This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/eastexaslion on 2024-03-29 17:41:15.
Click here to see the introductory post about this series.
Click here to see previous entries in this series.
National Champions
Yale (3-0) National Championship Foundation, Billingsley Report. Parke H. Davis
Bold indicates main national championship selector recognized by NCAA Championship List
- The National League is formed, the oldest active baseball league
- Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray applies for a patent for the telephone
- Colorado is admitted last the 38th state
- Lakota, Dakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes beat the U.S. 7th Calvary Regiment and killed General Custer.
- Texas A&M opens its first classes after being established five years before
- Rutherford B. Hayes is elected as President
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is published
- The University of Colorado, and The University of Oregon (est. as Oregon State University) are established.
- John Brallier (The first known professional football player), and CFB Hall of Famers Frank Cavanaugh, Mike Donahue, Percy Haughton, Clarence Herschberger, Bill Morley, and Eddie Rogers are born
- The Ball: Egg-shaped, rubber covered Rugby ball.
- The field is 140 yds. by 70 yds., uprights 18 1/2’ apart, crossbar 10’ high uprights
- **Goals are scored when a player kicks a ball through the uprights. They can be scored during play or after a touchdown is scored. A goal can also be scored if a team scores four touchdowns.*
- Each team consists of 15 players
- Holding and carrying the ball is finally permitted
- The game’s regulation is separated into two halves, both 45 minutes. If the game is tied at the end of regulation, the next scored point wins the game.
Italics denote rule change from previous season.
\The scoring rules are confusing as well. It says the game is scored by who has the most touchdowns, but then also says that a kicked field goal is worth four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the rules linked state that all scores are worth one goal. We will be going with how) this source describes scoring at this time.
Rule Changes
The rules above are finally codified in the Massasoit Hotel (Now the current site of the Paramount Theater) in Springfield, MA. They are recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame (and many commenters) as the first rules of American Football. It included representatives from Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to establish this new game, and Harvard officially joined the IFA. Here are the full rules agreed upon at the time. And with no exceptions right? Well, we still have one exception, Princeton and Penn played at least one game under the old rules DESPITE agreeing to the IFA rules. As far as I can tell, it is the last time the game is played under these rules.
Oh, let’s talk about scoring. This is weird for everyone. Scoring a field goal is far more important than scoring a field goal. That’s weird, right? A goal had to be scored with a kick through the upright, or if four touchdowns are scored (regardless of the kick after). Well, it wouldn’t be until 1884 or 1887 when a touchdown would finally be scored the SAME as a field goal, and it wouldn’t be until 1904 that the rules finally made a Touchdown more important than a field goal.
The Teams
Of the 12 teams available in the matchup tool, only five qualified and are listed by their seeding in the bracket.
- Yale (3-0); Coach - None
- Harvard (3-1); Coach - None
- Princeton (3-2); Coach - None
- Rutgers (1-0); Coach - None
- Stevens (2-2); Coach - None
Season Breakdown by Zach Bigalke
As mentioned, the season started not with a whistle, a coin toss, or a kick, but with a meeting between the big schools. The game between Yale and Harvard last year was deemed to be much more fun than the previous rules the schools were playing with. In a hotel in Massachusetts, it was agreed upon to take up the rules of the rugby game.
I won’t hit too hard on the actual games that happened, but a few interesting things happened within the season.
Coming into the season, Princeton had the longest win streak in college football so far, with not losing or tying a game since the 1869 Princeton/Rutgers game. However, they would face Yale and lose, ending College Football’s first major winning streak. This was immediately followed up by Princeton facing Harvard and starting their first losing streak of two games or more. The next time Princeton would lose two games in a row would be in 1887, where they would lose once again to Harvard and Yale. Another interesting fact is that Parke H. Davis alleges that this game is where Princeton would debut wearing orange and black uniforms for the first time.
More importantly, there was a newcomer in the game. One that was there at the meetings, and would influence nearly every facet of the game forward, to how points are scored, created the concept of the line of scrimmage, the concept of possession, downs, and yards to go, the concept of a quarterback and a four-man backfield, the snap from center to the quarterback, help create the concept of All-American teams, was credited for reducing the 11-man roster, and even one of the first people to create a slush fund for a school’s athletic program… That man of course is…
Player of Interest - Walter Camp
We don’t need to look at any other player this season. THIS is the one. Walter Camp comes to Yale as a Freshman and attended the meeting in which the rules were codified. When he came up to play Harvard, he was only 156 lbs, and the Crimson’s Captain saw him he said, “You don’t mean to let that child play, do you? He will get hurt.” He played for Yale until 1881 and then came back to coach Yale in 1888-1892. Yale claims five National Championships from when he was a player, and three of them from when he was a coach. If these Bulldog teams were more recent, they would be incredibly legendary for the feats they accomplished. Instead, we rarely hear about them, but will always be credited for creating the game we know today. He will influence many other rules of the game, but at this point in this series, not the players he plays with, the ones he plays against, or even he realizes the mark he will leave on this game we love.
Playoffs
Round 1
No 4. Rutgers @ No. 5 Stevens Rutgers wins 3-1 to face off No.1 Yale.
Final Four
No.3 Princeton at No.2 Harvard. Harvard player William A. Whiting ends up scoring every point against Princeton, by scoring four touchdowns with two kicks. Winning the game 3-1. Harvard moves on to compete for their second consecutive championship game.
No. 4 Princeton at No. 1 Yale. Yale and Rutgers do not have much history, but Rutgers puts up a defensive fight against Yale, with it tied a 1-1. However, Yale ends up scoring another touchdown midway through the second half with the help of Camp, as he moves down the sidelines and eventually up the middle, where they kick the goal. Rutgers has no chance to tie it up. Yale wins 2-1 and will go on to play Harvard!
The Championship Game at South End Grounds I Boston, MA
5,000 spectators come up to see this game in Boston, with the majority of the crowd being paid attendance, and the rest trying to watch over the walls of the grounds. Most of this crowd is favoring Harvard, though about a fifth of the crowd coming from Connecticut to support the Bulldogs. By halftime, Harvard leads the score 1-0. Yale needs to come out strong this half to ensure momentum for the next 45 minutes. Sure enough, the freshman Walter Camp comes clutch as he receives a catch and runs down n…
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