Even though South Carolina closed the football season with five straight losses and no bowl game, the Gamecocks showed improvement in the classroom last semester.Coach Steve Spurrier's team posted a grade-point average of 2.540 for the fall semester, which the school said was the team's best in-season performance ever. Their grades are up from the 2.305 the team had during fall 2006. Spurrier had said Thursday that 10 players graduated last month and six of seven seniors left are on track to get their degrees in May.In all, 13 of the athletic department's 17 teams had cumulative grades of 3.0 or better for the most recently concluded semester.Women's golf led the way with a GPA of 3.481 with men's golf right behind at 3.478. Next were softball (3.461) and volleyball (3.452), with men's tennis (3.415) rounding out the top five.After that came equestrian (3.335), women's soccer (3.239), men's soccer (3.215), women's track and field (3.191), women's swimming and diving (3.135), men's track and field (3.067), and baseball (3.006).Along with football, other programs that did not reach at 3.0 were men's swimming and diving (2.970), women's basketball (2.757) and men's basketball (2.449).For the semester, South Carolina said its 206 female student athletes had a mean GPA of 3.235 while the department's 276 men had a mean GPA of 2.839.The overall mean GPA for the university's 18,232 students this past fall was 3.148.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Super Bowl presents quandry for unbiased football lovers
Football. That's what the kids are wanting to talk about these days. They want to talk about Super Bowls. They want to talk about the Tim Bradys and the Elijah Mannings of the world. They want to talk about yard lines and field goal posts and what have you. So you know what? Let's go ahead and do this. Let's talk, and let's make it for real, damnit.It seems like only last January when I wrote my first Super Bowl article. Stephen Hawking says that time is relative because it flies faster when you are having fun, so I will assume that to be the case here. I am no scientist, like Tom Cruise, so I'll leave the explaining to those more qualified than I.I can remember that article vividly. I was young and haughty then. I didn't think that research was necessary. I judged the teams by arbitrary criteria, and I chose the Colts by 173 points.I don't remember whether that happened or not, but that is beside the point. The point is I know my stuff now. Football is my life, and my life is good.So, let's talk about the actual game and, more importantly, the team that you, the average MSU student, should be rooting for. Based on a formal poll that I conducted with a random, simple survey of one friend of mine, this game is a lose-lose situation for your average MSU student. Here's why. Firstly, the Patriots are too good at playing football games, which is not fair. Secondly, the Giants refuse to bench Eli Manning for being an Ole Miss alumnus, which is ignoble.Thus, we find ourselves in an unflinching quandary, yet we must press forward in the article. My scientific opinion is that the average MSU student should pull for the Patriots. They are favored to win by 13.5 points, and no one really likes to be wrong when choosing sides (see Religion). So go for the favorite and perhaps attempt to coax a loyal Giants fan into a wager without the spread.
Football: Bridgend Town sign former Swan
BRIDGEND Town have signed former Swansea City striker Jonathan Keaveny from MacWhirter Welsh Football League Division Two club West End, writes TONY POOLE.Exiles’ chief Drewe Phillips snared the free-scoring striker last weekend during a busy week on the transfer front.The Swansea postman is now hoping to deliver on a club debut this Saturday against Garw at Lock’s Lane in Porthcawl.Regarded as one of the most skilful and nippy front runners on the circuit, Keaveny has also taken in spells with Neath Athletic, Goytre United and Carmarthen Town.It proved a case of third time lucky for manager Phillips to get his man, having previously failed last summer and just before the transfer window closed in October.“Hopefully, Jonathan Keaveny can maintain a goal-scoring habit with Bridgend as his arrival has provided us with a mid-season boost,” said manager Phillips, who has some other irons in the fire regarding player recruitment this month.This season, despite serving a few suspensions, Keaveny has hit the target 14 times for the West Enders in the second division.Bridgend have also signed goalkeeper Cole Stacey as cover for Brendan Cropley.The 21-year-old has been in consistent form this term for both Cardiff and Welsh Universities.Phillips is also hoping to sign former Carmarthen Town and Port Talbot Town defender Haydn Fleming.His profession as a personal trainer has prevented the former QPR apprentice from playing this season and he was last in action with Taffs Well last winter.International clearance has also been obtained to play Portuguese midfield player Milton Santos Torros.The former Sporting Lisbon man just missed the last transfer deadline in the autumn but has maintained match fitness with the University of Glamorgan.Bridgend are also monitoring the situation regarding unsettled Goytre United wide man Ian Turner.
Although Afan Lido have placed a seven-day order of intent on him, it seems the ex-Fields Park Pontllanfraith man is reluctant to join former Goytre boss Craig Duggan at the Marston Stadium.Ironically, at the end of the 2001-2 season, Turner scored a goal for Fields Park Pontllanfraith that sent Bridgend down to the second division.Exiting Bridgend’s temporary base in Porthcawl last week were Dave Truan, who has switched to Llangeinor, and Rhys Jones (Barry Town).Meanwhile, Bridgend’s application for Welsh Premiership status looks doomed as the club could not specify a ground.The club is already on a collision course with the Welsh League authorities regarding its temporary tenancy in Porthcawl.It was given permission to play out of Lock’s Lane only until the end of this season after vacating Coychurch Road last February to make way for Asda.League secretary Ken Tucker said: “If Bridgend have a separate ground on Lock’s Lane there is nothing preventing them from playing there from September, but at the moment they are sharing match officials’ rooms.“We have allowed it for this season but thought they would want to move back to play in Bridgend.”The club chairman and secretary will be asked to clarify the position at a meeting.Bridgend has already spent a one-off £30,000 from Asda to upgrade facilities at Porthcawl and hopes the council will also allow it to dip into the £2m ring-fenced for a new ground.
Although Afan Lido have placed a seven-day order of intent on him, it seems the ex-Fields Park Pontllanfraith man is reluctant to join former Goytre boss Craig Duggan at the Marston Stadium.Ironically, at the end of the 2001-2 season, Turner scored a goal for Fields Park Pontllanfraith that sent Bridgend down to the second division.Exiting Bridgend’s temporary base in Porthcawl last week were Dave Truan, who has switched to Llangeinor, and Rhys Jones (Barry Town).Meanwhile, Bridgend’s application for Welsh Premiership status looks doomed as the club could not specify a ground.The club is already on a collision course with the Welsh League authorities regarding its temporary tenancy in Porthcawl.It was given permission to play out of Lock’s Lane only until the end of this season after vacating Coychurch Road last February to make way for Asda.League secretary Ken Tucker said: “If Bridgend have a separate ground on Lock’s Lane there is nothing preventing them from playing there from September, but at the moment they are sharing match officials’ rooms.“We have allowed it for this season but thought they would want to move back to play in Bridgend.”The club chairman and secretary will be asked to clarify the position at a meeting.Bridgend has already spent a one-off £30,000 from Asda to upgrade facilities at Porthcawl and hopes the council will also allow it to dip into the £2m ring-fenced for a new ground.
BHS, LLHS head football coach jobs advertised
Both of Valencia County's established high school football programs are advertising openings for head coaches.
Belen coach Kevin Benavidez resigned Jan. 16 after nine seasons at the helm, while Los Lunas coach Denvis Manns has reached the end of his interim contract set up in August. Both positions are being advertised in the News-Bulletin, on the New Mexico Activities Association's Web site, and elsewhere. Belen Schools human resources director Ron Marquez said Thursday the BHS opening must be held open for a minimum of 10 working days. The application deadline for the Los Lunas job is Feb. 4; Belen's advertisement doesn't stipulate a deadline, but it is widely believed both districts will move swiftly to fill the voids. Manns could end up being named as a permanent head coach after a formal procedural search for a replacement is completed. He told the News-Bulletin he is agreeable to returning as the head coach or resuming his duties as an assistant, which he was from 2002 to 2007. The two school districts are hoping to tie their head coaching jobs to full-time faculty positions. Adjustments made will depend on the caliber, qualifications and situation involving the selected candidates.Grants, Farmington, Kirtland Central, Robertson and Gadsden are among other New Mexico schools currently seeking head football coaches, said Marquez. "It was a very hard decision," said Benavidez about resigning. "But I have some other things in my life I have to take care of." Both Manns and Benavidez are married and have young children. Manns is from Texas and was an accomplished running back for New Mexico State University in the late 1990s. Benavidez is a Belen native. Both are teachers who plan to continue their careers in education. The Valencia High School Jaguars, who are in their second year and have freshman and sophomore classes this year, are still searching for a head varsity baseball coach.
