Tufts University: 175 Years of Innovation

Many journalists and historians cite a game between Princeton and Rutgers on November 6, 1869, as the “first” game of American football. However, that contest more closely resembled a rough version of soccer. The first showdown between Tufts and Harvard in 1875, by contrast, brought several defining elements of football to American soil: tackling, scrimmage lines, running plays, and eleven-man teams. Based on extensive research, long-time Tufts Athletics Director Rocky Carzo argued that the first true football game between two American colleges took place on June 4, 1875, when Tufts College beat Harvard 1-0 at Jarvis Field in Cambridge, Massachusetts.