Topics in Chronicling America - The 1905 Movement to Reform Football

The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), now known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was formally established on March 31, 1906 to reform the rules and regulations of college sports. Early football games often resulted in injury and even death, prompting some colleges and universities to close their football programs. The reforms were encouraged by President Roosevelt in 1905, after his son was injured while playing football for Harvard. Read more about it!!

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• October 9, 1905: Roosevelt meets with college officials in an attempt to curb unsportsmanlike conduct in football.
• November 15 1906: Columbia University suspends its football program due to the high number of deaths and injuries.
• December 28, 1905: Representatives of 62 Colleges and Universities meet to appoint a rules committee for Intercollegiate football.
• January 12, 1906: Rules committee meets.
• March 31, 1906: Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) formally established.

Suggested Search Terms:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Football, Roosevelt, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Henry MacCracken, Walter Camp.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "Teddy Roosevelt Jr. Hurt on Football Field," The Salt Lake Herald, 15 October 1905, Last Edition, Section One, Page 4, Image 4, Col 2.
• "Nineteen Killed on Gridiron," The San Francisco Call, 27 November 1905, Page 1, Image 1, Col 3.
• "Columbia Bars Football," New-York Tribune, 29 November 1905, Page 1, Image 1, Col 5.
• "Football Friends Rally," New-York Tribune, 30 November 1905, Page 7, Image 7, Col 3.
• "Football Not Target," New-York Tribune, 2 December 1905, Page 7, Image 7, Col 3.
• "For Reform of Football," New-York Tribune, 13 December 1905, Page 11, Image 11, Col 1.
• "Fate of Football Hangs in the Balance," The San Francisco Call, 5 December 1905, Page 10, Image 10, Col 5.
• "Yale for Football," New-York Tribune, 20 January 1906, Page 9, Image 9, Col 1.
• "Rational Football Talk from Handely," The Times Dispatch, 28 January 1906, Page 1, Image 1, Col 1.
• "Football Rules Made at Last," The Salt Lake Herald, 2 April 1906, Page 7, Image 7, Col 1.
• "How to Play Football Under the New Rules," New-York Tribune, 23 September 1906, Page 8, Image 52, Col 1.