Belen coach Kevin Benavidez resigned Jan. 16 after nine seasons at the helm, while Los Lunas coach Denvis Manns has reached the end of his interim contract set up in August. Both positions are being advertised in the News-Bulletin, on the New Mexico Activities Association's Web site, and elsewhere. Belen Schools human resources director Ron Marquez said Thursday the BHS opening must be held open for a minimum of 10 working days. The application deadline for the Los Lunas job is Feb. 4; Belen's advertisement doesn't stipulate a deadline, but it is widely believed both districts will move swiftly to fill the voids. Manns could end up being named as a permanent head coach after a formal procedural search for a replacement is completed. He told the News-Bulletin he is agreeable to returning as the head coach or resuming his duties as an assistant, which he was from 2002 to 2007. The two school districts are hoping to tie their head coaching jobs to full-time faculty positions. Adjustments made will depend on the caliber, qualifications and situation involving the selected candidates.Grants, Farmington, Kirtland Central, Robertson and Gadsden are among other New Mexico schools currently seeking head football coaches, said Marquez. "It was a very hard decision," said Benavidez about resigning. "But I have some other things in my life I have to take care of." Both Manns and Benavidez are married and have young children. Manns is from Texas and was an accomplished running back for New Mexico State University in the late 1990s. Benavidez is a Belen native. Both are teachers who plan to continue their careers in education. The Valencia High School Jaguars, who are in their second year and have freshman and sophomore classes this year, are still searching for a head varsity baseball coach.
True existential anguish comes from DIY and football, ladies
Yesterday, I escorted my son Niall to nursery, and as I released him yelling and screaming into a wilderness of Bob the Builder plastic figures and green-coloured gunge, I couldn't help but think to myself: "I wonder if Einstein was this much of a hooligan when he was two years old." Actually, I didn't think that. What I thought was this: "There goes a happy little boy. It's a shame he is going to grow up into a man and discover that life is full of pain and anguish."Once a month, when my beloved girlfriend and I have exhausted ourselves arguing over whose turn it is to change the bedclothes, we turn our attentions to a subject somewhat less important but nevertheless diverting - life. Or should I say my life.According to her, my life is easy. At least, it is easy in comparison to her life which is, she says, a minefield of stress and anguish stretching far over the horizon. "No-one forces you go to shopping for shoes twice a week," I tell her with a cheeky wink.Nothing is guaranteed to make my girlfriend lose her temper as much as a cheeky wink, except perhaps the realisation that her alarm clock hasn't gone off and she's missed the start of the Whistles sale.She then embarks on a lengthy rant about all the things that have rendered her life infinitely more difficult than mine, a list that begins and ends with the pain of childbirth. "How would you like to go through that, Mr Can't Watch an Episode of ER Without Putting a Cushion Over Your Head?" she says. The answer is I wouldn't, although in my defence the immutable laws of biology mean I couldn't possibly have given birth to our son. Also, I was away playing golf with my pals when it happened.Long experience has taught me at this stage it is advisable for me to bow out of the argument and accept that if I don't shut up immediately she might do something with the hot iron she has in her hands - and I don't mean iron my shirts. This is very frustrating because I believe I can make a very persuasive case for saying that men go through just as much, if not more, pain and anguish in their lives than women. However, I take some consolation in the knowledge that the people who read this column every week - all 11 of them - are always happy to listen to what I have to say and, even when they are not, the worst they can do to me is draw a moustache on my photograph. The truth is, men face countless problems - terrible, terrible problems, the kind of problems that women can only dream about, and even then only if they've eaten something extremely exotic, like a large plate of anchovies and Dairy Milk chocolate just before they go to bed; the kind of problems that are so terrible that I can't bring myself to end this sentence so that I can start thinking about what they are ... Oh, yes, I've thought of a few things. What about the anguish and pain that comes from realising that no matter how dimmed the lighting, no-one is ever going to mistake you for Brad Pitt? What about the pain and anguish that comes from the realisation that no matter how much you spend on a brand new set of tools from B&Q, you are never going to be as good at DIY as my pal Liam.His tools look like they were bought second-hand from Boris the careless caveman. Yet how is it that Liam can hang a door in about 10 seconds flat and it takes me ... well, I've never actually worked out how to hang a door.And don't get me started on the pain and anguish that comes with supporting a football team. Yes, I know women support football teams, too, but not like men.Not like the men who call the Radio Clyde football phone-in every Saturday night in pain over the latest misfortune to befall their team.Men who wouldn't lose a minute's sleep if an asteroid was about to slam into the Earth, ending mankind forever, are in tears over Gordon Strachan's tactics.Men who had both arms ripped off in an unfortunate farmyard accident agonise over Walter Smith's tiny transfer budget.Yes, indeed, it is tough being a man, but it is probably best not to tell that to my happy little son. And, whatever you do, please God, don't tell his mother. Not while she's got that hot iron in her hands.
Football briefs
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - For the second consecutive day, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wasn't in the locker room or at practice when reporters and cameramen were allowed inside Friday.During the 45-minute period in the locker room, several cameramen lingered near his locker, but he didn't show up. Nor was he there for the first 12 minutes of practice that the media were allowed to watch.New England coach Bill Belichick said reporters would be informed after practice if Brady participated. There was no word after it ended, and calls to the Patriots were not immediately returned.Brady was photographed in New York on Monday wearing a protective boot on his right foot. He took it off later in the day and hasn't been photographed wearing it since. He reportedly has a minor high ankle sprain that isn't expected to keep him out of the Super Bowl against the New York Giants on Feb. 3.- Young, Griffin going back to Texas for degree NASHVILLE - Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young and the team's top draft pick, Michael Griffin, are going back to school.The former University of Texas players are enrolled full-time for the spring semester, an official in the registrar's office confirmed.Young, who left the Longhorns in January 2006 to enter the NFL shortly after winning a national championship, has enrolled as a full-time student again. Safety Michael Griffin also has enrolled.Young's agent, Major Adams, told The Tennessean that Young is approximately two semesters shy of his degree in liberal arts and hopes to finish by spring 2009.That could keep Young busy in an offseason when the Titans have a new offensive coordinator. Coach Jeff Fisher fired Norm Chow on Jan. 15 and hired former coordinator Mike Heimerdinger to juice up an offense that managed only nine touchdowns passing in 2007.The Titans start their offseason program March 24 with their on-field sessions tentatively scheduled between April and June. The spring semester at Texas wraps up May 13.Griffin is majoring in youth and community studies.- Extra points ... n Undecided on a head coach, the Washington Redskins at least have someone to run the offense. The Redskins signed Jim Zorn to a three-year contract Friday to be their offensive coordinator, according to a person familiar with the situation. Zorn has been Seattle's quarterbacks coach for the past seven years. The Washington Post reported that Zorn took the job with the expectation that former Giants coach Jim Fassel, Washington assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams or Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would become head coach. Regardless of who the new coach will be, Zorn's hiring essentially assured the departure of Al Saunders, who ran the offense to mixed reviews for the last two seasons.n Atlanta hired former Buffalo coach Mike Mularkey as their offensive coordinator. Mularkey was Miami's tight ends coach this past season. New coach Mike Smith also announced that Emmitt Thomas will remain on staff as an assistant head coach and again work with the secondary.n The Oakland Raiders denied a report that owner Al Davis asked coach Lane Kiffin to resign. ESPN, citing unidentified sources, reported that Davis drew up a resignation letter for Kiffin two weeks ago, but he refused to sign it. Kiffin has two years left on the contract he signed last January. n Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia is headed to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time, replacing Green Bay's Brett Favre on the NFC roster. Favre, who was chosen as the starter, had said he was unsure whether he would play.n Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu (knee sprain) will not play in the Pro Bowl and will be replaced on AFC roster by Antoine Bethea of Indianapolis. n A man who sold a female pit bull to suspended Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting operation and attended some of the fights avoided prison time because he cooperated with investigators and did not physically harm any of the dogs. Oscar Allen was sentenced to three years probation and fined $500 for his involvement in the dogfighting ring.
