What year did football start?

Answer 1

Football in more traditional times known as FOOSBALL or Kickball later becoming adapted to using hands instead of feet which also spawned off a side sport known as soccer today. The first recorded time of this sport was dated back in 1866 by an Englishman named Thomas Hoover. Later the more traditional movement of this sport of what it is known today as FOOTBALL adhanced and changed to current sporting ways and rules in the year 1893.

Answer 2

American football evolved slowly from games in the early 1800s loosely based upon European football rules (particularly Rugby) to the modern "gridiron" game.

Some say the first game of intercollegiate football was played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. But this game, where throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed, much more closely resembled a soccer match than modern American football.

The modern rules developed under the influence of Walter Camp, an athlete at Yale. In 1880, his proposals resulted in 11-man squads, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap of the ball to start play. In 1881, the field size was reduced to modern dimensions. In 1882, the down-and-distance rule was added (at the time, requiring 5 yards in 3 downs). These rules made the game distinctly different from soccer or rugby and similar to the modern game.

The forward pass was added in 1905, and in 1912 the modern scoring system of 6-point TDs and 3-point FGs was standardized. Beginning in 1918, eligible receivers were allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field. From that point on, except for more subtle rule changes and vastly different offensive strategies, the game was essentially the same as it is today.

Update: Having just noticed that you added your question to the "Thanksgiving" category... Professional football has traditionally been played on Thanksgiving Day ever since the first professional league (also called the "NFL") was formed in 1902. A few colleges have traditionally scheduled Thanksgiving Day contests since the late 1800's.