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133-735: The Big Game is the name given to the California–Stanford football rivalry . It is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University . Both institutions are located in the San Francisco Bay Area . First played in 1892, it remains one of

266-505: A 0–0 tie. The Army–Navy game of 1893 saw the first documented use of a football helmet by a player in a game. Joseph M. Reeves had a crude leather helmet made by a shoemaker in Annapolis and wore it in the game after being warned by his doctor that he risked death if he continued to play football after suffering an earlier kick to the head. In 1879, the University of Michigan became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish

399-489: A 14-point lead. Trailing 21-7 towards the end of the third quarter, Cal scored 17 unanswered points to rally back to a 24-21 win. Following a field goal by Ryan Coe, Fernando Mendoza found receiver Jonathan Brady for a 30-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-16. A Stanford punt pushed the Golden Bears back to their own 2-yard line, requiring them to drive 98 yards to take the lead. Mendoza connected with Nyziah Hunter for

532-518: A 20–20 tie and earn the Rose Bowl bid. In the 50th Big Game, winless Stanford led the 8–1 Bears with less than three minutes left in the game, but Cal scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass to clinch a 21–18 victory. Stanford quarterback Dick Norman threw for 401 yards (then an NCAA record, and still a Big Game record), but it was not enough to hold off the Bears, who won 20–17. Cal drove 62 yards in

665-440: A 36 yard gain, found tight end Jack Endries on a pivotal fourth-down conversion and later, on third-and-11, he found Jonathan Brady again for a 22-yard score and a 2-point conversion by Jaydn Ott pushed the lead to 3 with 2:40 to play. The drive is referred to by Cal fans as “ 98 Yards With My Boys ” because of Mendoza’s emotional postgame interview. Cal's defense forced a sack on quarterback Ashton Daniels and turnover on downs on

798-463: A 56-game undefeated streak that included a 1902 trip to play in the first college football bowl game , which later became the Rose Bowl Game . During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40. Organized intercollegiate football was first played in the state of Minnesota on September 30, 1882, when Hamline was convinced to play Minnesota . Minnesota won 2 to 0. It

931-469: A casting of Douglas Tilden 's The Football Players bronze sculpture and offered it as a prize to the school that could win the football game two years in a row. Berkeley responded by shutting Stanford out in 1898 and 1899, and the sculpture was installed on the Berkeley campus atop a stone pedestal engraved with the names of the players and the donor during a dedication ceremony held May 12, 1900. During

1064-514: A college football team. On May 30, 1879, Michigan beat Racine College 1–0 in a game played in Chicago. The Chicago Daily Tribune called it "the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies ." Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the University of Chicago , Northwestern University , and the University of Minnesota . The first western team to travel east

1197-503: A college or university with three (or two) academic years remaining. An applicant for a campus-based scholarship must meet all AROTC administrative and academic requirements as well as have a minimum SAT score of 1000 or ACT score of 19. Once a prospect has shown interest in the AROTC program they can compete in a scholarship board. If the prospect boards well the AROTC program's Professor of Military Science may submit them for selection of

1330-447: A great deal to Harvard's rugby. They decided to play with 15 players on each team. On November 13, 1875, Yale and Harvard played each other for the first time ever, where Harvard won 4–0. At the first The Game (as the annual contest between Harvard and Yale came to be named) the future "father of American football" Walter Camp was among the 2000 spectators in attendance. Walter, a native of New Britain, Connecticut , would enroll at Yale

1463-548: A liking to the rugby game, and its use of the try which, until that time, was not used in American football. The try would later evolve into the score known as the touchdown . On June 4, 1875, Harvard faced Tufts University in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts 1–0. The rules included each side fielding 11 men at any given time,

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1596-501: A new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale initially refused to join this association because of a disagreement over the number of players to be allowed per team (relenting in 1879) and Rutgers were not invited to

1729-410: A pass attempt to McCaffrey to set up a field goal fell short, but officials assessed Cal a 15-yard penalty after Palumbis was roughed on the play, moving the ball to the 22-yard line. With five seconds remaining, Hopkins kicked a 39-yard field goal into the wind, giving Stanford a 27–25 victory as time expired, with Stanford fans, players and team officials invading the field in celebration. The roughing

1862-667: A play forever immortalized by Stanford Axe Committee members as "The Block." Cal attempted an unsuccessful onside kick, and Stanford recovered the Axe four plays and 11 yards later, taking it back to the Farm for the 10th time in 11 seasons. Cal and Stanford met in Berkeley in their first Big Game as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference . Stanford came out strong with two first quarter touchdowns by Justin Lamson to build

1995-503: A player to pick up the ball and run with it whenever he wished. Another rule, unique to McGill, was to count tries (the act of grounding the football past the opposing team's goal line; there was no end zone during this time), as well as goals, in the scoring. In the Rugby rules of the time, a try only provided the attempt to kick a free goal from the field. If the kick was missed, the try did not score any points itself. Harvard quickly took

2128-465: A professional roster spot as an undrafted free agent . Despite these opportunities, only around 1.6% of NCAA college football players end up playing professionally in the NFL. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League (NFL), college football has remained extremely popular throughout the U.S. Although the college game has a much larger margin for talent than its pro counterpart,

2261-510: A rougher version of football called "the Boston Game" in which the kicking of a round ball was the most prominent feature though a player could run with the ball, pass it, or dribble it (known as "babying"). The man with the ball could be tackled, although hitting, tripping, "hacking" and other unnecessary roughness was prohibited. There was no limit to the number of players, but there were typically ten to fifteen per side. A player could carry

