How Harvard influenced American football

How did Harvard University influence the sport that eventually became modern American football? Zachary Nowak, a lecturer at the Harvard Extension School, tells the story of Harvard changed the game. Early football at Harvard resembled rugby, while other schools played a game that was closer to soccer. Harvard's rules eventually spread outside of the Boston area, beginning the sport's evolution into its current form. The ball could be carried and dribbled, but not thrown, which meant early football games were violent and occasionally deadly. By 1905, football had become so dangerous that players were dying on the field, leading to a national outcry. President Theodore Roosevelt, a Harvard alumnus, intervened to try to save the sport. Harvard was one of the schools summoned to the White House to find a way to change the game to protect players. The meeting eventually led to the legalization of the forward pass, creating the game we know today.