MHS head football coach to leave for Iowa City West
MUSCATINE, Iowa – After seven years in the Muscatine High School football program, the last three as head varsity coach, Brian Sauser is leaving to take on a new challenge.Sauser, who has helped build on Muscatine’s turnaround of football fortunes, has accepted the position of head football coach at Iowa City West, a member of the Mississippi Valley Conference.A story on the Iowa City Press-Citizen Web site Thursday said that Sauser had been offered the job, pending school board approval. Sauser confirmed Thursday night that he is leaving Muscatine to take the job.
“It’s been an exciting couple of days,” Sauser said. “It’s a lot going on at one time. It was really tough today, telling the kids that I was leaving.“It’s been great here in Muscatine, but I’m real excited about a new challenge.”
Sauser will replace Mike Cooper, who resigned from the position after two seasons at the helm. The Trojans were 1-8 the past season after going 2-7 in Cooper’s first year. They were 3-6 in 2005.“I know that they had 59 players on the varsity last year, so the numbers are good,” said Sauser. “Their freshman team was unbeaten and there are some sophomores that people feel good about.”Sauser, who was offensivecoordinator from 2001-04, replaced John Each as head coach in 2005 and finished 3-6 that first season. The Muskies have been 7-3 the last two years under Sauser.The 2005 season is the only one since his arrival that the Muskies have not made the Class 4A state playoffs.Since 1997 when the Muskies ended a streak of 33 consecutive non-winning football seasons, Muscatine has finished above .500 all but that 2005 season.“I feel I’m leaving the program elevated from the way it used to be,” said Sauser. “It’s weird that seven years have gone so fast.“When we made the playoffs my first year here and we beat Burlington for the school’s first-ever playoff win, I didn’t fully appreciate how important that was to the program.“I feel good about the fact that only Muscatine and Bettendorf in the MAC have been in the playoffs six of the last seven years. I truly believe Muscatine has established itself as one of the top two or three teams in the MAC.”Muscatine will return 27 seniors from last year’s 7-3 team and many of them played a prominent role in the Muskies’ success. The sophomores finished just 2-7, but the Muskie freshmen were 8-0-1.“Muscatine will have a great senior class coming in next season,” said Sauser. “They invested a lot of time in the program, and I’m sure they’ll continue to work hard to come in and keep the program rolling.”In some respects, Sauser will be moving to a similar situation at Iowa City West. The biggest change will be the Mississippi Valley Conference has 14 schools and the Mississippi Athletic Conference has 10.“It’s the million-dollar question, which is better the Mississippi Valley or the MAC?” said Sauser. “I think both have your upper division teams, a lot of teams in the middle and some that struggle.“They are similar in a lot of ways, but it will be nice to play different teams because the schedule changes.”Iowa City West began throwing the ball more near the end of the season with Kyle Mason, the grandson of former Muscatine High School all-stater Charlie Mason, at quarterback.But it’s nothing compared to what the Trojan fans will likely see starting next season when Sauser introduces his spread offense to the MVC.“I’m excited to be taking it (the spread offense) to them and they seem to be excited that they’re going to be using it,” said Sauser.“It seems to be the new fad everywhere. It’s fun to coach and the kids love it.”Iowa City West athletic director Mark Reiland is excited to see Sauser at work.“I think one thing that was intriguing was that since he’s been at Muscatine, he must have had a very good offensive mind because they’ve had a tendency to set lots of offensive school records and score points,” Reiland told the Press-Citizen.“Nowadays, you call it an exciting brand of football.”Sauser said he’s already been contacted by a lot of people to offer their support.“One great advantage to coaching in Iowa City is having the University of Iowa right there,” said Sauser. “I’ve already heard from former Hawkeyes Randy Reiners and Eric Thigpen offering to help any way they can.”Sauser said that he has heard that a lot of the Iowa City West coaching staff would like to return. There is no word on how Sauser’s resignation will affect the Muscatine coaching staff.A phone call to Muscatine High School activities director Tim Goodwin seeking comments was not returned by press time.
“It’s been an exciting couple of days,” Sauser said. “It’s a lot going on at one time. It was really tough today, telling the kids that I was leaving.“It’s been great here in Muscatine, but I’m real excited about a new challenge.”
Sauser will replace Mike Cooper, who resigned from the position after two seasons at the helm. The Trojans were 1-8 the past season after going 2-7 in Cooper’s first year. They were 3-6 in 2005.“I know that they had 59 players on the varsity last year, so the numbers are good,” said Sauser. “Their freshman team was unbeaten and there are some sophomores that people feel good about.”Sauser, who was offensivecoordinator from 2001-04, replaced John Each as head coach in 2005 and finished 3-6 that first season. The Muskies have been 7-3 the last two years under Sauser.The 2005 season is the only one since his arrival that the Muskies have not made the Class 4A state playoffs.Since 1997 when the Muskies ended a streak of 33 consecutive non-winning football seasons, Muscatine has finished above .500 all but that 2005 season.“I feel I’m leaving the program elevated from the way it used to be,” said Sauser. “It’s weird that seven years have gone so fast.“When we made the playoffs my first year here and we beat Burlington for the school’s first-ever playoff win, I didn’t fully appreciate how important that was to the program.“I feel good about the fact that only Muscatine and Bettendorf in the MAC have been in the playoffs six of the last seven years. I truly believe Muscatine has established itself as one of the top two or three teams in the MAC.”Muscatine will return 27 seniors from last year’s 7-3 team and many of them played a prominent role in the Muskies’ success. The sophomores finished just 2-7, but the Muskie freshmen were 8-0-1.“Muscatine will have a great senior class coming in next season,” said Sauser. “They invested a lot of time in the program, and I’m sure they’ll continue to work hard to come in and keep the program rolling.”In some respects, Sauser will be moving to a similar situation at Iowa City West. The biggest change will be the Mississippi Valley Conference has 14 schools and the Mississippi Athletic Conference has 10.“It’s the million-dollar question, which is better the Mississippi Valley or the MAC?” said Sauser. “I think both have your upper division teams, a lot of teams in the middle and some that struggle.“They are similar in a lot of ways, but it will be nice to play different teams because the schedule changes.”Iowa City West began throwing the ball more near the end of the season with Kyle Mason, the grandson of former Muscatine High School all-stater Charlie Mason, at quarterback.But it’s nothing compared to what the Trojan fans will likely see starting next season when Sauser introduces his spread offense to the MVC.“I’m excited to be taking it (the spread offense) to them and they seem to be excited that they’re going to be using it,” said Sauser.“It seems to be the new fad everywhere. It’s fun to coach and the kids love it.”Iowa City West athletic director Mark Reiland is excited to see Sauser at work.“I think one thing that was intriguing was that since he’s been at Muscatine, he must have had a very good offensive mind because they’ve had a tendency to set lots of offensive school records and score points,” Reiland told the Press-Citizen.“Nowadays, you call it an exciting brand of football.”Sauser said he’s already been contacted by a lot of people to offer their support.“One great advantage to coaching in Iowa City is having the University of Iowa right there,” said Sauser. “I’ve already heard from former Hawkeyes Randy Reiners and Eric Thigpen offering to help any way they can.”Sauser said that he has heard that a lot of the Iowa City West coaching staff would like to return. There is no word on how Sauser’s resignation will affect the Muscatine coaching staff.A phone call to Muscatine High School activities director Tim Goodwin seeking comments was not returned by press time.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Who pays to police football games?
Who pays to police football games?
And after a recent landmark court ruling, they could be set to go up - with supporters perhaps left to foot the bill.
Proof, if ever it were needed, that rugby is a gentleman's game played by thugs, comes with the knowledge that Bath and Bristol rugby clubs had no police presence inside their grounds last season.