2394-533: A round ball instead of a rugby-style oblong ball. This series of games represents an important milestone in the development of the modern game of American football. In October 1874, the Harvard team once again traveled to Montreal to play McGill in rugby, where they won by three tries. In as much as Rugby football had been transplanted to Canada from England, the McGill team played under a set of rules which allowed

2527-568: A scholarship. Numerous factors will influence this decision. Typically the summer between the academic junior and senior years of school, Cadets attend Advance Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Here, each cadet would be evaluated on leadership skills. The course was set up for a month of training with other peers and evaluated by Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers. Advance Camp is the United States Army's largest training event. The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program

2660-525: A summer of military training. In 1916, the provision to formally establish ROTC was advocated to Congress by a delegation from Ohio including William Oxley Thompson , President of the Ohio State University . On February 7, 1916, Ralph D. Mershon , a graduate of Ohio State, testified before the committee as a professional engineer . Present to testify as an advocate of a Reserve Engineers Corps, he expanded his remarks to argue in favor of

2793-537: A team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby football into the distinct sport of American football. Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53 1 ⁄ 3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with

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2926-401: A touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey in the end zone to make it 25–24, Cardinal coach Dennis Green quickly went for a two-point conversion, with no overtime, and despite the fact that a tie would keep the Axe at Stanford for another year. After Palumbis' pass into the end zone was intercepted by John Hardy, Cal fans, players and team officials – believing they had won the game and the Axe – invaded

3059-479: A touchdown three plays later and giving Stanford their first lead of the game, 17–10. Trailing 24–17 with 4:28 left in the fourth, Cal completed a 14 play, 90-yard drive starting from their own 10 yard-line to score a touchdown with 58 seconds remaining in regulation. Now trailing by just one point with the score at 24–23, Cal coach Justin Wilcox signaled for a 1-pt PAT, which was blocked by Stanford's Thomas Booker, in

3192-514: A touchdown, and added a two-point conversion to lead 25–18 with 6:03 left. Stanford stopped Cal on a third and 6 on the Stanford 46 with 2:06 left to play. After Cal's punt, Stanford took its final possession on its own 13 with 1:54 left. Escaping two near interceptions and converting a 4th and 6, Stanford moved the ball to the Cal 19 with seventeen seconds left. After quarterback Jason Palumbis threw

3325-512: A youth, he excelled in sports like track , baseball, and association football, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered. Following the introduction of rugby-style rules to American football, Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. Dissatisfied with what seemed to him to be a disorganized mob, he proposed his first rule change at

3458-604: Is a key part of the rivalry's history, having been stolen on several occasions by both sides, starting in 1899, when the Axe was introduced when Stanford yell leader Billy Erb used it at a baseball game between the two schools. In March 2007, the National Football League announced that it intended to trademark the phrase "The Big Game" in reference to the Super Bowl , but soon dropped the plan after being faced with opposition from Cal and Stanford. In 2013,

3591-592: Is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; ahead of high school competition , but below professional competition . In some parts of the United States, especially the South and Midwest , college football is more popular than professional football. For much of the 20th century, college football was generally considered to be more prestigious than professional football. The overwhelming majority of professional football players in

3724-850: Is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at the highest levels of play, are members of the NCAA . In Canada, collegiate football competition is governed by U Sports for universities. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (for colleges) governs soccer and other sports but not gridiron football. Other countries, such as Mexico , Japan and South Korea , also host college football leagues with modest levels of support. Unlike most other major sports in North America , no official minor league farm organizations exist for American football or Canadian football . Therefore, college football

3857-489: Is not official. In women's basketball, the meetings are simply called the "Battle of the Bay." "The Big Game" is the common term when used as a standalone noun: "I am going to The Big Game next week." In all other uses, "The" is dropped: "We are happy to report that the 2024 Big Game was won by Cal." "Cal defeated Stanford's Hall of Fame Big Game quarterback John Elway three out of four years." Stanford University and its fans drop

3990-471: Is required of students attending the senior and junior military colleges. Another major difference between the senior military colleges and civilian colleges is that under federal law, graduates of the SMCs are guaranteed active duty assignments if requested with the approval of the school's professor of military science. The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) program is the largest branch of ROTC, as

4123-684: Is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, the first recorded non-university football club in Canada. Early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional " mob football " played in Great Britain. The games remained largely unorganized until

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4256-614: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University . After World War II , the Air Force established ROTC units at 77 colleges and universities throughout the United States. Other national armed forces in countries with strong historical ties to the United States have ROTC programs. Other countries have also institutionalized reservist training programs. Reserve Officer Training in Russia began in

4389-516: The NFL and other leagues previously played college football. The NFL draft each spring sees 224 players selected and offered a contract to play in the league, with the vast majority coming from the NCAA . Other professional leagues, such as the CFL and UFL , additionally hold their own drafts each year which also see primarily college players selected. Players who are not selected can still attempt to obtain

4522-693: The Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania . They compiled a 12–8–1 record in these seasons, playing as an independent from 1887 to 1890. In 1891, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association (PIFA) was formed. It consisted of Bucknell University , Dickinson College , Franklin & Marshall College , Haverford College , Penn State, and Swarthmore College . Lafayette College , and Lehigh University were excluded because it

4655-447: The "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy," promoted the idea of "citizen soldiers," men trained to act in a military capacity when their nation required but capable of fulfilling standard civilian functions in peacetime. The Morrill Act of 1862 established land-grant colleges . Part of the federal government's requirement for these schools was that they include military tactics as part of their curriculum. Another root of

