American+History+of+Football

=**American History **=

 Football Home Football developed as a form of rugby, and has been played in the United States stemming as far back as into the 1840s. It is believed that it was introduced partly from Americans who had gone to school in the United Kingdom, where many such varieties of rugby football existed, and were played at the time. Rule changes prompted by Walter Camp, now considered as the "Father of American Football," was a major turning point for what is known as American Football, as these changes greatly differentiated it from its English versions. Important rule changes include the introduction of the line of scrimmage, as well as the down-and-distance rules. Throughout the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the sport developed further and the forward pass was introduced. Its fame grew as it became a collegiate sport, attracting national audiences, and supported by fierce rivalries between schools such as Harvard and Yale.

The first Professional league was introduced in 1903 as the Ohio League, and grew to the larger American Professional Football Association in 1920. The name of the league was changed to its current title, the National Football League (NFL) only two years later in 1922. The 1958 NFL Championship game is marked as the major turning point for the sport, where its popularity greatly escalated. That game is also highly regarded as the "Greatest Game Ever Played." In 1960, a rival league, the American Football League was formed and began to play, which put more pressure on the NFL. The pressure ended with a merger of the two leagues and the creation of the SuperBowl, this being the most watched television event in the United States every year.

Here's a video on some of the NFL's Greatest Moments over the years.

media type="youtube" key="mnr8P_zYA20" height="405" width="500" align="center"