They both paid nothing to the boys in blue, although Gloucester RFC paid more than £5,500
Compare this to football in the region, where the costs regularly run into tens of thousands of pounds.
The police have historically only charged for "special services" - that is, a police presence inside a club's grounds.
These are worked out at the start of each season when games are graded according to intelligence.
The cost of consequential policing - outside the ground - has traditionally been swallowed by police forces, and passed on to the taxpayer - be they football fans or not.
Proof, if ever it were needed, that rugby is a gentleman's game played by thugs, comes with the knowledge that Bath and Bristol rugby clubs had no police presence inside their grounds last season.
They both paid nothing to the boys in blue, although Gloucester RFC paid more than £5,500
Compare this to football in the region, where the costs regularly run into tens of thousands of pounds.
The police have historically only charged for "special services" - that is, a police presence inside a club's grounds.
These are worked out at the start of each season when games are graded according to intelligence.
The cost of consequential policing - outside the ground - has traditionally been swallowed by police forces, and passed on to the taxpayer - be they football fans or not.
But this could all be about to change.
Greater Manchester Police recently won a complicated court battle against Wigan Athletic over costs, which could open the door to police forces charging for their services outside stadiums.
This is known as full cost recovery, and has been a thorny issue for football clubs for years.
The force is supported in its line by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and other constabularies, which said the ruling was in line with its guidelines.
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: "We feel that the council tax payers of Gloucestershire should not subsidise commercial and sporting events, which do not form part of its statutory duty.
"Therefore we support full cost recovery in the interests of residents."
However, some police officers accept the wider view put forward by the clubs themselves - who have vowed to resist full cost recovery.
They argue that games are parts of the economic life of towns and cities, and that many smaller clubs could be badly affected if they had to pay more.
'Bigger issue'
Colin Sexstone, chief executive of Bristol City FC, said: "We cannot accept responsibility for what happens outside our property.
"This is no different to pubs and clubs in town. It is a bigger issue that goes beyond football."
Clubs across the West also said they were working towards having as many games as possible with no police presence, perhaps boosting steward numbers where appropriate.
But unless something changes dramatically, the policing of the so-called beautiful game will continue to be subsidised by the taxpayer - be they football fans or not.
Greater Manchester Police recently won a complicated court battle against Wigan Athletic over costs, which could open the door to police forces charging for their services outside stadiums.
This is known as full cost recovery, and has been a thorny issue for football clubs for years.
The force is supported in its line by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and other constabularies, which said the ruling was in line with its guidelines.
A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: "We feel that the council tax payers of Gloucestershire should not subsidise commercial and sporting events, which do not form part of its statutory duty.
"Therefore we support full cost recovery in the interests of residents."
However, some police officers accept the wider view put forward by the clubs themselves - who have vowed to resist full cost recovery.
They argue that games are parts of the economic life of towns and cities, and that many smaller clubs could be badly affected if they had to pay more.
'Bigger issue'
Colin Sexstone, chief executive of Bristol City FC, said: "We cannot accept responsibility for what happens outside our property.
"This is no different to pubs and clubs in town. It is a bigger issue that goes beyond football."
Clubs across the West also said they were working towards having as many games as possible with no police presence, perhaps boosting steward numbers where appropriate.
But unless something changes dramatically, the policing of the so-called beautiful game will continue to be subsidised by the taxpayer - be they football fans or not.
Friday, January 18, 2008
All About Football
All About Football
Gaelic Football can be described as a mixture of soccer and rugby, although it predates both of those games. It is a field game which has developed as a distinct game similar to the progression of Australian Rules. Indeed it is thought that Australian Rules evolved from Gaelic Football through the many thousands who were either deported or emigrated to Australia from the middle of the nineteenth century. Gaelic Football is played on a pitch approximately 137m long and 82m wide. The goalposts are the same shape as on a rugby pitch, with the crossbar lower than a rugby one and slightly higher than a soccer one.The ball used in Gaelic Football is round, slightly smaller than a soccer ball. It can be carried in the hand for a distance of four steps and can be kicked or "hand-passed", a striking motion with the hand or fist. After every four steps the ball must be either bounced or "solo-ed", an action of dropping the ball onto the foot and kicking it back into the hand. You may not bounce the ball twice in a row. To score, you put the ball over the crossbar by foot or hand / fist for one point or under the crossbar and into the net by foot or hand / fist in certain circumstances for a goal, the latter being the equivalent of three points.Each team consists of fifteen players, lining out as follows: One goalkeeper, three full-backs, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards. The actual line out on the playing field is as follows:
Players wear a jersey with their team colours and number on the back. Both teams must have different colour jerseys. The goalkeepers' jerseys must not be similar to the jersey of any other player. Referees normally tog out in black jerseys, socks and togs.Goalkeepers may not be physically challenged whilst inside their own small parallelogram, but players may harass them into playing a bad pass, or block an attempted pass.Teams are allowed a maximum of five substitutes in a game. Players may switch positions on the field of play as much as they wish but this is usually on the instructions of team officials.Officials for a game comprise of a referee, two linesmen (to indicate when the ball leaves the field of play at the side and to mark '45'' free kicks and 4 umpires (to signal scores, assist the referee in controlling the games, and to assist linesmen in positioning '45' frees).A goal is signalled by raising a green flag, placed to the left of the goal. A point is signalled by raising a white flag, placed to the right of goal. A '45'/'65' is signalled by the umpire raising his/her outside arm. A 'square ball', when a player scores having arrived in the 'square' prior to receiving the ball, is signalled by pointing at the small parallelogram.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)
From a regional to a national sport (1930–1958)
In the early 1930s, the college game continued to grow, particularly in the south, bolstered by fierce rivalries such as the "Third Saturday in October"—a rivalry between Alabama and Tennessee. While prior to the mid-1920s most national powers came from the northeast or the midwest, the trend changed when Wallace Wade's 1925 Alabama team won the 1926 Rose Bowl en route to its first national title. 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 Southwest Athletic Conference had been founded in 1915. Consisting mostly of schools from Texas, the conference saw back-to-back national champions with Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1938 and Texas A&M in 1939.[30][31] The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), a precursor to the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), had its own back-to-back champion in the University of Southern California which was awarded the title in 1931 and 1932.[30] The Southeastern Conference (SEC) formed in 1932 and consisted mostly of schools in the Deep South.[32] 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 and 1948) and Ohio State (1942) also winning titles. As it grew beyond its regional affiliations in the 1930s, college football garnered increased national attention. Four new bowl games were created: the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, the Sun Bowl in 1935, and the Cotton Bowl 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 Associated Press began its weekly poll 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 determined who was crowned the National Champion of college football.[34]
The 1930s saw growth in the passing game. Though some coaches, such as General Robert Neyland at Tennessee, continued to eschew its use, 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 receiver Don Hutson and TCU passer "Slingin" Sammy Baugh In 1935, New York City's Downtown Athletic Club awarded the first Heisman Trophy to Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger, who was also the first ever NFL Draft pick in 1936. The trophy was designed by sculptor Frank Eliscu and modeled after NYU player Ed Smith. 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.[36]
During World War II, college football players enlisted in the armed forces. As most of these players had eligibility left on their college careers, some of them returned to college at West Point, bringing Army back-to-back national titles in 1944 and 1945 under coach Red Blaik. Doc Blanchard (known as "Mr. Inside") and Glenn Davis (known as "Mr. Outside") both won the Heisman Trophy, in 1945 and 1946 respectively. On the coaching staff of those 1944–1946 Army teams was future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi.[33][37]
The 1950s saw the rise of yet more dynasties and power programs. Oklahoma, under coach Bud Wilkinson, won three national titles (1950, 1955, 1956) and all ten Big Eight Conference championships in the decade while building a record 47 game winning streak. Woody Hayes led Ohio State to two national titles, in 1954 and 1957, and dominated the Big Ten conference, winning three Big Ten titles—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. Paul Hornung, Notre Dame quarterback, did however win the Heisman in 1956, becoming the only player from a losing team ever to do so
Modern college football (1958–present)
The 1930s saw growth in the passing game. Though some coaches, such as General Robert Neyland at Tennessee, continued to eschew its use, 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 receiver Don Hutson and TCU passer "Slingin" Sammy Baugh In 1935, New York City's Downtown Athletic Club awarded the first Heisman Trophy to Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger, who was also the first ever NFL Draft pick in 1936. The trophy was designed by sculptor Frank Eliscu and modeled after NYU player Ed Smith. 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.[36]
During World War II, college football players enlisted in the armed forces. As most of these players had eligibility left on their college careers, some of them returned to college at West Point, bringing Army back-to-back national titles in 1944 and 1945 under coach Red Blaik. Doc Blanchard (known as "Mr. Inside") and Glenn Davis (known as "Mr. Outside") both won the Heisman Trophy, in 1945 and 1946 respectively. On the coaching staff of those 1944–1946 Army teams was future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi.[33][37]
The 1950s saw the rise of yet more dynasties and power programs. Oklahoma, under coach Bud Wilkinson, won three national titles (1950, 1955, 1956) and all ten Big Eight Conference championships in the decade while building a record 47 game winning streak. Woody Hayes led Ohio State to two national titles, in 1954 and 1957, and dominated the Big Ten conference, winning three Big Ten titles—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. Paul Hornung, Notre Dame quarterback, did however win the Heisman in 1956, becoming the only player from a losing team ever to do so
Modern college football (1958–present)
Following the enormous television success of the National Football League's 1958 championship game, 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.