4788-574: The "Ohio Plan". Mershon noted: Congress agreed, and the ROTC provision was included in the final version of the National Defense Act of 1916 . The first ROTC unit was at Harvard in 1916. Over 5,000 men arrived at Plattsburgh, New York , in May 1917 for the first of the officer training camps. By the end of 1917, over 17,000 men had been trained. By the eve of its entry into World War I ,

4921-584: The "Thanksgiving Day Disaster" remains the deadliest accident to kill spectators at a U.S. sporting event. In 1906, citing concerns about the violence in football, both schools dropped football in favor of Rugby , which was played for the Big Games of 1906–1918. During that time the matches were played under Union rules of rugby per an agreement between Stanford and Cal coaches along with other West coast teams, including Nevada , St. Mary's , Santa Clara , and USC (in 1911) The first incidence of card stunts

5054-618: The 1900 Big Game, played at the Recreation Park stadium on Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco, a large group of fans were observing from the roof of the nearby S.F. and Pacific Glass Works factory. With somewhere between 600 and 1,000 spectators atop it, the rooftop collapsed , resulting in well over 100 men falling to the factory's floor and more than 60 directly onto the massive, blazing furnace. In total 23 men and boys were killed, and more than 100 severely injured. To this day,

5187-648: The 1920s. Brazil has had the CPOR and the NPOR since 1928, the difference being that officers trained by the CPOR choose their area of specialization, while officers trained by the NPOR learn from their local army base. During World War I, the United States created the Student Army Training Corps in an effort to encourage young men to simultaneously receive a college education and train for the military. Students were authorized to participate beginning in

5320-581: The 1946 Big Game. Scenes for the Harold Lloyd silent classic The Freshman were filmed at California Memorial Stadium during halftime of the 1924 Big Game. Since 1933, the victor of the game has been awarded possession of the Stanford Axe . If a game ended in a tie, the Axe stayed on the side that already possessed it; this rule became obsolete in 1996 when the NCAA instituted overtime. The Axe

5453-401: The 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton University students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. In 1827, a Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. In 1860, both the town police and

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5586-589: The Army is the largest branch of the military. There are over 20,000 ROTC cadets in 273 ROTC programs at major universities throughout the United States . These schools are categorized as Military Colleges (MC), Military Junior Colleges (MJC) and Civilian Colleges (CC). Army ROTC provides the majority of the Army's officer corps; the remainder comes from West Point , Officer Candidate School (OCS) , or direct commissions . AROTC offers scholarships based on

5719-551: The Big Game Bonfire Rally was cancelled due to excessive rain and flooding. For decades, Stanford also has held a bonfire on the dry lakebed of Lake Lagunita , but this was discontinued in the 1990s due to the lake being a habitat for the vulnerable California tiger salamander . Stanford now holds a Big Game Rally on Angell Field organized by the Stanford Axe Committee. With appearances from

5852-602: The Big Game. Another part of Stanford's tradition was the annual hanging of the substantial "Beat Cal" banner upon the four story Meyer Library building. This tradition came to an end in 2014 before the building was demolished. Since 2015, the banner has been hung over the western entrance to Green Library . Both teams came into the game unbeaten with a berth in the 1925 Rose Bowl on the line. With its star Ernie Nevers sidelined due to injuries, Stanford trailed 20–6 with under 5 minutes to go, but rallied to score twice to force

5985-476: The Cardinal's following possession, and the Bears retained possession of the Stanford Axe for the fourth consecutive season. In other sports, matchups between Cal and Stanford feature their own nicknames based on the word "big." Examples include: In rugby , the two schools have a trophy of their own called the "Scrum Axe". In men's basketball the semiannual matchups are sometimes labeled the "Big Game" but it

6118-525: The College of New Jersey, in the first collegiate football game . The game more closely resembled soccer than football as it is played in the 21st century. It was played with a round ball , and used a set of rules suggested by Rutgers captain William J. Leggett , based on The Football Association 's first set of rules , which were an early attempt by the former pupils of England's public schools, to unify

6251-539: The Department of Defense commissioned that year. Under ROTC, a student may receive a competitive, merit-based scholarship covering all or part of college tuition, textbooks and lab fees, in return for an active-duty service obligation after graduation (or completion of a graduate degree under an approved education delay). ROTC students attend college like other students, but also receive basic military training and officer training for their chosen branch of service through

6384-770: The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules. Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on the Football Association's rules than the rules of the recently founded Rugby Football Union , was drawn up for intercollegiate football games. Old "Football Fightum" had been resurrected at Harvard in 1872, when Harvard resumed playing football. Harvard, however, preferred to play

6517-577: The Greek Theatre was already booked for the Bob Dylan concert. This was the first time the bonfire had not been held since 1892. The bonfire portion of the rally was cancelled again in 2015 due to the ongoing drought . In 2016, the Fiat Lux torch was added as a symbol of light, with, "For the flames of the past, spirit of the present, and light of the future" engraved on it. In 2018, the big game

6650-566: The Haka performed was written in the 1960s by a Cal rugby player of Maori descent. The traditional Axe Yell is also made and visits from the UC Men's Octet and Golden Overtones are always expected. The University of California Marching Band is also present, playing traditional Cal songs throughout the duration of the Rally. The highlight of the Rally is the lighting of Big Game Bonfire itself, with

6783-530: The Ink Bowl, a touch football game between the members of the two schools' newspapers. The Big Game Bonfire Rally is a pep and bonfire rally that takes place at University of California, Berkeley in Hearst Greek Theatre on the eve of Big Game. More than 10,000 students gather to hear the history about The Stanford Axe and Big Game. The University of California Rally Committee is in charge of

