The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1939-10-27

Many claims have been advanced
regarding the origin Of football,
some placing It's beginning as far
back % 500 D. O. In ancient Sparta.
Probably, however, the more mod
est claim that the game was 1lrst
played about i0l7 A. D., y more
nearly correct. According TO this
view, English workrnen apparently
originated the idea Of football BY
the rather ghastly process Of kick
ing around the skull Of q slain
member Of the Danish army which
conquered England about that
time.
Assuming that football actually
originated between 1850 and lO1S,
1t Is sttll Q very ancient sport. When
an inflated bladder was substituted
for Q Danish skull, the resultant
lessening IN the number Of bruised
toes. quickly produced immense
popularity for the sport; but with.
out any basic rules Of play it de-
veloped into something Of Q rough.
house, with play frequently going
on through the main streets Of rival
towns.
Authorities were forced to put
stop to this by ordering the players
to confine their activities 10 vacant
fields. This led to the first standard.
ization Of the game, definite boun-
daries being marked OK, and O
point being scored every time the
bali was Kicked over the goal line
Of the opposing team. About that
time, also, the game became known
by the name Of s.futballe."
Thereafter, 'futballe" had Q rapid
and steady growth In England, ex-
cept for Q period Of about 400 years,
during which there was . Royal
ban against 1t because the English
Kings feared that "futbelle" was
causing their subjects 10 neglect
their compulsory archery practice.
This ban was lifted by James ] IN
l603, and soon football was being
played with enthusiasm In cities
and towns all over the island.
Start Of Running Game
The practice Of running with the
ball began about 1890 and traces It's
origin to an accidental performance
Of this kind on the part Of . player
Of Rugby College IN . game about
1e23. The new style Of play gained
great favor through 1851 and 1852,
but those who stil chung to TO the
original game were 20 iIicensed that,
IN 1853, they met IN London and
formed the London Football Asso-
citation, pledging themselves that
they would never play anything but
the original kicking game. The word
Soccer, now applied to the game,
resulted from Q jumbled abbrevia-
ton Of "Associa ton, which was
used TO distinguish 1t from the new
Rugby"
strangely enough, although "6oc.
Ger" has spread al over the world,
Rugby" Is still limited chiefly to
Great Britain.
Although the game, In one form
Or another, had been played OF and
On In various American colleges from
the early 1905. football, Is an In.
ter.collesiate sport In the United
States. did not have It's inception
until November 9, 1850, when Prince
ton accepted q challenge from Rut- |
gers. Playing under english Asso-
citation rules. with - men to Q |
side, and no passing or running with
the bail allowed, Rutgers emerged
the victor IN q hotly.ccntested |
kicking contest, s to 4. There were
no uniforms In those days, but the
Rutgers men wore red turbans, TO |
distinguish them from their OPP
popents. The two teams met again |
. week later and Princeton turned |
the tables, shutting out the boys |
from New Brunswick, 8 to o.
Inter. Collegiate Feetball
Thus began American inter.col-
legiate football. The game con-
tinued a. o strictly kicking game
until 1876, when .the American In
tcr. collegiate Football Association
vas formed, with Harvard, Yale.
Princeton and Columbia as It's FIRST
The association decided
hat Rugby, with certain iranova-
ions, held greater possibilities than
soccer, and rules were drawn up,
Uniting teams TO IS players, putting |
;ross-bars on goal posts, retaining |
crimmage. but permitting running