College football

College football is a gridiron sport played by amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It is a major cultural tradition in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body controls all college football in the U.S., most top schools belong to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In Canada, university competition is governed by U Sports. Other nations like Mexico, Japan, and South Korea also host college leagues. Because there are no official minor leagues for American or Canadian football, college football serves as the second tier of the sport. It sits above high school competition but below professional leagues.

Many players view college football as a path to professional careers. Most players in the National Football League (NFL) played in college first. Every spring, the NFL holds a draft where 224 players receive contracts. The vast majority of these players come from the NCAA. Other professional leagues, such as the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the United Football League (UFL), also draft primarily from colleges. Players not selected in a draft can try to join a team as undrafted free agents. However, the path to the pros is very difficult. Only about 1.6% of NCAA players eventually play in the NFL.

The sport is known for massive crowds and huge venues. Division I programs, which represent the highest level of play, use enormous stadiums. Six of these stadiums have a seating capacity exceeding 100,000 people. To fit more fans, many college stadiums use bench-style seating instead of individual chairs with armrests. Only three U.S. college stadiums consist entirely of chair-back seating: L&N Stadium at the University of Louisville, Center Parc Stadium at Georgia State University, and FAU Stadium at Florida Atlantic University.

The history of the game began with various "football" games in mid-19th century Great Britain. Early American college games were often disorganized and sometimes violent. For example, a Harvard tradition called "Bloody Monday" involved mass ballgames between classes. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School in Britain played a game where players could run with the ball. This rugby style was brought to Canada by British soldiers. The first documented gridiron game in Canada occurred on November 9, 1861, at the University of Toronto.

In the United States, the first collegiate game was played on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton. This early game actually looked more like soccer because it used a round ball. In 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met to create the first intercollegiate rules. These rules were based on association football, which is soccer. However, Harvard did not join because they played a different style called the "Boston game." Eventually, Harvard played McGill University in 1874. Harvard liked the McGill rugby rules, which allowed players to run with the ball.

Walter Camp is known as the "father of American football" because of his massive influence. He was a Yale captain who helped standardize the rules at various conventions. Camp reduced the number of players on each team from 15 to 11. He also established the line of scrimmage and the snap from the center to the quarterback. Originally, the center used his foot to snap the ball, but it later changed to using the hands. In 1882, Camp introduced the rule requiring teams to advance five yards within three downs. This change helped transform the sport from rugby into the distinct game of American football.

Scoring rules have changed many times throughout the history of the sport. In 1883, a touchdown was worth only two points. By the 1912 to 1957 era, a touchdown was worth six points. The game also expanded rapidly across North America in the late 1800s. For instance, the first organized football in Kansas took place in 1890. That same year, the first Army-Navy game was played on November 29. These growing traditions and rule changes helped create the massive sport seen today.