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 Sherman Anti-Trust Act; the Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and schools are now free to negotiate their own television deals. ABC Sports began broadcasting a national Game of the Week in 1966, bringing key matchups and rivalries to a national audience for the first time.[43]
New formations and play sets continued to be developed. Emory Bellard, an assistant coach under Darrell Royal at the University of Texas, developed a three-back option style offense known as the wishbone. 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 Bear Bryant at Alabama, Chuck Fairbanks at Oklahoma and Pepper Rodgers at UCLA; who all adapted and developed it to their own tastes.[44] The strategic opposite of the wishbone is the spread offense, 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.
New formations and play sets continued to be developed. Emory Bellard, an assistant coach under Darrell Royal at the University of Texas, developed a three-back option style offense known as the wishbone. 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 Bear Bryant at Alabama, Chuck Fairbanks at Oklahoma and Pepper Rodgers at UCLA; who all adapted and developed it to their own tastes.[44] The strategic opposite of the wishbone is the spread offense, 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.
Growth of bowl games
In 1940, 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. The number grew to eleven in 1976. At the birth of cable television and cable sports networks like ESPN, 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 twenty years from 1960 to 1980, seven bowl games were added to the schedule. From 1980 to 2006, an additional 17 bowl games were added to the schedule.[46][47] 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.[48]
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 tie-in), match-ups that guaranteed a consensus national champion became increasingly rare. In 1992, seven conferences and independent Notre Dame formed the Bowl Coalition, which attempted to arrange an annual #1 versus #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 Bowl Alliance, which reduced the number of bowl games to host a national champion to three—the Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange Bowls—and the participating conferences to five—the ACC, SEC, Southwest, Big Eight, and Big East. It was agreed that the #1 and #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 Big Ten, Pac-10, or the Rose Bowl, and thus still lacked the legitimacy of a true national championship
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 tie-in), match-ups that guaranteed a consensus national champion became increasingly rare. In 1992, seven conferences and independent Notre Dame formed the Bowl Coalition, which attempted to arrange an annual #1 versus #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 Bowl Alliance, which reduced the number of bowl games to host a national champion to three—the Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange Bowls—and the participating conferences to five—the ACC, SEC, Southwest, Big Eight, and Big East. It was agreed that the #1 and #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 Big Ten, Pac-10, or the Rose Bowl, and thus still lacked the legitimacy of a true national championship
Bowl Championship Series
In 1998, a new system was put into place, 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 #1 and #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.[49]
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 Division I conferences, though only one selection—Utah in 2005—came from a non-BCS affiliated conference. Starting with the 2006 season, a fifth game—simply called the BCS National Championship Game—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 (Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference and the Western Athletic Conference), provided that said champion ranked in the top twelve in the final BCS rankings
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 Division I conferences, though only one selection—Utah in 2005—came from a non-BCS affiliated conference. Starting with the 2006 season, a fifth game—simply called the BCS National Championship Game—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 (Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference and the Western Athletic Conference), provided that said champion ranked in the top twelve in the final BCS rankings
Professional football
In the early twentieth century, football began to catch on among 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 Pittsburgh area club, the Allegheny Athletic Association, surreptitiously hired former Yale All-American guard William "Pudge" Heffelfinger. On November 12, 1892, Heffelfinger became the first known professional football player. He was paid $500 to play in a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. 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.[50][51][3][4]
On September 3, 1895 the first wholly professional game was played, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club. Latrobe won the contest 12–0.[3][4] In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association paid all of its players for the whole season, becoming the first fully professional football team. In 1899, the Morgan Athletic Club, on the South side of Chicago, was founded. This team later became the Chicago Cardinals, and now is known as the Arizona Cardinals, making them the oldest continuously operating professional football team.[4]
The first known professional football league, known as the National Football League (not the same as the modern league) began play in 1902 with teams from the Mid Atlantic region. Several baseball clubs formed football teams to play in the league, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies. A five-team tournament, known as the World Series of Football was organized by the league. The league and the World Series only lasted two seasonsThe game moved west into Ohio which became the center of professional football during the early decades of the twentieth century. Small towns such as Massillon, Akron, Portsmouth, and Canton all supported professional teams. In 1915, the Canton Bulldogs signed former Olympian and Carlisle Indian School standout Jim Thorpe 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
On September 3, 1895 the first wholly professional game was played, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club. Latrobe won the contest 12–0.[3][4] In 1897, the Latrobe Athletic Association paid all of its players for the whole season, becoming the first fully professional football team. In 1899, the Morgan Athletic Club, on the South side of Chicago, was founded. This team later became the Chicago Cardinals, and now is known as the Arizona Cardinals, making them the oldest continuously operating professional football team.[4]
The first known professional football league, known as the National Football League (not the same as the modern league) began play in 1902 with teams from the Mid Atlantic region. Several baseball clubs formed football teams to play in the league, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies. A five-team tournament, known as the World Series of Football was organized by the league. The league and the World Series only lasted two seasonsThe game moved west into Ohio which became the center of professional football during the early decades of the twentieth century. Small towns such as Massillon, Akron, Portsmouth, and Canton all supported professional teams. In 1915, the Canton Bulldogs signed former Olympian and Carlisle Indian School standout Jim Thorpe 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
History of American football
History of American football
The history of American football, the most popular spectator sport in the United States,[1] can be traced to early versions of rugby football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, in which a ball is kicked at a goal and/or run over a line.
American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.[2][3][4] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn "Pop" Warner helped take advantage of the newly introduced forward pass. The popularity of collegiate football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport for the first half of the twentieth century. Bowl games, a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for collegiate teams. Bolstered by fierce rivalries, college football still holds widespread appeal in the US.
The origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with William "Pudge" Heffelfinger's $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern, industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football's increasing popularity is usually traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the "Greatest Game Ever Played". A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a merger between the two leagues and the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis
American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby football, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, considered the "Father of American Football". Among these important changes were the introduction of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.[2][3][4] In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gameplay developments by college coaches such as Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn "Pop" Warner helped take advantage of the newly introduced forward pass. The popularity of collegiate football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport for the first half of the twentieth century. Bowl games, a college football tradition, attracted a national audience for collegiate teams. Bolstered by fierce rivalries, college football still holds widespread appeal in the US.
The origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with William "Pudge" Heffelfinger's $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. This league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) two years later, and eventually became the major league of American football. Primarily a sport of Midwestern, industrial towns in the United States, professional football eventually became a national phenomenon. Football's increasing popularity is usually traced to the 1958 NFL Championship Game, a contest that has been dubbed the "Greatest Game Ever Played". A rival league to the NFL, the American Football League (AFL), began play in 1960; the pressure it put on the senior league led to a merger between the two leagues and the creation of the Super Bowl, which has become the most watched television event in the United States on an annual basis
Early years
First games
Although there are mentions of Native Americans playing ball games, modern American football has its origins in traditional ball games played at villages and schools in Europe for many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. There are reports of early settlers at Jamestown, Virginia playing games with inflated balls in the early 17th century.
