FooTRALL AND ITS GREATEST PLAYERS A football on the field awaiting kickoff Shutterstock com ratings Also the Super Bowl which is the NFLs championship game is watched by an international television audience numbering in the tens of millions A big part of what makes gridiron foot ball so popular is the personalities involved Many players and coaches have contrib uted to making the game what it is
INTRODUCTION Modern day Hall of Famers and current mar quee players including Emmitt Smith and Peyton Manning respectively are recognized by football fans around the globe Some names from the early days of foot ball may not be as recognizable but their contributions are certainly well known For instance Walter Camp the coach who is con sidered the Father of American Football was the head of the rules committee that was formed soon after the game came to the United States In addition to introducing the scrimmage and the system of downs Camp was responsible for determining the dimen sions of the playing field and the number of players on the field among other fundamen tals of the game Another coach Glenn Pop Warner has been honored for his accomplishments and innovations during his long career by hav ing a national youth football program named after him Pop Warner Youth Football which operates programs in 42 states emphasizes the development of game skills and aca demic excellence In recognizing Coach Warner while also cultivating the next gen eration of players both on and off the field the program connects football's past with its present and
ORGANIZED FOOTBALL he word football can mean many things depending on where you are in the world In North America it means gridiron football The gridiron game which takes its name from the distinctive line markings on the playing field is a full contact game played primarily in the United States and Canada It is known for violent collisions high emotions and spectacular athleticism Gridiron football pits two teams against each other each trying to move a ball into the other team's goal The game evolved from rugby in the late 1800s and similarities between the two sports remain There are obvious differences in equipment and rules but the most impor tant difference the one that really began to separate the two sports is the forward pass which has been a part of football since 1906 IO
ORGANIZED FooTBALL but remains illegal in rugby The American version of football is played on other conti nents but the game has not established itself as a global sport FooTBALL IN THE UNITED STATES While baseball is traditionally regarded as America s national pastime football has Fans of the New Orleans Saints gather to cheer on their team during the 2007 NFC championship game Football is an immensely popular sport in the United States Chris Graythen Getty Images II
