Football Facts Even a Bookworm Can Appreciate

Well, folks, it’s officially summer. You know what that means, right? Football season is right around the corner!

We’re actually pretty big fans at Peachtree, and not just because we’re southern. Fred Bowen, coach and Washington Post sports columnist, is coming out with a brand new football title this August!

Double Reverse is an action-packed middle grade chapter book chronicling one team’s inspiring journey in conquering expectations and seeing themselves, not for how they look, but for what they can achieve.

Now, we know that the stereotypical bibliophile isn’t a huge football fan, but until reading becomes America’s favorite pastime, we thought we’d put together some fun facts about the sport to help you at those inevitable football watch parties.

Professional football was first played on November 12, 1892 between Allegheny Athletic Association and Pittsburgh Athletic Club ending in a 6-6 tie! Look! We even found the “birth certificate” of pro-football!

The payment of player W. Heffelfinger made it official!
Football came about from a combination of soccer and rugby.
The first college game was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, but the sport didn’t become popular until the 1880s.
Before college games, competitions between Athletic Clubs were fierce and exciting!
The oldest man to ever play the game professionally was George Blanda, aged 48, who played for the Oakland Raiders in 1927. He is also the person who has played the most seasons (26).
Here’s a link to a very extensive time-line of the game including when touchdowns were altered from five points to six (1912) and the first televised game (1939). Pretty Nifty!
The longest field goal was 64 yards made from Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos on December 8, 2013! (You’ll meet an unexpected kicker in Double Reverse!)
There’s an awesome online exhibit called Football and America which details stories of professional football players who served in various wars and the sacrifices they made. Perfect fodder for Fourth of July picnicking conversation!
The title of “The Greatest Game Ever Played” is attributed to the 1958 Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. This game led to football becoming America’s favorite sport to watch in the 1960s! Read the full story here.
The highest scoring game is between the Redskins and New York Giants with the final score of 72-41 with the Redskins taking the win! It was on November 27, 1966.
Fran Tarkenton was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 2, 1986. This player is a huge inspiration for this Bowen novel, so take a look at his impressive history! He retired as the all-time leader in attempts (6,467), completions (3,686), passing yardage (47,003), and touchdown passes (342). Read more here!