed only in that region at the time) met to attempt to move an inflated ball past a line to gain points. This movement was usually achieved by kicking or batting at the ball, as in European football. The number of men on each side was quite different from the eleven which characterizes the modern game. As to the ‘first’ game of American football, many “first” American football games have been claimed. However, such games were often played under rules that were so different from today’s game as to call into question the veracity of the claims. Throughout the history of mankind, the urge to kick at stones and other such objects is thought to have led to many early activities involving kicking and/or running with a ball. Football-like games predate recorded history in
