Football Through the Decades: How the Game's Pace and Style Evolved
A decade-by-decade tour of how football's tempo, offenses and defenses changed, and which rules, technologies and ideas pushed the game from mass plays to today's spread attacks.
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TCU0
22 Arizona10
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8 UCLA
Minnesota
9 BYU
3 Utah
7 Texas
18 Missouri
Texas A&M
21 South Carolina
5 Alabama
14 LSU
Cincinnati
17 Houston
Merrimack
16 Wake Forest
23 Oregon
12 Ohio St.
25 Boise St.
Colorado St.
6 Kentucky
13 Tennessee
19 Iowa
Northwestern
1 Miami (FL)
11 Notre Dame
2 Georgia
10 Ole Miss
Oklahoma
24 Florida
West Virginia
15 Texas Tech
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The History of the Football Scoreboard and the Stats Sheet
How football learned to show the score and keep the numbers: from hand-kept tallies and flip boards to video screens, official statisticians and player-tracking chips.
The History of the Playbook
From captains calling plays by instinct to binders, wristbands and tablets, here is how football teams learned to write down, teach and communicate their plays.
How the Two-Point Conversion Came to the NFL
Colleges adopted the two-point try in 1958, a rival league used it in the 1960s, and the NFL waited until 1994. Here is why the idea took so long to reach the pros and what changed when it did.
The History of Kicking: From Straight-On to Soccer-Style
Football began as a kicking game, drifted away from it, and then handed the job to specialists. Here is how the drop kick, the toe-first kicker and the soccer-style approach each took over.
How Free Agency Came to the NFL
For decades NFL players could not simply change teams when a contract ended. This is the story of the option clause, the court fights and the 1993 deal that created free agency.
The History of the NFL Draft
The NFL draft began in 1936 as a way to stop the richest teams from signing every top prospect. This is how it grew from a hotel meeting into a three-day television event.
The History of Cheerleading and Football
Cheerleading began as men leading college crowds in organized yells. Here is how it grew into a gymnastics-based sport, a pro-game fixture and a safety-conscious activity.
The History of the Football Uniform
From canvas jackets and moleskin pants to numbered jerseys, helmet logos and engineered fabrics, how football's uniform became equipment, identity and a business.
How Offensive Systems Spread: The History of Coaching Trees
Football ideas travel through people. This is how coaching trees work, which famous ones shaped offense and defense, and why a coach's ideas do not always survive the trip.
A Century of Safety Rules in Football
From the 1905 crisis to concussion protocols and heat rules, how football's safety rules grew in response to injuries, and why each change came when it did.
The History of Artificial Turf in Football
How a failed grass field in a Houston dome led to synthetic turf, how three generations of it changed the game, and why players and teams still argue about grass versus turf.