Who Created the Game of Football?

Technically speaking, the game of football has no single creator, having evolved over time out of similar sports such as rugby and soccer. Numerous coaches and players have added to the modern incarnation over the years, as formal rules have been augmented by innovative strategies and tremendous play on the field. One name, however, invariably arises when the creation of the game is mentioned: Walter Camp, an innovative athlete and writer who cemented most of football's fundamental principles.

Camp was born in Connecticut in 1859, the son of Leverett and Ellen camp. He remained a Connecticut man for most of his life, attending Yale and working for the New Haven Clock Company upon graduation until his death in 1925. He became a stellar athlete while at Yale and retained a keen interest in football for most of his life. He wrote over 250 articles on the subject for magazines like "Collier's" and "Harper's Weekly," in addition to serving as an advisor to his alma mater's football team.

Before the 1870s, there were no rules governing intercollegiate football. Every school had its own "house rules" and intercollegiate games were largely played by the rules of the home-field team (providing them with an added advantage). In 1876, representatives from Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia universities met at Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardize a set of uniform rules. They continued to meet for many years thereafter at Massasoit House, and Camp became a regular fixture there.

Camp's major contributions took place at the Massasoit House meetings from 1878 until 1889. He proposed a number of innovative rules intended to make the game more exciting and fun. From those implementations, football became distinct from rugby and soccer, and the collegiate football program had a foundation upon which it could build. Some rules took a little trial and error before being perfected (the concept of downs, for instance), but it was Camp's enthusiasm and insight into the game that made it possible. Football blossomed during this period, attaining a stature and a greatness it could never have imagined before Camp came along.

Among the rules which Camp proposed--and which have since become the backbone of the modern game of football--are the following: the establishment of the scrimmage line, the snap to the quarterback beginning each play, the particulars of the scoring rules, the size of the field, the notion of downs and distance (having to travel a certain distance within a certain number of plays to retain possession of the ball) and the use of referees.

Football never forgot Camp's contributions to the game. In addition to his numerous written work on the sport and his connection to the Yale football team, he had the honor of naming the country's All-American team every year from 1898 until shortly before his death in 1925. To this day, the annual list of college All-Americans is selected by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, named in his honor.