As is the case with many sports, football-like games were popularized in the USA by students at and/or from elite schools and universities. These appear to have had much in common with the traditional "mob football" played in England, especially on Shrove Tuesday. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. Dartmouth played its own version called "Old division football", 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.[5][6] The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale, under pressure from the city of New Haven, banned the play of all forms of football in 1860, while Harvard followed suit in 1861.[5]
"Boston game"
Although there are mentions of Native Americans playing ball games, modern American football has its origins in traditional ball games played at villages and schools in Europe for many centuries before America was settled by Europeans. There are reports of early settlers at Jamestown, Virginia playing games with inflated balls in the early 17th century.
As is the case with many sports, football-like games were popularized in the USA by students at and/or from elite schools and universities. These appear to have had much in common with the traditional "mob football" played in England, especially on Shrove Tuesday. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. Dartmouth played its own version called "Old division football", 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.[5][6] The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale, under pressure from the city of New Haven, banned the play of all forms of football in 1860, while Harvard followed suit in 1861.[5]
"Boston game"
While the game was being banned in colleges, it was growing in popularity in various New England prep schools. In 1855, manufactured inflatable balls were introduced. These were much more regular in shape than the handmade balls of earlier times, making kicking and carrying easier. Two general types of football had evolved by this time: "kicking" games and "running" (or "carrying") games. A hybrid of the two, known as the "Boston game", was played by a group known as the Oneida Football Club. The club, considered by some historians as the first formal football club in the United States, was formed in 1862 by schoolboys who played the "Boston game" on Boston Common. They played mostly among themselves, though they organized a team of non-members to play a game in November 1863, which the Oneidas won easily. The game caught the attention of the press, and the "Boston game" continued to spread throughout the 1860s.[5][7]
The game began to return to college campuses by the late 1860s. Yale, Princeton, Rutgers, and Brown all began playing "kicking" game during this time. In 1867, Princeton used rules based on those of the English Football Association.[5] A "running game", resembling rugby, was taken up by the Montreal Football Club in Canada in 1868.[3]
Rutgers v. Princeton (1869)
On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University in a game that is often regarded as the first game of intercollegiate football.[3][4][5][8] The game was played at a Rutgers field under Rutgers rules. 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. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers crossed the line first and went on to win by a score of six to four. A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a "free kick" to any player that caught the ball on the fly). Princeton won that game by a score of eight to zero. Columbia joined the series in 1870, and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and Stevens Institute of Technology.[5]
Rules standardization (1873–1880)
On October 19, 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. Prior to 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 soccer than on rugby, was drawn up for intercollegiate football games.[5]
Harvard, which played the "Boston game", a version of football that allowed carrying, refused to attend this rules conference and continued to play under its own code. Harvard's voluntary absence from the meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, so it agreed to play McGill University, from Montréal, in a two-game series. The McGill team traveled to Cambridge to meet Harvard in a game played under "Boston" rules, followed by a game of rugby. On May 14, 1874, the "Boston"-style game, was won easily by Harvard. The next day, the two teams played rugby to a scoreless tie, quite a feat considering that the Harvard team was unfamiliar with the game Harvard quickly took a liking to the rugby game, and its use of the touchdown which, until that time, was not used in American football. In late 1874, the Harvard team traveled to Montréal to play McGill in rugby, and won by three touchdowns. A year later, on June 4, 1875, Harvard faced Tufts University in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest.[9] The first edition of The Game—the annual contest between Harvard and Yale—was played on November 13, 1875, under a modified set of rugby rules known as "The Concessionary Rules". Yale lost 4 to 0, but found that it too preferred the rugby style game. Spectators from Princeton carried the game back home, where it also became popular.[5]
On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts 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 Rugby Union Code from England, though one important difference was the replacement of a kicked goal with a touchdown as the primary means of scoring. 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, due to an early disagreement about the number of players per team
Walter Camp: Father of American football
Walter Camp is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football.[2][3][4] As a youth, he excelled in sports like track, baseball, and soccer, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered.[2]
Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. 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 line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback, 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.[2]
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 down. 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 or soccer into the distinct sport of American football.[2]
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 kicks after touchdowns, two points for safeties, and five for field goals. In 1887, gametime was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire—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.[2]
After leaving Yale 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 All-American team every year from 1898 through 1924. The Walter Camp Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor.[10]
Expansion (1880–1904)
Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. 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 line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback, 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.[2]
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 down. 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 or soccer into the distinct sport of American football.[2]
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 kicks after touchdowns, two points for safeties, and five for field goals. In 1887, gametime was set at two halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire—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.[2]
After leaving Yale 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 All-American team every year from 1898 through 1924. The Walter Camp Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor.[10]
Expansion (1880–1904)
College football expanded greatly during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. In 1880, only eight universities fielded intercollegiate teams,[11] but by 1900, the number had expanded to 43.[12] Several major rivalries date from this time period, including Army-Navy (1890), Minnesota-Wisconsin (1890), the Border Showdown between Kansas-Missouri (1891), California-Stanford's Big Game (football) (1892), the Iron Bowl between Alabama-Auburn (1893), Michigan-Ohio State (1897). In 1879, the University of Michigan became the first team west of Pennsylvania to establish a college football team. Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Minnesota. The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten Conference, was founded in 1895.[13]
Led by legendary coach Fielding 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 post-season game, the Rose Bowl. During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40.[14] Another legendary coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago, spent most of his career in the Western Conference. He coached first at the Springfield International YMCA Training School, then Chicago, and later at the University of the Pacific for a record total of 57 years. As of 2007, he still ranked seventh on the list of winningest football coaches of all time, with 314 wins
Led by legendary coach Fielding 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 post-season game, the Rose Bowl. During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40.[14] Another legendary coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago, spent most of his career in the Western Conference. He coached first at the Springfield International YMCA Training School, then Chicago, and later at the University of the Pacific for a record total of 57 years. As of 2007, he still ranked seventh on the list of winningest football coaches of all time, with 314 wins
Violence and controversy (1905)
From its earliest days as a mob game, football was a violent sport.[5] 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 1894–1898 for similar reasons.[16] One of the major problems was the popularity of mass-formations like the flying wedge, 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.[17]
The situation came to a head in 1905 when there were 19 fatalities nationwide. President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to shut the game down if drastic changes were not made. One rule change introduced in 1905, devised to open up the game and reduce injury, was the introduction of the legal forward pass. Though it was underutilized for years, this proved to be the last—and one of the most important—rule changes in the establishment of the modern game.[18] 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 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was formed.
The situation came to a head in 1905 when there were 19 fatalities nationwide. President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to shut the game down if drastic changes were not made. One rule change introduced in 1905, devised to open up the game and reduce injury, was the introduction of the legal forward pass. Though it was underutilized for years, this proved to be the last—and one of the most important—rule changes in the establishment of the modern game.[18] 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 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was formed.
Modernization and innovation (1906–1930)
After the 1905–1906 reforms, which made mass formation plays illegal and forward passes legal, several coaches emerged who took advantage of these sweeping changes. Amos Alonzo Stagg introduced such innovations as the huddle, the tackling dummy, and the pre-snap shift.[20] Other coaches, such as Pop Warner and Knute Rockne, introduced new strategies that still remain part of the game.
