1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869 (2024)

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1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869 (1)

Sam Richmond | NCAA.com | November 6, 2023

1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869 (2) The first American football game ever was played Nov. 6, 1869.

Rutgers and New Jersey (later known as Princeton) faced off in what is considered to be the first American football game ever played on Nov. 6, 1869.

The game took place in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with an audience of about 100 on hand, according to Rutgers.

Rutgers won 6-4.

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The game’s rules were far different than they are today. The teams were made up of 25 players and the goal of the game was to kick the ball in the opponent’s goal. Aside from kicking, players were allowed to bat the ball with their hands, feet, heads and sides. Carrying or throwing the ball was not permitted.

Never forget your roots! ✊. This box contains a social sample of the original field where 150 years to date, @PrincetonFTBL and @RFootball played in the first college 🏈 game! Where did this historic game take place? ##CFB150 #ImARealFan #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/8nRHD7gLkF

— College Football Hall of Fame (@cfbhall) November 6, 2019

Also, there were 10 games played within the whole game, hence the 6-4 final score. Each time a team scored a goal, they were awarded a point and a new game began.

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The two teams faced off again in the second and only other game of the 1869 college football season one week later. New Jersey got revenge with an 8-0 victory.

While these games looked nothing like what we see Saturdays these days, they sparked an interest in football and are a huge reason why the sport we know and love today exists.

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1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869 (2024)

FAQs

1st college football game ever was New Jersey vs. Rutgers in 1869? ›

Rutgers

Rutgers
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
https://en.wikipedia.org › Rutgers_Scarlet_Knights_football
and New Jersey (later known as Princeton
Princeton
The Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Ivy League.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Princeton_Tigers_football
) faced off in what is considered to be the first American football game ever played on Nov. 6, 1869. The game took place in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with an audience of about 100 on hand, according to Rutgers. Rutgers won 6-4.

What two universities played the first game of American football in 1869? ›

Rutgers and Princeton played a college soccer football game, the first ever, November 6.

How many players were on the field for each football team in 1869? ›

Details and rules

They were based on the Football Association's rules of the time, in which two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. The teams played 10 "games" against each other.

How many college football teams were there in 1869? ›

While played using improvised rules more closely resembling soccer and rugby than modern gridiron football, it is traditionally considered the inaugural college football season. The 1869 season consisted of only two games, both between Rutgers and (New Jersey) Princeton.

Is Rutgers really the birthplace of college football? ›

Rutgers is famous as the Birthplace of College Football. The first intercollegiate football game is played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869, in a field on College Avenue.

What is the oldest college football team? ›

Rutgers: 150 years (All college football fans know that Rutgers hosted in-state rival Princeton on November 6, 1869, making them “The Birthplace of College Football”. What might not be known is that they were known as the “Queensmen” at that time.

What was the first major college football game? ›

Rutgers University and its neighbor, Princeton, played the first game of intercollegiate football on Nov. 6, 1869, on a plot of ground where the present-day Rutgers gymnasium now stands in New Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers won that first game, 6-4.

Did college football start at Rutgers? ›

Early history (1869–1958)

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University and Princeton University competed in the first ever intercollegiate football game. The site for the contest was a small plot of land on what is now College Avenue on Rutgers' campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Who is the most historic college football team? ›

The college football team with the most wins in history is the University of Michigan. The Wolverines have accumulated 962 wins since their first season in 1879. Yale has won the most championships in college football history with 18. Alabama and Princeton are tied for second with 15 each.

What was Rutgers original name? ›

Rutgers was chartered in 1766 as Queen's College, a private institution affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church. Queen's College was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 after philanthropist Colonel Henry Rutgers, a Revolutionary War hero and son of colonists from the Netherlands.

Is Rutgers the oldest university in America? ›

The history of Rutgers—America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning—is the history of the nation.

Who is Rutgers biggest rival football? ›

Rutgers was founded in 1766 as Queen's College and became Rutgers College in 1825. Rutgers won land-grant status in 1864 under the Morrill Act. Because the two schools are nearly 17 miles apart along U.S. Route 1, the rivalry between Princeton and Rutgers is sometimes known as the "Route 1 Rivalry".

What two schools met in the first football game? ›

The first college football game was played in 1869 between Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). The first college football rules were written Nov. 23, 1876, in Springfield, Mass., by representatives from Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

What were the first two college football teams? ›

Although there is debate over when and where the first college football game occurred, it is generally accepted to have been in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers. In the 1870s the game continued to be played by these two colleges and was also adopted at schools such as Yale, Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Columbia.

Which two teams played in the first professional football game? ›

The date was November 12, 1892, a day that would forever be etched in sports history, although no one involved that day could possibly have recognized the importance of the occasion. It was the day that the Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.

Where was the first NFL game played in history? ›

The very first game of what is now known as the NFL was played right here in Dayton at Triangle Park. Triangle Park was home to the Dayton Triangles, one of the original teams of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) which was to later to become the National Football League (NFL).

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