The "Cornell Era" has an account of the history of foot ball.

The game, it is said, may have been played in America long before it appeared in Europe, since the Washoe Indians of Nevada have a species of it, but the ancient Greek "Episkuros," much like the modern game, would seem to have the priority. The Romans also had a game much resembling ours. In England foot ball has been played for hundreds of years and it is said that the first foot ball there was a Danish warrior's head. There is a tradition that the game was played in Derby to celebrate a third century victory over the Romans, and in 1829 the game there is described as played between parishes and as a kind of "cross-country" affair, with more than a thousand players. "Broken shins, broken heads, torn coats, and lost hats are among the minor accidents of this fearful contest." The eyewitness of this game goes on to say, "the crowd is encouraged by respectable persons attached to each party, who take a surprising interest in the result of the day's sport."

The game seems to have had enemies at almost every stage of its progress. Edward Third prohibited it in 1365, simply, however, because it interfered with his archery. Richard Second also stopped it, but later kings found it best not to. Its growing popularity was nevertheless disagreeable to many people and in the seventeenth century Sir Thomas Mildman writes: "In likewise foote ball is too utterly abjected of all noble men, wherein is nothing but beastlie furie and extreme violence, whereof procedeth hurte and consequently rancour and malice." The Puritans were the worst enemies of the game; one Stubbes in his "Anatomie of Abuses in the Realme of England" mentions "foote ball playing and other devilishe pastimes" which were played on Sunday. Among his words on foot ball are these: "For dooth not everyone lye in waight for his adversarie seeking to overthrowe him and picke him on his nose, though it be on hard stones, or ditch or dale, or valley or hill, or whatever place soever it be he careth not, so he has him downe, and he that can serve the most of this fashion he is counted the only felow and who but he?"

At about 1600 foot ball was most prosperous in England. In the first half of this century it was not very flourishing, but was revived in the fifties, and, from the schools, it spread to the universities and towns. The supporters of the kicking game formed the "Foot Ball Association" in 1863 and in 1871 the Rugby game was brought into prominence by the formation of the "Rugby Foot Ball Union." The American Intercollegiate game is derived from the Rugby Union rules of 1875, but differs considerably from the present Rugby game. In 1884 the American Intercollegiate Foot Ball Association was formed, with Yale, Princeton, Wesleyan, University of Pennsylvania and Harvard as members.