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6916-717: The Marine Corps. Marine NROTC students may be formed in a separate company when the program includes sufficient numbers. All Naval ROTC students are referred to as midshipmen. Some of the summer training that is offered to cadets in the Army ROTC program are: Airborne, Air Assault, Mountain Warfare, WHINSEC and other related schools. In addition to their mandatory 20 day Field Training (FT) at Maxwell AFB , Alabama, typically between their sophomore and junior year. Air Force ROTC cadets are also eligible for Airborne training under

7049-510: The NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries. Colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. With new bylaws made by the NCAA, college athletes can now receive "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) deals, a way to get sponsorships and money before their pro debut. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football", played at public schools in Great Britain in

7182-756: The North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina . On November 13, 1887, the Virginia Cavaliers and Pantops Academy fought to a scoreless tie in the first organized football game in the state of Virginia . Students at UVA were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim that some industrious ones organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871, just two years after Rutgers and Princeton's historic first game in 1869. But no record has been found of

7315-557: The ROTC unit at or nearby the college. The students participate in regular drills during the school year and off-campus training opportunities during the summer. Army ROTC units are organized as brigades, battalions and companies. Air Force ROTC units are detachments with the students organized into wings, groups, squadrons and flights. Army and Air Force ROTC students are referred to as cadets. Naval ROTC units are organized as battalions and also include NROTC students under "Marine Option" who will eventually be commissioned as officers in

7448-781: The U.S. had a prepared corps of officers including one of the earliest Plattsburgh graduates, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. The National Defense Act of 1920 ramped up ROTC, and by 1928, units had been established at 225 colleges and universities, including all of the Morrill Act land-grant colleges. They were commissioning 6,000 reserve second lieutenants per year. During the 1930s, there were junior ROTC programs in some larger city high schools, such as in Memphis, Tennessee , Charlotte, North Carolina , Kansas City, Missouri , and New Orleans, Louisiana . The ROTC produced over 100,000 officers during World War II, and tens of thousands more after

7581-401: The United States military from disclosing their sexual orientation at the risk of expulsion. Some schools believed this legal mandate would require them to waive or amend their non-discrimination policies. In recent years, concerted efforts are being made at some Ivy League universities that have previously banned ROTC (including Columbia ) to return ROTC to campus. The Harvard ROTC program

7714-440: The article "The" in opposition to the normal three-word usage. College football NAIA : NJCAA : College football ( French : football universitaire ) is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States . Like gridiron football generally, college football

7847-428: The ball only when being pursued. As a result of this, Harvard refused to attend the rules conference organized by Rutgers, Princeton and Columbia at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City on October 20, 1873, to agree on a set of rules and regulations that would allow them to play a form of football that was essentially Association football; and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's voluntary absence from

7980-481: The ball was advanced by kicking or carrying it, and tackles of the ball carrier stopped play – actions of which have carried over to the modern version of football played today Harvard later challenged its closest rival, Yale, to which the Bulldogs accepted. The two teams agreed to play under a set of rules called the "Concessionary Rules", which involved Harvard conceding something to Yale's soccer and Yale conceding

8113-473: The bench seating). This allows them to seat more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium, which tends to have more features and comforts for fans. Only three stadiums owned by U.S. colleges or universities, L&N Stadium at the University of Louisville , Center Parc Stadium at Georgia State University , and FAU Stadium at Florida Atlantic University , consist entirely of chair back seating. College athletes, unlike players in

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8246-474: The center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass. Rugby league followed Camp's example, and in 1906 introduced the play-the-ball rule, which greatly resembled Camp's early scrimmage and center-snap rules. In 1966, rugby league introduced a four-tackle rule (changed in 1972 to a six-tackle rule) based on Camp's early down-and-distance rules. Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized

8379-563: The city of New Haven , banned the play of all forms of football in 1860. American football historian Parke H. Davis described the period between 1869 and 1875 as the 'Pioneer Period'; the years 1876–93 he called the 'Period of the American Intercollegiate Football Association'; and the years 1894–1933 he dubbed the "Period of Rules Committees and Conferences". On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University , then known as

8512-489: The college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a mock figure called "Football Fightum", for whom they conducted funeral rites. The authorities held firm, and it was another dozen years before football was once again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called " Old division football ", the rules of which were first published in 1871, though

8645-437: The field and caused a lengthy delay before police, stadium security and officials restored order, with officials assessing Cal a 15-yard delay of game penalty. Now kicking from the 50-yard line with twelve seconds left, Hopkins bounced the ensuing onside kick off a Cal player and, after being touched by seven players, the ball was recovered by Stanford's Dan Byers on the Cal 37. With nine seconds left and no time outs remaining,

8778-401: The final 1:13, culminating in a Vince Ferragamo touchdown pass to Steve Sweeney for a last-second 24–22 Cal victory. Mike Langford nailed a 50-yard field goal on the final play for a 22–20 Stanford triumph over the 19th-ranked Bears. The conclusion of the 85th Big Game on November 20, 1982, would go down as perhaps the most remarkable play in college football history. Cal held a lead late in

8911-435: The fire reaching its zenith at over eight stories. The Big Game Bonfire Rally always ends with the reciting of a speech known as the " Andy Smith Eulogy" or "The Spirit of California". Written by Garff Wilson in remembrance of the fabled Cal football coach, who led the Bears to five straight undefeated seasons starting in 1919 before tragically dying of pneumonia in 1925, the speech closes the Rally annually since 1949. During