Besides these coaching innovations, several rules changes during the first third of the twentieth 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.[21] Scoring rules also changed during this time: field goals were lowered to three points in 1909[4] and touchdowns raised to six points in 1912.[22]
Star players that emerged in the early twentieth century include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and Bronko Nagurski; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and helped turn it into a successful league. Sportswriter Grantland Rice helped popularize the sport with his poetic descriptions of games and colorful nicknames for the game's biggest players, including Grange, whom he dubbed "The Galloping Ghost," Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" backfield, and Fordham University's linemen, known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite".[23]
Pop Warner
Besides these coaching innovations, several rules changes during the first third of the twentieth 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.[21] Scoring rules also changed during this time: field goals were lowered to three points in 1909[4] and touchdowns raised to six points in 1912.[22]
Star players that emerged in the early twentieth century include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, and Bronko Nagurski; these three made the transition to the fledgling NFL and helped turn it into a successful league. Sportswriter Grantland Rice helped popularize the sport with his poetic descriptions of games and colorful nicknames for the game's biggest players, including Grange, whom he dubbed "The Galloping Ghost," Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" backfield, and Fordham University's linemen, known as the "Seven Blocks of Granite".[23]
Pop Warner
Glenn "Pop" Warner coached at several schools throughout his career, including the University of Georgia, Cornell University, University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, and the Temple University.[24] One of his most famous stints was at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where he coached Jim Thorpe, who went on to become the first president of the National Football League, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and is widely considered one of the best overall athletes in history.[25][26] Warner wrote one of the first important books of football strategy, Football for Coaches and Players, published in 1927.[27] Though the shift was invented by Stagg, Warner's single wing and double wing formations greatly improved upon it; for almost 40 years, these were among the most important formations in football. As part of his single and double wing formations, Warner was one of the first coaches to effectively utilize the forward pass. Among his other innovations are modern blocking schemes, the three-point stance, and the reverse play
Attempts to ban football games
Attempts to ban football games
Numerous attempts have been made throughout history to ban various kinds of football games, particularly the most rowdy and disruptive forms. These attempts were most common in Medieval and early modern Europe, especially in England, where a multitude of forms of folk or mob football were popular, among and between villages and urban districts.
Between 1314 and 1667, football was officially banned in England alone by more than 30 royal and local laws. King Edward II was so troubled by the unruliness of football in London that on April 13, 1314 he issued a proclamation banning it:
Forasmuch as there is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls (grosses pelotes de pee} from which many evils may arise which God forbid; we command and forbid, on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city in the future.
The reasons for the ban by Edward III, on June 12, 1349, were explicit: football and other recreations distracted the populace from practicing archery, which was necessary for war, and after the great loss of life that had occurred during the Black Death, England needed as many archers as possible.
Football featured in similar attempts by monarchs to ban recreational sport across Europe. In France it was banned by Phillippe V in 1319, and again by Charles V in 1369. In England, the outlawing of sport was attempted by Richard II in 1389 and Henry IV in 1401. In Scotland, football was banned by James I in 1424 and by James II in 1457. Despite evidence that Henry VIII of England played the game — in 1526, he ordered the first known pair of football boots — in 1540 Henry also attempted a ban. All of these attempts failed to curb the people's desire to play the game.
By 1608, the local authorities in Manchester were complaining that:
With the ffotebale...[there] hath beene greate disorder in our towne of Manchester we are told, and glasse windowes broken yearlye and spoyled by a companie of lewd and disordered persons using that unlawful exercise of playing with the ffotebale in ye streets of the said towne, breaking many men's windows and glasse at their pleasure and other great inormyties.[1]
That same year, the modern spelling of the word "football" is first recorded, when it was used disapprovingly by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's play King Lear (which was first published in 1608) contains the line: "Nor tripped neither, you base football player" (Act I Scene 4). Shakespeare also mentions the game in A Comedy of Errors (Act II Scene 1):
Am I so round with you as you with me,
That like a football you do spurn me thus?
You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither:
If I last in this service, you must case me in leather.
("Spurn" literally means to kick away, thus implying that the game involved kicking a ball between players.)
In the period following the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell had some success in suppressing football games, although they became even more popular following the Restoration, in 1660. Charles II of England gave the game royal approval in 1681 when he attended a fixture between the Royal Household and the Duke of Albemarle's servants.
During the 18th century, football was used as a political weapon by the lower classes. In 1740, "a match of futtball was cried at Kettering, of 500 men a side, but the design was to Pull Down Lady Betey Jesmaine's Mill's." And when a landowner enclosed the communal lands of peasants, they could retaliate by playing football on the enclosed lands. In 1764, 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of land was enclosed at West Haddon, Northamptonshire. A game of football was called and after the kick off the mob set about tearing down and burning the fences amounting to £1,500 worth of damage. Dragoons drafted to halt the match were helpless.
Even in England's early modern era, efforts were made to ban football at a local level, and force it off the streets. In 1827, the annual Alnwick Shrove Tuesday game proceeded only after the Duke of Northumberland provided a field for the game to be played on. (The Duke also presented the ball before the match — a ritual that continues to this day.) In 1835, the British Highways Act banned the playing of football on public highways, with a maximum penalty of forty shillings. The very popular English women's football matches began in 1895 and were banned from FA grounds in 1921, stifling the game there for the following 40 years.
The Game (Harvard-Yale)
The Game (Harvard-Yale)
The Game (always capitalized) is a title given to several U.S. college football rivalry games, but most particularly the annual contest between Harvard and Yale. As of 2007, the Harvard Crimson and Yale Bulldogs have met 124 times beginning in 1875 – at a time when American football was evolving out of rugby. The Harvard-Yale game is played in November at the end of the football season, and the venue alternates between Harvard Stadium and the Yale Bowl. As of 2007, Yale leads the series 65-51-8. (For a list of games and results, see List of Harvard-Yale football games.)
The Game is the oldest and third-most-played college football rivalry, after The Rivalry between Lehigh-Lafayette and the Princeton-Yale game. In 2003, the rivalry was rated the sixth-best in college athletics by Sports Illustrated On Campus, after Army-Navy, Alabama-Auburn, Duke-North Carolina, UCLA-USC, and Cal-Stanford.
The Game is the oldest and third-most-played college football rivalry, after The Rivalry between Lehigh-Lafayette and the Princeton-Yale game. In 2003, the rivalry was rated the sixth-best in college athletics by Sports Illustrated On Campus, after Army-Navy, Alabama-Auburn, Duke-North Carolina, UCLA-USC, and Cal-Stanford.
History
The first meeting of the teams occurred on November 13, 1875 at Hamilton Field in New Haven; Harvard won 4-0 by scoring four touchdowns and four field goals (at the time, a touchdown merely gave the scoring team the opportunity to gain one point by converting the field goal). This was the first intercollegiate football match between two U.S. teams (Harvard had played McGill University of Montreal the previous year, and acquired the rules of the game from that team; previous intercollegiate matches were played under the rules of soccer.) The rules that governed the early years of The Game were a modified version of the rules of rugby and made the game particularly brutal. In the second half of The Game of 1892, Harvard introduced the flying wedge formation, devised by chess master Lorin F. Deland, which so devastated Yale players that it was outlawed the following season (nevertheless, Yale won 6-0). After The Game of 1894, about which newspapers reported seven players carried off the field "in dying condition," the two schools broke off all official contact including athletic competition for two years. Since resuming in 1897, The Game has been played annually except during the First and Second World Wars. The first known reference to "The Game" occurs in an 1898 letter by former Harvard captain A. F. Holden (class of 1888) to Harvard coach Cam Forbes on the occasion of The Game being permanently moved to the end of the season ("it also makes the Yale-Harvard game the game of the season"). But capitalized reference to The Game appears to have been first made by columnist Red Smith in the late 1940s, and it first appeared on the cover of The Game program in 1960.
Yale ended its five-game losing streak against Harvard in 2006, winning 34-13 in the largest Eli victory of the last decade. Harvard's winning streak was third longest in the history of the series, after Yale's 1902-1907 six-game winning streak and Yale's 1880-1889 eight-game winning streak. Harvard's offense was held to 13 points, the lowest of its season, and Harvard's running back Clifton Dawson gained only 60 rushing yards. Yale tied with Princeton University for the 2006 Ivy League title.
In 2007, in a match-up of teams undefeated in the Ivy League, Harvard outplayed Yale to a 37-6 victory.
