November 6
The First College Football Game: Rutgers vs. Princeton, November 6, 1869
Summary
Rutgers College and the College of New Jersey, widely known as Princeton, met in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for the first intercollegiate football game. The schools negotiated the rules for the contest, fielding 25 players per side and using a round ball under rules derived from the London Football Association. Players advanced the ball chiefly by kicking rather than by carrying it, making the game far closer to association football than to the modern American sport. Rutgers won by six goals to four.
Why It Matters
The game established organized football competition between American colleges, but it also shows how dramatically the sport later changed. College contests created pressure for common rules; later conventions and reforms added rugby-style play, possession, the line of scrimmage, downs, eleven-player teams, specialized positions, and structured plays. November 6, 1869 is therefore best understood as a starting point in American football's evolution, not the debut of the modern game.
Related Portfolio Site
OpenPlay Football: The first intercollegiate game shows how American football evolved from association-style rules into a sport built around downs, formations, positions, and structured plays.
Explore More
Related Events
Sources
- The Birthplace of College Football, Rutgers University. Accessed 2026-08-09.
- 1876, Pro Football Hall of Fame. Accessed 2026-08-09.