NFLs' Early and Burly Facts and Stats

"Blue 42, Green 13 set, down hut hut HUUT !!" Ah yes, it's almost that time of year again, so get ready to breakout the face paint, foam fingers and home team jerseys. Mini-camps are on the horizon, draft picks are signed and newly aquired free agents are moving into new homes. Soon having a case of the "mondays" will refer to the pale-faced and silent fan in the corner, whose team lost after he boasted all weekend of their imminent victory.

However American football has roots that extend far past today's modern game . What we see on game day is a product refined and re-defined over and over again. This year while your siting on the couch during a time-out or waiting for kick-off, hit your buds with some of these historic football facts and stats. Here's your chance to play the "football buff."

American football started as an off-shoot of rugby and soccer in 1879.
The man behind all the essential changes that transformed the game was Walter Camp,
often referenced as the "Father of Football."

The first huddle took place in 1921, initiated by Bob Zuppke at Illinois Unv, initially Zuppke was criticized for
for his "huddle", only to see it become a standard practice by the mid 20's.

The first season of "professional" football was in 1922. Previously footballs' highest level of play was in the
college ranks, followed by private clubs.

Because of the anticipated crowd of over 90,000 people and fear that such a venue could possibly be
targeted by Japanese naval and air attacks, the 1942 Rose Bowl was played in Durham, North Carolina.

Up until 1950 players would play offense, defense and special teams. The " Free Substitution Rule" instituted
that year gave rise to the modern day system of an offensive team with it's own specialists as well as
seperate defensive and special teams also complete with individual coaching staffs.

The Harvard-Yale rivalry has roots old and deep.The annual football meeting in 1894 became known as the
"Hampden Park Blood Bath", resulting in the annual games suspension, until 1897. Largely due to the
mob style of the game with mass formation plays, such as "the flying wedge" where many injuries
occured.

President Theodore Roosevelt threated to ban the game when in 1905 there were 19 football related fatalities
across the counrty.

The first legal forward pass, coming after a rule change in 1906, was thrown by Bradbury Robinson of
St. Louis Unv. in a game versus Carroll College on September 5th of that year.


Glenn 'Pop' Warner, aside from being honored in the naming a youth football organization and a noted coach,
is also credited with the single and double wing formations, modern blocking schemes, the reverse
play, the three point stance and for effectively establishing the forward pass. He also penned one of
first football stratagy in 1927 titled "Football for Coaches and Players."