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football

A contact sport played between two teams of 11 players with an inflated, pointed-oval ball. It is played on a field 100 yd/91 m long from goal line to goal line, followed by a 10-yd/9-m end zone at each end. There are goal posts on the far edge of these end zones. The field is 53.3 yd/48.8 m wide. Points are scored by running or passing the ball across the goal line (touchdown), by kicking it over the goal's crossbar after a touchdown (conversion or point after touchdown) or from the field during regular play (field goal), or by tackling an offensive player who has the ball in the end zone or blocking an offensive team's kick so it goes out of bounds from the end zone (safety). A touchdown counts 6 points, a field goal 3, a safety 2, and a conversion 1. College and professional games consist of four 15-min quarters; high-school quarters are 12 min long. Players wear padded uniforms and helmets.

Rules

A game begins with one team kicking off to the other. Kickoffs also take place after each touchdown and field goal and to start the second half of the game. The team that receives the ball becomes the offensive team; the other is the defensive team. Led by its quarterback, the offensive team tries to advance the ball by running with it or by passing it to an eligible teammate. A team must advance the ball at least 10 yd in four attempts (called ‘downs’), thereby achieving a ‘first down’ and earning another four attempts, or surrender the ball to the other team.

Each play begins with the center passing the ball back to a teammate. If a first down has not been achieved after three downs, the offensive team usually kicks (‘punts’) the ball to the other team. The offensive team may lose the ball immediately if the player carrying the ball loses control of it (‘fumbles’) and it is recovered by a defensive player, or if a pass is caught in the air (‘interception’) by a defensive player. Generally, separate groups of players on each team play offense and defense. Offensive players try to protect the person carrying or throwing the ball by blocking defensive players. The defensive players attempt to tackle the player with the ball. A play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out of bounds, when a pass is incomplete, when possession of the ball changes, or when there is a score. The game is supervised by the referee, who usually has several other officials assisting him. Infractions of the rules result in penalties against the team whose player has broken the rule. Penalties result in a loss of yards, loss of a down, or - in rare cases - expulsion of a player from the game.

History

Football developed in the 19th century as a combination of soccer and rugby. The first intercollegiate game was played between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869. Modern football evolved in the 1880s as eastern colleges gradually adopted rules similar to those now in use. In the early 20th century, rules were passed to reduce violence and to allow the forward pass. The popularity of college football, which has continued unabated to the present, led to the formation of professional teams from the 1890s. What is now the National Football League (NFL) was founded in 1920. Although there were other professional leagues, the NFL remained dominant. Explosive growth occurred after World War II as attendance rose and television broadcasts added millions of fans. Another surge of popularity followed the merger of the American Football League (AFL) into the NFL, completed in 1970. There are now 32 teams in the NFL, divided into the American and National conferences. Since 1967, the champions of the two conferences have met in a title game called the Super Bowl.

Baugh, Sammy Camp, Walter Chauncey Gaelic football Gifford, Frank (Francis Newton) Grange, Red (Harold Edward)

Robinson, Eddie Rockne, Knute (Kenneth) Rozelle, 'Pete' Super Bowl