9044-649: The first game in Virginia. On April 9, 1880, at Stoll Field , Transylvania University (then called Kentucky University) beat Centre College by the score of 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 –0 in what is often considered the first recorded game played in the South . The first game of "scientific football" in the South was the first instance of the Victory Bell rivalry between North Carolina and Duke (then known as Trinity College) held on Thanksgiving Day , 1888, at

9177-404: The first meeting he attended in 1878: a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp's most famous change, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback , was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of

9310-404: The first time. The Yale team was coached and captained by David Schley Schaff, who had learned to play football while attending Rugby School . Schaff himself was injured and unable to play the game, but Yale won the game 3–0 nonetheless. Later in 1872, Stevens Tech became the fifth school to field a team. Stevens lost to Columbia, but beat both New York University and City College of New York during

9443-594: The following requirements: The applicant must agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on active duty or in a reserve component (U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard). The four-year scholarship is for students who receive it out of high school or before entering college. The four-year scholarship can be extended with the same conditions to a 5-year scholarship if the major is in Engineering. Campus-based three-year, two-and-a-half-year, and two-year scholarships are available for students already enrolled in

9576-454: The following year. By 1873, the college students playing football had made significant efforts to standardize their fledgling game. Teams had been scaled down from 25 players to 20. The only way to score was still to bat or kick the ball through the opposing team's goal, and the game was played in two 45-minute halves on fields 140 yards long and 70 yards wide. On October 20, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at

9709-431: The game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities. They remained largely "mob" style games, with huge numbers of players attempting to advance the ball into a goal area, often by any means necessary. Rules were simple, and violence and injury were common. The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale , under pressure from

9842-519: The game, but Stanford, led by John Elway , drove down the field to retake the lead, and seemingly elevate Elway to the first bowl game of his college career, since a Stanford victory would have resulted in an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl . In what is now known simply as " The Play ," four Cal players lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff return with four seconds left on the clock. Kevin Moen, who

9975-404: The game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress towards the end zone during each down . Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that

10108-467: The game. Cal linebacker Evan Weaver sealed the 24–20 victory for the Bears with a dramatic fourth-and-one stop on Cardinal running back Cameron Scarlett on the subsequent possession, setting off a raucous celebration on Stanford's home turf as the Axe returned to Berkeley after nearly a decade away. In the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season , both Cal and Stanford entered the game with 0–2 records on

10241-564: The history of college football!" The legitimacy of The Play has remained controversial among some Stanford fans. The final outcome was a Cal victory by a score of 25–20. There is contention as to whether the play was correctly officiated, however. In 2007, as part of the buildup to The Play's 25th anniversary, the Bay Area News Group asked Verle Sorgen, the Pac-10 Conference's supervisor of instant replay, to review

10374-457: The kick and preserve a 19–19 tie. As Stanford was the holder of the Axe going into the game, the tie meant the Axe returned to the Farm for another year. The result was celebrated in the stadium as a victory by Stanford as the Axe was paraded by the Stanford Axe Committee and football players before jubilant Cardinal fans, with stunned Bears fans looking on. This was the only Big Game to end in a tie after 1953 and, under current overtime rules, may be

10507-525: The last Big Game to end tied. This game had echoes of the 1982 game due to late seesaw scoring, the critical role of fans on the field, and the winning points being scored as time expired. It has been called "The Payback" or "The Revenge of the Play" by Stanford fans. After trailing since the first quarter, left-footed Stanford kicker John Hopkins kicked his fourth field goal of the game with 9:56 left to give Stanford its first lead at 18–17. Cal responded with

10640-472: The last two decades of the 19th century. Several major rivalries date from this time period. November 1890 was an active time in the sport. In Baldwin City, Kansas , on November 22, 1890, college football was first played in the state of Kansas . Baker beat Kansas 22–9. On the 27th, Vanderbilt played Nashville (Peabody) at Athletic Park and won 40–0. It was the first time organized football played in

10773-498: The meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to play the rugby team of McGill University , from Montreal , in a two-game series. It was agreed that two games would be played on Harvard's Jarvis baseball field in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 14 and 15, 1874: one to be played under Harvard rules, another under the stricter rugby regulations of McGill. Jarvis Field

10906-415: The meeting. The rules that they agreed upon were essentially those of rugby union at the time with the exception that points be awarded for scoring a try , not just the conversion afterwards ( extra point ). Incidentally, rugby was to make a similar change to its scoring system 10 years later. Walter Camp is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football. As

11039-452: The mid-19th century. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as rugby football . The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges. The first documented gridiron football game was played at University College , a college of the University of Toronto , on November 9, 1861. One of

11172-467: The modern ROTC program comes from the "Plattsburg Idea". In 1915, Major General Leonard Wood instituted the Citizen's Military Training Camps (not to be confused with the later CMTC ), the first series of training camps to make officers out of civilians. For the first time in history, an attempt was made to provide a condensed course of training and commissioning competent reserve line officers after only

11305-730: The nearest college to play football. It took place at Hamilton Park in New Haven and was the first game in New England. The game was essentially soccer with 20-man sides, played on a field 400 by 250 feet. Yale wins 3–0, Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin the other two. After the first game against Harvard, Tufts took its squad to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for the first football game played in Maine . This occurred on November 6, 1875. Penn 's Athletic Association

11438-485: The new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara was proposed as the site of the 2014 Big Game, which according to the traditional rotation should be played at Cal's Memorial Stadium. The 2015 game would then be held in Berkeley, reversing the current rotation of odd-numbered years at Stanford and even-numbered years at Cal. However, several days later Cal declined the offer. In the week before the game, both schools celebrate

