Timothy P. Brown's Blog, page 20

Observations on Canadian Football in 1931

The differences in rules between American and Canadian football are fascinating because the two nations played and still play highly similar games under somewhat different rules, with both sets being arbitrary. As Canadian Rugby evolved toward the American game, they adopted some American rules, while going their own way on others.

Canadian rugby or football first allowed the forward pass in 1929, though only the western provinces approved it. Western football led other forward-passing changes ov...

Pigskin Dispatch Podcast... Thus Spake Archaic Language

Pigskin Dispatch podcaster Darin Hayes and I discuss a recent Tidbit about the archaic writing used by football reporters of old. Hilarity ensues.

Watch or listen to the podcast here and/or read the original Tidbit.

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The First Damn Halftime Marching Band in the Land

A January 13 press release from whoever runs the College Football Playoffs advised the world that "... the marching bands of each participating team will be featured performers on the field during pregame and at halftime." While football fans may think the most exciting action on the field will come as the football teams compete this evening, the competition between the school's marching bands will be equally intense. Ohio State's band, which fancies itself The Best Damn Band In The Land, traces...

Film Room: 1928 Notre Dame-Army "Win One For The Gipper" Game

YouTube provides easy access to old game films that give a sense of what football looked like in the old days. In previous efforts, we reviewed the two oldest known game films.

Since Notre Dame will appear in the National Championship game on Monday, it seemed like this would be a good time to look at moving pictures of the 1928 Notre Dame-Army game, which required a halftime "Win One For The Gipper" speech by Rockne to give the Irish the victory.

Notre Dame entered its 1928 game with Army at 4-2,...

NIL Contracts and Coaches' Buyouts

I am not a lawyer and do not pretend to be one on Substack. Still, I am qualified to offer my opinion on issues facing football today that have historical parallels.

The NIL world seems like the Wild West right now. Players switch schools with little keeping them where they once pledged their loyalty. Whatever anti-tampering rules may be in place appear to have little or no teeth.

That brings us to an interesting situation involving Wisconsin's football program and Xavier Lucas, a freshman cornerb...

Pigskin Dispatch Podcast... Kicking From Dirt Tees

Pigskin Dispatch podcaster Darin Hayes and I discuss a 1923 Wilson publication, The Fundamentals of Football. The focus is on the section covering kicking, back when drop kicking was the norm, and kickoffs were booted from dirt tees.

Watch or listen to the podcast here and/or read the original Tidbit.

If you enjoy Football Archaeology, become a paid subscriber for $5/month or $50/year. You can also support the site via:

Football Archaeology is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts, s...

Stadium Size, Football Droppers, and Deemphasizers: St. Mary's

St. Mary's College originated in San Francisco, moved across the Bay to Oakland in 1889, and shifted further east to Moraga in 1928 following a significant fire on the Oakland campus. The Gaels played a handful of football games in the 1800s, stopped for a time, and restarted in 1915, playing football during the war.

St. Mary's lost 127-0 to Cal in 1920. Looking to enhance their football fortunes, they went the standard Catholic college route of hiring a former Notre Dame player, Edward "Slip" Ma...

Today's Tidbit... Lotz Going On With Southington Football

With the college championship game approaching and the NFL playoffs in full swing, it is easy to focus our attention on football played at the highest levels. Stories about the game's greats, great moments, and cathedral stadiums all bring a particular joy, but I also love stories about teams I had never heard of and did not know I should care about until I did.

While stories of football history cover the pro leagues and major colleges, there are far more football players at the DIII and high sch...

Today's Tidbit... Football Crowds of the Past

After last night’s exciting Penn State-Notre Dame game and heading into tonight’s Texas-Ohio State match, I thought the world could use an easily digestible, image-based Tidbit. So, here it is.

This one focuses not on the players but on the fans in the stands and on the field. Fans matter. They always have and always will. There would be far less pressure and money involved in football were it not for the fans, whether they watch games from the comfort of their homes or attend them.

The salute us...

The First Notre Dame-Penn State Game

Notre Dame's 1913 season is best known for its November 1 game on The Plain at West Point, when quarterback Gus Dorais went airborne, completing 13 of 17 passes for 243 yards to take down Army 35-13. Notre Dame was an emerging regional power then, having never played a game east of Pittsburg, but the $1,000 guarantee from Army made the trip to the Hudson a no-brainer.

Dorais started slowly but got things going and consistently hit Knute Rockne and other receivers in stride with passes of 30 yards...