Significance
Yale ended its five-game losing streak against Harvard in 2006, winning 34-13 in the largest Eli victory of the last decade. Harvard's winning streak was third longest in the history of the series, after Yale's 1902-1907 six-game winning streak and Yale's 1880-1889 eight-game winning streak. Harvard's offense was held to 13 points, the lowest of its season, and Harvard's running back Clifton Dawson gained only 60 rushing yards. Yale tied with Princeton University for the 2006 Ivy League title.
In 2007, in a match-up of teams undefeated in the Ivy League, Harvard outplayed Yale to a 37-6 victory.
Significance
For many students and alumni of Harvard and Yale, The Game is an important event. The schools are located only a few hours' travel from one another; and, perhaps because they are among the nation's most prestigious (as well as being two of the three oldest), the rivalry is intense. Beating the rival is often considered more important than the team's season record. Furthermore, since Ivy League schools rarely participate in post-season football games, The Game is usually the final game of the season (except for 1919, when Harvard beat Yale 3-0 and went on to the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Oregon 7-6); since most Ivy League football players do not go on to professional careers in the sport (the league does not offer athletic scholarships), it is almost always the graduating seniors' final organized game.
The Game is significant for historical reasons as one of the first football games played between U.S. colleges. The rules of The Game soon were adopted by other schools, such as Rutgers and Princeton, which had been playing soccer (i.e. Association Football) since 1869, making football the archetypal college sport. The schools that would become the Ivy League played a large part in the development of American football in the late 19th century; football's rules, conventions, and equipment, as well as elements of "atmosphere" such as the mascot and fight song, include many elements pioneered or nurtured at Harvard and Yale. For many years, The Game was also likely to determine the Ivy League championship, although recently it has been rare to find both schools enjoying a strong season simultaneously. The Game receives relatively little national attention today; most college football fans are more interested in games between larger institutions whose teams are made up of scholarship athletes, many of them bound for professional careers. The huge seating capacities of Harvard Stadium and the Yale Bowl, however, testify to the vast crowds that The Game still attracts although attendance at other games is much lower. Tickets for The Game generally sell out even in modern times when The Game is played at Harvard, as Harvard Stadium's seating capacity is less than half that of the Yale Bowl.
Trivia
In what is usually considered the best Game, in 1968, the Harvard team made a miraculous last-moment comeback, scoring 16 points in the final 42 seconds to tie a highly touted Yale squad. Yale was coming off a 16-game winning streak and its quarterback, Brian Dowling, had not lost a game he had started since the sixth grade. (Dowling was the inspiration for the character BD in Yale graduate Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury.) The tie left both teams 8-0-1 for the season, inspiring the Harvard Crimson to print the headline "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29". [1] One of Harvard's offensive tackles was Tommy Lee Jones, later to find fame in Hollywood.
The Game is an inviting target for pranksters. The most famous exploit was carried out at Harvard Stadium during the second quarter in 1982, when a Harvard score was immediately followed by a huge black weather balloon, previously installed under the 45 yard line by students from MIT as the letters painted on its side proclaimed, slowly inflating until it exploded, spraying talcum powder over the field (Harvard won, 45-7). On November 18, 1990, during the third quarter of The Game, MIT students carried out a less surreptitious assault by firing a rocket which hung an MIT banner over the goal post (Yale won, 34-19). During the pregame show in 1992, the Harvard marching band attempted to "X-out" the Yale Precision Marching Band while the Yale band stood in its traditional Y formation; however, the Yale band caught wind of this plan and, as the Harvard band marched onto the field, shifted its formation into a large H, thus making Harvard X itself out. In 2004, some Yale students impersonated the (non-existent) Harvard pep squad, handed out placards to some 1,800 adult Harvard fans, and alleged that by holding up the placards they would be spelling out "GO HARVARD." Instead, the signs spelled out "WE SUCK"[2]. Harvard won the game 35-3. In 2006, two streakers with MIT painted on their bodies attempted to run around the field during the game. One made it the length of the field before being caught and dragged off the field; the other was tackled by security about ten steps out of the stands.
The Game has also become known for the large, joint Harvard-Yale tailgate parties that run throughout The Game in the fields next to the host stadium every year. The tailgate party was even televised by ESPN in 2004. While most alumni who travel to The Game actually watch it in the stadium, most students and recent alumni treat the tailgate as their primary destination. The tailgate attracts thousands of students and has recently roused the concern of the Boston Police Department, who have cracked down on underage drinking at the student tailgates, as well as moving it further away from the stadium and reducing the space available [3]. This is significant, since, for many students, The Game is the social apex of the year. Considering the cost of getting up to The Game at Harvard, which is no longer subsidized by Yale, some Yale students are considering responding by boycotting Harvard-hosted Games in favor of the season's Yale-Princeton game [4].
The Little Red Flag is a Harvard pennant which, since 1884, has been waved by Harvard's "most loyal fan" after each score by Harvard during The Game. As of 2005, the honorary position is held by William Markus of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who attends every Harvard football game.
Counterfeit tickets for The Game were first discovered in 1891 when it was played in Hampden Park in Springfield, Massachusetts (Yale winning, 10-0).
Apocryphal tales assert that before the 1908 Game, Harvard coach Percy Haughton strangled a bulldog to death in the locker room to motivate his players. Whether this is true or not, Harvard did win 4-0, the culmination of a 9-0-1 season.
Harvard's 1875 victory marked its first national championship. Since then Harvard has also won titles in 1890, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1912, 1913, and 1919, while Yale has won 18 national championships: 1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1909, and 1927.
The Game is an inviting target for pranksters. The most famous exploit was carried out at Harvard Stadium during the second quarter in 1982, when a Harvard score was immediately followed by a huge black weather balloon, previously installed under the 45 yard line by students from MIT as the letters painted on its side proclaimed, slowly inflating until it exploded, spraying talcum powder over the field (Harvard won, 45-7). On November 18, 1990, during the third quarter of The Game, MIT students carried out a less surreptitious assault by firing a rocket which hung an MIT banner over the goal post (Yale won, 34-19). During the pregame show in 1992, the Harvard marching band attempted to "X-out" the Yale Precision Marching Band while the Yale band stood in its traditional Y formation; however, the Yale band caught wind of this plan and, as the Harvard band marched onto the field, shifted its formation into a large H, thus making Harvard X itself out. In 2004, some Yale students impersonated the (non-existent) Harvard pep squad, handed out placards to some 1,800 adult Harvard fans, and alleged that by holding up the placards they would be spelling out "GO HARVARD." Instead, the signs spelled out "WE SUCK"[2]. Harvard won the game 35-3. In 2006, two streakers with MIT painted on their bodies attempted to run around the field during the game. One made it the length of the field before being caught and dragged off the field; the other was tackled by security about ten steps out of the stands.
The Game has also become known for the large, joint Harvard-Yale tailgate parties that run throughout The Game in the fields next to the host stadium every year. The tailgate party was even televised by ESPN in 2004. While most alumni who travel to The Game actually watch it in the stadium, most students and recent alumni treat the tailgate as their primary destination. The tailgate attracts thousands of students and has recently roused the concern of the Boston Police Department, who have cracked down on underage drinking at the student tailgates, as well as moving it further away from the stadium and reducing the space available [3]. This is significant, since, for many students, The Game is the social apex of the year. Considering the cost of getting up to The Game at Harvard, which is no longer subsidized by Yale, some Yale students are considering responding by boycotting Harvard-hosted Games in favor of the season's Yale-Princeton game [4].
The Little Red Flag is a Harvard pennant which, since 1884, has been waved by Harvard's "most loyal fan" after each score by Harvard during The Game. As of 2005, the honorary position is held by William Markus of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who attends every Harvard football game.
Counterfeit tickets for The Game were first discovered in 1891 when it was played in Hampden Park in Springfield, Massachusetts (Yale winning, 10-0).
Apocryphal tales assert that before the 1908 Game, Harvard coach Percy Haughton strangled a bulldog to death in the locker room to motivate his players. Whether this is true or not, Harvard did win 4-0, the culmination of a 9-0-1 season.
Harvard's 1875 victory marked its first national championship. Since then Harvard has also won titles in 1890, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1912, 1913, and 1919, while Yale has won 18 national championships: 1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1909, and 1927.
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