 | |
| First played | 1862 in Boston |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Type | Team sport Outdoor |
| Equipment | Football ball |
| Venue | Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | United States |
| Olympic | No |
| World Championships | No |
| Paralympic | No |
| Obsolete | Yes |
| Part of the American football series on the |
| History of American football |
|---|
| Origins of American football |
| Close relations to other codes |
| Topics |
The Boston game, also known as the Boston rules, was an early code of football developed by the Oneida Football Club,[1] formed in 1862 and considered by some historians as the first formal "football" club in the United States.[2][3][4][5] Rules allowed carrying and kicking and is considered the first step to the codification of rules for association football, rugby football, or American football.[6] After Oneida disbanded, former members established the Harvard University Football Club, which continued to play football under those rules.[2][7]
The rules were also the code used in the first (of two) 1874 games between Harvard and McGill Universities.[1][8][9][2]
Nevertheless, after the series vs McGill, the Harvard players were so enthusiastic about rugby football that they decided to embrace the game, leaving the Boston Game behind.[2][10] The establishment of the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876 would be a further step in the transition from rugby to American football.[7][2]
- ^ a b No Christian End! The Beginnings of Football in America By PFRA Research (Originally Published in The Journey to Camp: The Origins of American Football to 1889 (PFRA Books)
- ^ a b c d e THE BOSTON GAME article by Michael T. Geary at academia.edu
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
allawaywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ An Historical Sketch of the Oneida Football Club of Boston: 1862-1865 by Winthrop S. Scudder - Library of the University of Wisconsin
- ^ Remembering the first high school football games By Bob Holmes on The Boston Globe, November 21, 2012
- ^ The Boston Game: Origins of Football
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
harvbookwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Foot Ball", clipping from The Boston Post, May 16, 1874, p. 3
- ^ Harvard Yearly Results: 1873-1874 at cfbdatawarehouse.com (archived, 2014)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
athlwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).