Crimson Get Modern Form

In Rugby Game With McGill

Modern football, American style, owes its form to Harvard and its frills to Princeton.

When football was first played on this side of the Atlantic, it was actually the soccer we know today. It was played at Harvard and Yale as far back as the 1820's, but only as a means to haze freshmen.

The "freshies" in both schools were forced to play a game with the sophomores. They were supposed to kick the ball. But the sophomores had a habit of missing the ball on their kicks, and booted the "freshies" instead. This angered the "freshies" who started to kick back.

Both schools decided that too many people were getting hurt, and banned the games. Football then disappeared, at least from the records, until November 6, 1869, when Princeton met Rutgers for the first intercollegiate game in the country's history.

The game was played according to soccer rules, and Princeton went down, 6 to 4. Tiger players mapped a strategy for the game. When they lined up for the play, they let out a blood-souring yell that the Confederates had used during the civil war. It was called a "scarer," and probably took more out of Princeton than Rutgers. Princeton players used up so much wind yelling that they hadn't enough left to run on.

So they scheduled a rematch for the following week, and drafted their fellow students to come to the game and do the yelling. It worked, Princeton won 8 to 0, and the cheering section was born.

Football Isn't Football

But football was still soccer until Harvard decided to turn its hand to the game again. In 1874, it organized a team, but couldn't find any opponents. The four schools with teams--Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers, and Yale--had full schedules playing each other and couldn't fit Harvard in.

So it invited the McGill College team down from Montreal. The McGills arrived in Cambridge and proceeded with their practice, while the Harvards looked on in amazement. Not only were the McGills kicking the ball as in soccer, but they were picking it up and running with it whenever they pleased.

The Harvard captain politely asked the McGill captain what the devil they were playing.

"Rugby," answered the McGill man. "That's our game."

"Never heard of it," mumbled the Harvard captain. "Soccer is our game; kicking the ball around and nothing else. Rules bar running."

But the McGills were guests, and the Harvards were gentlemen.