11571-620: The next year. He was torn between an admiration for Harvard's style of play and the misery of the Yale defeat, and became determined to avenge Yale's defeat. Spectators from Princeton also carried the game back home, where it quickly became the most popular version of football. On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardize

11704-529: The occasion with rallies, reunions, and luncheons. Early in the week, Cal celebrates in San Francisco with an annual cable car rally, usually held on the Monday of Big Game Week by the UC Rally Committee. Various other rallies and celebrations take place at Cal throughout the week, including noon rallies, night rallies that go to all the dorms, singing competitions, and alumni reunions. The highlight of

11837-477: The oldest college rivalries in the United States. The game is usually played in late November or early December and its location alternates between the two universities every year. In even-numbered years, the game is played in Berkeley while odd-numbered years are played at Stanford. The Big Game is the oldest college football rivalry in the West. While an undergraduate at Stanford, future U.S. President Herbert Hoover

11970-496: The option to be commissioned in the Space Force as a Space Operations Officer. In 2020, ROTC graduates constituted 70 percent of newly commissioned active-duty U.S. Army officers, 83 percent of newly commissioned U.S. Marine Corps officers (through NROTC), 61 percent of newly commissioned U.S. Navy officers and 63 percent of newly commissioned U.S. Air Force officers, for a combined 56 percent of all active-duty officers in

12103-478: The participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock , later chancellor of the school. A football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play then are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College , also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland and Frederick A. Bethune devised rules based on rugby football. Modern Canadian football

12236-405: The passer penalty was contested by Cal team coaches and Cal fans alike. The late passing and kicking excitement overshadowed two excellent running performances by Cal's Russell White (177 yards and 2 TD's) and Stanford's Glyn Milburn (196 yards and 1 TD). Milburn also led Stanford receiving with 9 receptions for 66 yards and had 117 return yards: His 379 all-purpose yards set a Pac-10 record at

12369-493: The planning and setting up the bonfire, as well as refueling it during the rally. Specifically, freshman members of the UC Rally Committee, as well as freshman band members are sent out with pallets to the chanting of "freshmen, more wood." Several alumni show up to perform traditional rituals. A tradition unique to Cal is the performance of the Haka , a traditional Maori war dance/chant. Traditionally performed by an alumni Yell Leader,

12502-497: The previous record that had stood for 83 years when Stanford beat Cal 41–0 in 1930. The 76 total points scored by both teams broke the record of 66 set in 2000. With the victory, Stanford clinched the Pac-12 North Division Championship while Cal ended its season at 1–11, the most losses in one season in Cal football history. The 2018 Big Game was originally scheduled to be played on November 17, but

12635-489: The rules of their various public schools. The game was played at a Rutgers Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey . Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed, but there was plenty of physical contact between players. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers won by a score of six to four. A rematch

12768-625: The rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches. After leaving Yale in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock Company until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annual All-American team every year from 1889 through 1924. The Walter Camp Football Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor. College football expanded greatly during

12901-443: The rules were formulated before the game. ROTC While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches of the U.S. military, the U.S. Marine Corps , the U.S. Space Force , and the U.S. Coast Guard do not have their own respective ROTC programs; rather, graduates of Naval ROTC programs have the option to serve as officers in the Marine Corps contingent on meeting Marine Corps requirements. Graduates of Air Force ROTC also have

13034-591: The score of this contest. Washington and Lee also claims a 4 to 2 win over VMI in 1873. On October 18, 1888, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 6 to 4 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of North Carolina . On December 14, 1889, Wofford defeated Furman 5 to 1 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of South Carolina . The game featured no uniforms, no positions, and

13167-476: The score tied, Cal marched to the Stanford 3-yard line with 4 seconds remaining in the game. Called "the Cadillac of kickers in college football" by Cal coach Bruce Snyder, all Pac-10 and future all-American Robbie Keen lined up for a 21-yard field goal attempt to win the game on the final play. When the ball was snapped, Stanford redshirt freshman Tuan Van Le raced from the left end of the defensive line to block

13300-431: The scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for kicks after touchdowns , two points for safeties, and five for field goals . Camp's innovations in the area of point scoring influenced rugby union's move to point scoring in 1890. In 1887, game time was set at two-halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire —were mandated for each game. A year later,

13433-501: The season, with each team previously having a game cancelled due to COVID infections. Cal opened scrimmage with a dominant 8 play, 75-yard touchdown drive. However, three punts each by both teams, a muffed punt recovered by Stanford at Cal's 16 (resulting in a touchdown), and a last-second blocked field goal attempt by Cal from the Stanford 32 as time expired left the game tied at 10–10 to enter halftime. A third-quarter fumble at Cal's 41 provided Stanford with good scoring position, leading to

13566-711: The senior football players and various performance groups, it serves to kick off Big Game Week. The story of The Stanford Axe is told by Hal Mickelson, and the Axe Yell is performed by the Yell Leaders of The Stanford Axe Committee. The rally ends with a performance by the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band and a fireworks show. A student-produced play called "Gaieties," an annual Big Game week tradition since 1911, pokes fun at Cal and serves to pump students up for

13699-427: The sheer number of fans following major colleges provides a financial equalizer for the game, with Division I programs – the highest level – playing in huge stadiums, six of which have seating capacity exceeding 100,000 people. In many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests (although many stadiums do have a small number of chair back seats in addition to

13832-488: The speech, candles are passed out among the attendants and are lit for the singing of the campus alma mater, " All Hail Blue and Gold ." In 2012, the Big Game Bonfire Rally was moved to Edwards Stadium and the bonfire was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with a Bob Dylan concert. Due to TV contracts, the Pac-12 Conference rescheduled the Big Game from its traditional season-ending slot to October 20, and

