FOOTBALL

INTRODUCTION Football is a physically challenging, and aggressive sport played by two teams of opposing players. Each of the two teams tries to get the ball across the opposing team’s goal by running, passing, and kicking the ball. American-style football is a combination of two older sports: soccer and rugby. It is currently the most popular sport in America, and is gaining interest in Canada, but does not have the appeal to overseas countries like that of soccer or basketball. Football is considered one of, if not the most, physical of all team sports. However, “touch” and “flag” football are variations of the game that do not require tackling and are much less physically demanding.

HISTORY Football first became popular in the U.S. during the 1820s, when it was widely played in colleges & universities. The sport at this time had no uniform rules and regulations, and games often ended up with piles of injured players on the field. In 1880, Walter Camp, now referred to as “the father of American football, made many rules changes in an effort to reduce the physically violent aspect of the sport. Camp is responsible for many rules and regulations that are still used in today’s game. Some of these include: 11 players on the field per team, the “snap,” the quarterback position, and the down system.

HOW TO PLAY: THE BASICS A professional football game is 60 minutes long, broken down into 4 fifteen-minute quarters, with a “half-time” break in between quarters 2 & 3. A coin toss determines which team has the choice of receiving the ball or starting the game with a kick-off. Once the ball has been kicked off, the team with the ball tried to advance down the field in order to score points. When a player carries the ball or catches a forward pass in the end zone, he/she scores 6 points for his/her team. After any touchdown is scored, the scoring team choses between an extra point, or 2-point conversion. Meanwhile, the defenseive team tries to get into a scoring position either by intercepting a pass or by picking up a fumbled ball.

HOW TO PLAY: THE BASICS In order to make a first down, the offensive team has four downs (or plays) to advance the ball at least 10 yards. Every time a first down is earned, that team gets another series of four downs to gain another 10 yards. If 10 yards are not gained by 4 th down, that team has 3 options: punt the ball back to the opposing team, kick a field goal (3 pts), or try once more to reach the first down marker. Penalties are typically broken down into three different distances: 5 (offsides), 10 (holding), and 15 yards (unnecessary roughness).

POSITIONS Offense: QB, RB, WR, TE, OL Defense: DL, LB, CB, S Special Teams: Kick/punt returner, punter, place kicker

THE PLAYING FIELD

EQUIPMENT Today’s players wear a good deal of padding and protection, including helmets, face masks, and pads to cover the hips, shoulders, knees, and forearms. Flak jackets are also used to cover the ribs. Numbers are placed on the front & back of jerseys for identification purposes. QBS and Ks use 1-19, RBs and DBs use 20-49, Cs and LBs use 50-59, OL and DL use 60-79, WRs and TEs use DL and LBs may also use

EQUIPMENT OLD SCHOOL   NEW SCHOOL → →

NFL The National Football Association (NFL) is the most competitive professional league in the world. Founded in 1920, it now includes 32 teams located in major cities throughout the country. The NFL is by far the most popular sport in America. For many people, the NFL has replaced baseball as our “National Pastime.” Monday Night Football on television has become an American institution, and people all across the country gather around their TVs to watch their favorite teams compete. The NFL season culminates with a championship game known as the Super Bowl. This game takes place in a different city every year, and is the most watched sporting event in our country. Last year, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8 in one of the more lopsided Super Bowl games in NFL history.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Despite all the attention that pro football gets, there would be no NFL if there were not colleges to discover, train, and develop young football players. Consequently, colleges all over the country are proving grounds for new players, some of whom dream of a professional career. Season play leads to annual bowl games, which in the past, has served as a playoff system in an effort to determine the best team. This system has caused many controversies in recent years, and has actually led to significant changes for the current season. The 2014 season will be the first to experiment with a 4 team, single elimination tournament. The winner of this tournament will be deemed “NCAA National Champion.”

THE HEISMAN TROPHY The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player every season. It is the most prestigious award in the sport, and recognizes not only on field performance, but integrity off the field as well.

HEISMAN WINNERS Listed below are previous winners from the past 10 years: YEARNAMECOLLEGEPOSITION 2013Jameis WinstonFlorida St.QB 2012Johnny ManzielTexas A&MQB 2011Robert Griffin IIIBaylorQB 2010Cam NewtonAuburnQB 2009Mark IngramAlabamaRB 2008Sam BradfordOklahomaQB 2007Tim TebowFloridaQB 2006Troy SmithOhio St.QB 2005Reggie BushUSCRB 2004Matt LeinartUSCQB

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