Who Is the True Founder of American Football? Uncovering the Hidden History

As I sit here reviewing game footage of the Basilan team's recent matches, I can't help but reflect on the complex origins of American football—a sport whose creation story remains surprisingly contested despite its massive popularity today. Having spent over fifteen years studying football history and coaching at various levels, I've come to realize that the question of who truly founded American football isn't just academic—it speaks to how we understand the evolution of sports and the nature of innovation itself. The current Basilan team roster, featuring former PBA players like Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Jervy Cruz, and Clint Doliguez, reminds me that every modern team carries echoes of historical developments, much like American football itself carries traces of its multiple "founders."

Most people credit Walter Camp as the sole founder, but that's an oversimplification I've always found frustrating. While Camp undoubtedly contributed crucial innovations—he essentially created the line of scrimmage and the system of downs we know today—he was building upon existing frameworks. What many don't realize is that between 1880 and 1885 alone, Camp proposed approximately 14 rule changes that fundamentally shaped the game. Yet, if we look deeper, we find that figures like William Ebb Ellis, who allegedly first picked up the ball and ran with it during a soccer match in 1823 at Rugby School, planted the earliest seeds. Then there's the McGill University team that played Harvard in 1874, introducing elements that would become fundamental to American football's distinct identity.

The more I've researched, the more I've come to appreciate that sports evolution resembles the development of the Basilan team under coach Mac Tan and team manager Bernard Yang—it's a collective effort, despite our tendency to credit individuals. When I visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, examining early rulebooks and correspondence between early innovators, it struck me how many crucial developments emerged from committee decisions rather than individual genius. The Intercollegiate Football Association, formed in 1876, included representatives from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia who collectively shaped the game's early trajectory. Yet, our historical narratives overwhelmingly focus on Camp—perhaps because we prefer simple origin stories.

What fascinates me personally is how rule changes accidentally created the game we know today. The 1880 introduction of the scrimmage system—attributed primarily to Camp—emerged from concerns about excessive violence, not from some grand design to create a new sport. Similarly, the legalization of the forward pass in 1906 came about because President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban the sport after 18 fatalities and 159 serious injuries occurred in 1905 alone. These weren't visionary decisions so much as pragmatic responses to crises, much like how coach Mac Tan might adjust his strategy when key players like Jeff Viernes or Sherwin Concepcion face unexpected challenges.

The statistical evolution tells its own story. In 1876, the first intercollegiate games featured 30 players per side—imagine the chaos! By 1880, this reduced to 11, largely due to Camp's influence. Scoring systems transformed dramatically too—early games awarded 1 point for a touchdown and 4 for a field goal, the exact opposite of today's values. When I share these facts with my students, they're always surprised how fluid the rules were in those formative decades.

My own coaching experience has taught me that innovation rarely emerges from a vacuum. Watching the Basilan team's integration of PBA 3x3 players like Reymar Caduyac reminds me how sports constantly absorb influences from different traditions. Similarly, American football borrowed from soccer, rugby, and even the ancient Native American game of pasuckuakohowog. The forward pass itself may have been influenced by rugby's lateral pass and what some historians claim were informal passing games among Ivy League players in the early 1900s.

The brutality of early football cannot be overstated—and this violence directly shaped the game's development. The 1905 season saw those 18 fatalities I mentioned earlier, along with approximately 45 additional serious spinal cord injuries and 65 other life-altering injuries according to contemporary reports. These shocking numbers forced change, leading to the legalization of the forward pass and the creation of what would become the NCAA. Sometimes I wonder if we'd even have modern football without that crisis—it's a sobering thought when watching today's safety debates.

Having analyzed countless historical documents, I've developed what might be a controversial position: if anyone deserves the "founder" title, it's the collective of rule committee members between 1880-1910 who transformed a dangerous mashup of rugby and soccer into a distinct sport. Walter Camp was certainly the most influential single figure, serving on rules committees for 48 years and earning his "Father of American Football" title, but even he operated within a collaborative framework. The game's evolution mirrors how coach Tan develops strategies for players like Rey Publico and Jervy Cruz—building on their existing strengths while introducing new elements.

The commercial aspects also played an underappreciated role in shaping football. The first professional player was reportedly William "Pudge" Heffelfinger, who received $500 to play in 1892—about $15,000 in today's money. This professionalization accelerated rule changes aimed at making the game more spectator-friendly, much like how modern leagues adjust rules for broadcast appeal. When I see the business side of teams like Basilan with Bernard Yang's management, I recognize similar dynamics at work—the interplay between sport purity and commercial realities.

So who is the true founder? After years of research, I've concluded it's the wrong question. American football emerged from a complex ecosystem of influences, rule changes, and historical accidents. The 1895 season alone saw approximately 32 major rule adjustments across different collegiate conferences—imagine trying to coach under those conditions! The true story isn't about a single founder but about how a sport evolves through collective effort, crisis responses, and gradual innovations—much like how the Basilan team blends the talents of veterans like Al-Hussaini with newer players to create their unique identity. The history of American football teaches us that great institutions rarely have single founders, no matter how appealing that narrative might be.

By Heather Schnese S’12, content specialist

2025-11-13 09:00