13965-487: The state of Tennessee . The 29th also saw the first instance of the Army–Navy Game . Navy won 24–0. Rutgers was first to extend the reach of the game. An intercollegiate game was first played in the state of New York when Rutgers played Columbia on November 2, 1872. It was also the first scoreless tie in the history of the fledgling sport. Yale football starts the same year and has its first match against Columbia,

14098-464: The summer of 1917, and training camps were held in the summer of 1918. Enrollment in the SATC was voluntary, and 525 universities enrolled 200,000 total students on October 1, 1918, the first day SATC units were authorized to formally organize on college campuses. Students who joined the SATC received the rank of private in the army, and some advanced to leadership roles including sergeant . When

14231-418: The time and remained Stanford's record until it was eclipsed by Christian McCaffrey 's 389 all-purpose yards in the 2015 edition of the Big Game. Stanford's Casey Moore caught the winning touchdown on the final play of the first-ever Big Game to go into overtime . Cal's Michael Mohamed intercepted an Andrew Luck pass at the Cal 3-yard line with 1:36 left to preserve a Cal win over #14 Stanford, 34–28. It

14364-414: The time of enrollment in the program. Newly graduated seniors in high school can enter the program with a full four-year scholarship while college students can enroll later and earn a scholarship that would cover the remainder of their college career. The two-year scholarship is available for students with two academic years of college remaining. An applicant for a two-year or four-year scholarship must meet

14497-518: The tutelage of the Army at Fort Moore , Georgia. Naval ROTC midshipmen will participate in summer cruise programs every summer, either afloat or ashore, similar to their U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen counterparts. The concept of ROTC in the United States was created by the founder of Norwich University , Alden Partridge , who was a former United States Military Academy instructor. Partridge, who founded Norwich in Northfield, Vermont in 1819 as

14630-431: The two disputed laterals according to modern NCAA instant replay review rules. After watching enhanced footage on a modern, large-screen monitor, Sorgen opined that the fifth lateral from Ford to Moen "was released at the 22 and touched at the 20-1/2. From that, it clearly appears forward." Asked for his "ultimate call," Sorgen replied, "I would be tempted to reverse it...then go out and get the motor running in my car." Cal

14763-466: The two schools organized a game for October 23, 1869, but it was rained out. Students of the University of Virginia were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim it organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871; but no record has been found of the score of this contest. Due to scantiness of records of the prior matches some will claim Virginia v. Pantops Academy November 13, 1887, as

14896-494: The war from students studying at qualifying universities under the G.I. Bill. Until the 1960s, many major universities required compulsory participation in ROTC for all of their male students. However, because of the protests that culminated in the opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War , compulsory ROTC was dropped in favor of voluntary programs. In some places ROTC was expelled from campus altogether, although it

15029-557: The week is when Cal students hold a traditional pep rally and bonfire at the Hearst Greek Theatre on the eve of the game, known as the Big Game Bonfire Rally. Stanford students stage the Gaieties, a theatrical production that both celebrates and pokes fun at the rivalry. The week also includes various other athletic events including "The Big Splash" ( water polo ), "The Big Spike" ( volleyball ), "The Big Sweep" ( Quidditch ), "The Big Freeze" ( ice hockey ), "The Big Sail" ( sailing ), and

15162-412: Was 1–9 in the conference, while Stanford was 7–2 and ranked 16th in the nation. Cal's defense dominated the game – Stanford's quarterback John Paye was sacked seven times, while Stanford's running game was held to 41 yards. Cal won the game 17–11. It was the last game of Cal's coach Joe Kapp , who also coached the Golden Bears in 1982, his first season, when Cal won the Big Game following The Play. With

15295-401: Was also a rare Big Game where both teams were nationally ranked. Sixth-ranked Stanford, in a 48–14 victory, ties Cal's 1975 record for most points scored in a Big Game. Winning 63–13, #10 Stanford set the record for most points scored in a Big Game, shattering the previous record of 48 shared by Cal in 1975 and Stanford in 2010. The 50-point victory margin also set a Big Game record, breaking

15428-473: Was also the first time one team scored over 100 points and the opposing team was shut out. The next week, Princeton outscored Lafayette 140 to 0. The first intercollegiate game in the state of Vermont happened on November 6, 1886, between Dartmouth and Vermont at Burlington, Vermont . Dartmouth won 91 to 0. Penn State played its first season in 1887, but had no head coach for their first five years, from 1887 to 1891. The teams played its home games on

15561-420: Was also the initial ball carrier, ran for a touchdown while knocking down the final Stanford "defender," trombone player Gary Tyrrell, who had run onto the field with the rest of the band to celebrate prematurely. The Play is often recounted with KGO radio announcer Joe Starkey 's emotional call of The Play, which he hailed as "the most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heartrending, exciting, thrilling finish in

15694-584: Was always possible to participate in off-campus ROTC. By the early 1980s, there was noticeably less resentment of the military on campus, as students' feelings about Vietnam became less vivid. As of 2021, more than 1,700 high schools have Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs. In the 21st century, the debate often focused around the Congressional don't ask, don't tell law, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and in force until 2011, which forbade homosexuals serving in

15827-512: Was at the time a patch of land at the northern point of the Harvard campus, bordered by Everett and Jarvis Streets to the north and south, and Oxford Street and Massachusetts Avenue to the east and west. Harvard beat McGill in the "Boston Game" on the Thursday and held McGill to a 0–0 tie on the Friday. The Harvard students took to the rugby rules and adopted them as their own, The games featured

