Walter Camp: The True Founder of American Football (Part 2) :
Walter Camp contributed many football adaptations that now make the game what it is today. He reduced the team size from fifteen to eleven. The line of scrimmage was created. A team was set to have undisputed possession until their own violations force them to hand over the ball. Two new positions were formed: quarterback and center. The forward pass was also invented by Walter Camp. A standard scoring system and numerical scoring were defined. Other notable changes included safeties, interferences, and penalties. In 1888, above knee tackling was allowed. Then in 1912, touchdown and field goal points were changed to six and three points. All are very important changes that molded American Football into its modern creation.
The National Football League did not actually form until 1920. During this time, many teams dropped out of the league and did not play their set schedules. A total of four teams played the entire season. One year later twenty-one teams had joined the NFL. Membership continued to grow and the first playoff game was officially held in 1932. The NFL Players association and additional developments in the fifties helped stabilize the leagues presence over the next many years. Without the rule changes of Walter Camp, many of these advancements may have never occurred. Thus we pay tribute to his dedication to this exciting game that we have all grown accustomed to. Leo Wells has many invigorating discussions about this great American sport that can be viewed at Leo-wells-on-sports.com.
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