When was the first intercollegiate football game

Rutgers and New Jersey later known as Princeton faced off in what is considered to be the first American football game ever played on Nov. The game took place in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with an audience of about on hand, according to Rutgers.

Aside from kicking, players were allowed to bat the ball with their hands, feet, heads and sides. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.

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The two games played were played under much different rules than what is currently understood as the game of football, and also, played under different rules from each other. However, what developed into a more rugby -style play and eventually into the football known by current fans had its beginnings in In what is regarded as the very first game ever played of intercollegiate football , a contest was held between teams from Rutgers College now Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey now Princeton University.

Nonetheless it was the forerunner of what evolved into American football. A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton rules. One of the biggest differences in rules was the awarding of a "free kick " to any player that caught the ball on the fly. This rule seriously affected the speed advantage of Rutgers that had allowed them to win the first contest.

The Rutgers team captain, William J. Leggett, became a clergyman with a long and distinguished career with the Dutch Reformed Church. To escape the jeering fans, the New Jersey players had to run to their carriages and wagons and race back to their own campus, about twenty miles away.

The New Jersey Tigers wanted a chance for redemption, however, and the two teams met to play again the following week. This time, New Jersey won. By Karen Harris. Share On Facebook. Karen Harris Writer Karen left the world of academic, quitting her job as a college professor to write full-time.