15960-538: Was felt they would dominate the Association. Penn State won the championship with a 4–1–0 record. Bucknell's record was 3–1–1 (losing to Franklin & Marshall and tying Dickinson). The Association was dissolved prior to the 1892 season. The first nighttime football game was played in Mansfield, Pennsylvania on September 28, 1892, between Mansfield State Normal and Wyoming Seminary and ended at halftime in

16093-468: Was founded in 1926 and the U.S. Marine Corps joined the program in 1932. The naval NROTC program is offered at over 150 colleges nationwide. The first Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (then Air ROTC) units were established between 1920 and 1923 at the University of California, Berkeley , the Georgia Institute of Technology , the University of Illinois , the University of Washington ,

16226-562: Was looking to pick "a twenty" to play a game of football against Columbia. This "twenty" never played Columbia, but did play twice against Princeton. Princeton won both games 6 to 0. The first of these happened on November 11, 1876, in Philadelphia and was the first intercollegiate game in the state of Pennsylvania . Brown entered the intercollegiate game in 1878. The first game where one team scored over 100 points happened on October 25, 1884, when Yale routed Dartmouth 113–0. It

16359-494: Was performed by Cal fans at the halftime of the 1910 Big Game. In 1915, Cal switched back to American football. Its official reason for withdrawal from its 1915 rugby match against Stanford was the disagreement over Stanford's play of freshmen on their varsity team, however it was apparent that Cal intended to withdraw from the agreement to play rugby and instead play football against western schools that continued playing football or switched back several years earlier. Cal's Big Game

16492-542: Was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton's own set of rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a "free kick" to any player that caught the ball on the fly, which was a feature adopted from The Football Association's rules; the fair catch kick rule has survived through to modern American game). Princeton won that game by a score of 8 – 0. Columbia joined the series in 1870 and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and Stevens Institute of Technology . Columbia University

16625-456: Was played in the years 1915–17, against Washington , games which aren't listed in Big Game records. Cal lost its 1915, home Big Game to University of Washington 72–0, while Stanford played rugby against its new Big Game opponent Santa Clara University , which would take Cal's place for three successive seasons. California resumed playing football in 1915, but Stanford's rugby teams continued until 1917. From 1915 to 1917, California's "Big Game"

16758-543: Was reinstated effective March 4, 2011 following enactment of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 . Under current law, there are three types of ROTC programs administered, each with a different element. One difference between civilian colleges and the senior or junior military colleges is enrollment option in ROTC. ROTC is voluntary for students attending civilian colleges and universities. However, with few exceptions (as outlined in both Army regulations and federal law) it

16891-476: Was rescheduled due to the unhealthy air quality caused by the Camp Fire . All fire/pyrotechnical elements were cut from the rally. The UC Rally Committee immediately began preparations to re-invent the traditional wood burning structure, as they did not want the fire to extinguish like it had almost 30 years earlier at Stanford. In November 2019, a new sheet metal bonfire structure was unveiled. The 2024 edition of

17024-459: Was rescheduled to December 1 at 12:00 noon, because of unhealthy air quality in the Bay Area caused by the Camp Fire . Stanford continued its streak, winning for the ninth time in a row, beating Cal 23–13. Down 20–17 with 2:23 remaining, the Cal offense engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a 16-yard touchdown run from quarterback Chase Garbers to give the Bears their first lead of

17157-617: Was the 1881 Michigan team , which played at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten Conference , was founded in 1895. Led by coach Fielding H. Yost , Michigan became the first "western" national power. From 1901 to 1905, Michigan had

17290-656: Was the first game west of the Mississippi River . November 30, 1905, saw Chicago defeat Michigan 2 to 0. Dubbed "The First Greatest Game of the Century", it broke Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak and marked the end of the "Point-a-Minute" years. Organized collegiate football was first played in the state of Virginia and the south on November 2, 1873, in Lexington between Washington and Lee and VMI . Washington and Lee won 4–2. Some industrious students of

17423-486: Was the student manager of both the baseball and football teams. He helped organize the inaugural Big Game, along with his friend Cal manager Herbert Lang. Only 10,000 tickets were printed for the game but 20,000 people showed up. Hoover and Lang scrambled to find pots, bowls and any other available receptacles to collect the admission fees. By 1900 the match was already referred to as the "Big Game". In 1898, Berkeley alumnus and San Francisco Mayor James D. Phelan purchased

17556-488: Was the third school to field a team. The Lions traveled from New York City to New Brunswick on November 12, 1870, and were defeated by Rutgers 6 to 3. The game suffered from disorganization and the players kicked and battled each other as much as the ball. Later in 1870, Princeton and Rutgers played again with Princeton defeating Rutgers 6–0. This game's violence caused such an outcry that no games at all were played in 1871. Football came back in 1872, when Columbia played Yale for

17689-906: Was their game against Washington , while Stanford played Santa Clara as their rugby "Big Game". The 1918 game, in which Cal prevailed 67–0, is not considered an official game because Stanford's football team was composed of volunteers from the Student Army Training Corps stationed at Stanford, some of whom were not Stanford students. In 1919, Stanford officially switched back to playing football. The game resumed as football in 1919, and has been played as such every year since, except from 1943 to 1945, when Stanford shut down its football program due to World War II. A handful of Stanford starters—including guards Jim Cox , Bill Hachten and Fred Boensch , running back George Quist and halfback Billy Agnew—shifted to Cal in order to continue playing. Quist returned to Stanford, playing against Cal in

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