Are You Ready For Some Football?

Do you hear that? In cities and towns and villages across Ohio, folks are dusting off the pigskin and heading out to throw and kick an oddly-shaped ball down a 100-yard expanse – or maybe just as far as space permits – in the hopes of becoming a hero. Yep, football season is upon us!

The first game of football (or, as the rest of the world knows it, American football) was first played by teams from Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. This first game was an amalgam of soccer and rugby; later, in 1880, Walter Camp, known as the Father of Football, changed the rules and structure of play, creating the game that we still recognize today.

Ohio has an intimate tie to football. We have two professional teams, nearly forty college teams, and countless high school and youth recreational league teams, and are the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. On any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday in fall, venues of all sizes are packed with fans of all ages, cheering for their favorite player, from their sports hero to their young child… or, in the case of little league football, their sports hero and their child!

 

On Ohio Memory, football fans can find a wonderful collection of images relating to fall’s favorite sport. The earliest image is an 1890 photograph of the first Ohio State University football team. Other collection items include a scrapbook from the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s dedication in 1963, a picture of Jim Thorpe’s Ooorang Tribe football team, images of individual football teams and stadiums, and several action shots from little league football games played in 1968. Also from 1968 is a set of eleven slides depicting a game from what ESPN called the “greatest North American rivalry”: that of OSU and Michigan. By the way, this game ended in a 50-14 win for OSU. Go, Bucks!

To satisfy your craving for Ohio football, visit Ohio Memory and view some of these fantastic items. It’s time to get ready for some football!!

_______________________________________________________________________________

Thank you to Shannon Kupfer, Digital/Tangible Media Cataloger at the State Library of Ohio, for this week’s post!