The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-02-02
EARLY FOOTBALL.
1t Was Crude Spert as Originally
Played In This Country.
THE FIRST GAME AT HARVARD.

All the Members Of the Two Lower
Glasses Were In 1t, and Il Was More
of Free Fight Than Bali Match.
Death and Resurrection Of the Game.
Football was played in American col
ieges as early as 1900. The teams
were made up from all the students
who happened to be On hand. The OBJ
iect Of each side was to drive the ball
across given line. The players could
not carry the ball IN theis: hands, but
had to kick it
In the year 1915 the :irse football
game at Harvard was played on the
Delta. small, triangular piece OF
ground The contest was between all
the members Of the two lower classes
ana p-oyed not so much football!
game IS q fight When. in 1850. the
faculty forbade that sort Of contest
the students held solemn burial serv-
Ice over the football Over the grave
they erected tablet that bore the
following inscription:
He facet
Football Fightum
Obiit July 2 1851
Act. Tx Years
ResurSat
And In twelve years football IRE
sureed," when, in 1872, the class Of
"a played the class Of rs on Boston
common.
Oddly enough. the history OF the
game at Yale was much the same as
It was st Harvard. The sport, which
had been abolished there In 1850, came
to life again in 1872. when the Yale
Football association was founded and
game was played with Columbia
In 1869 Princeton and Rutgers play
ed the first intercollegiate game Ii
America. It was not until 1872 that
Oxford and Cambridge. in England. ar
ranged contest
In the game played at Harvard be-
fore 1874 there were no goal posts To
make goal one side had to strike or
kick the ball on the fly over the end
line of the field. II the opposing side
caught 1t 80 goal resulted. a "lurker
or ofside player could not kick the ball
A player could not run with 1t unless
he was chased by an opponent. but
could strike 1t OF kick it. The bali was
made Of Slack rubber cloth inflated
into sphere.
In the spring OF 1874 the students
at McGIn university in Montreal. Can
ada, came to Cambridge to play Har-
ward university a game Of Rugby foot
bail.
According to the Rugby rules. play
or could run with the ball and any
opponent could tackle him. a goal was
scored when one side Kicked the ball
over the goal posts a score was also
made BIZ a touchdown when a player
carried the bail behind the opponents
goal line and there touched it to the
ground.
The Canadians had forgotten to bring
the oval pigskin football that IS used
In Rugby. and that first game Of Rug
by in America was played with an In
dia rubber football. Perhaps that &C
counted for the fact that the pupils
were able to defeat the teachers
An Harvard took interest In the new
game. Football enthusiasts quickly
realized that the old American game
did not have the possibilities for devei-
opment that Rugby had. During the
spring and fall the Harvard team prac-
ticed diligently and in October went to
Montreal to play return game with
McGil. Posters and window cards ad
rertised the game throughout the city,
and a crowd Of 1000 spectators was
attracted to the field
The McGill players wore red and
black striped jerseys. stockings ana
white knickerbockers. The Harvard
players wore magenta handkerchiefS
and. jerseys and old tweed trousers
Neither team had any protective pad
ding.
The Boston Advertiser Of Oct. 25,
1874, gives the following account OF
the game:
sThe game was called at $50, and at
5 Harvard was declared the winner,
having secured three touchdowns. IN
response to the tiger Of the NcGIls,
the Harvard 'rahs' were delivered with
vim, and every stranger on the field
seemed much astonished st the style
Of the cheer, many being disposed to
think it a joke. The small boys yelled
for another, and q second was given
for the umpire. The Victoria band
then managed to get through Yankee
Doodle quite respectably."-John I.
Wheelwright In Youths Companion.
Don't Get Their Share.