Walter Camp was born on the very same day that I would eventually marry. That was only a coincidence. I swear.
Born in 1859, Camp was hitting his college years at about the same time that rugby was spreading though the most influential colleges of the east. Yale and Harvard were sold on the game. Princeton too. November 23, 1876 is one of those days so critical to the evolution of football. Princeton, taking the lead, sent invitations to Harvard, Yale and Columbia inviting them to Springfield, Massachusetts, so that they could all sit down and decide to play the game the rugby way. All four schools met at the Massasoit House in Springfield on that historic day. They decided on the game and the rules by which most would play that game. 1876 was also Walter Camp's first year at Yale. He instantly became one of the finest all-around athletes in the university. Pitcher and captain in baseball. He ran the hurdles and is credited at Yale with having invented the present hurdle step. Swimming, tennis, crew. Most importantly, then and now, halfback and captain in rugby. He was exceptionally fast and strong. He was a terrific kicker, excelling at both punting and dropkicking. The importance of kicking in the early days can not be stressed enough. It decided games. As great as Camp's physical skills, his greatest might have been his mind. It was a new, evolving sport. Camp could see the game and what it could be. He could see the solutions to situations, the possibilities. He was never confined by what was. From 1876-79, the game was rugby, with a few American embellishments. During the next four years, 1880-83, this would change. With Camp's influence, English rugby became American football. The Massasoit House meeting of 1876 became a football staple. The game was born and designed there. The colleges met again in 1878 with Camp making his first appearance as Yale's representative. Changes really started rolling at the 1880 meeting. Yale finally got their "pet" rule adopted. Eleven men on the field. It had been fifteen. Some give Camp credit for this rule. He was certainly for it but Yale had been pushing for it since before Camp was on campus. Next came the most significant move away from rugby. Camp brought about the scrimmage. Lining up and setting the play in motion. In doing this he created the position of the quarterback, the man who handled the ball when put in play. Initially, the ball was "passed" back with the foot. It would be more than a decade before it was improved with the center snap that we know today. By 1882, some games showed more changes were needed. This was also the same year that the University of California fielded their first football team. Perhaps the single biggest football development of this era. Back on the east coast, Camp came up with the downs and distance. Then, it was three downs to gain five yards. This brought about the lines on the field, our gridiron. Football's evolution was was picking up steam. In 1883, scoring was revised to reflect the importance of touchdowns. For the next two decades mostly "tweaks" were made. That all changed in 1906 when the forward pass was added to the game. Interestingly, Walter Camp was against this change. I wouldn't hold this against him.
Walter Camp spent his life as a constant source of football guidance and wisdom. He created the game that we love today. All those things that differentiate football from rugby are his ideas or influenced by his ideas. Well, outside of the forward pass. He may not have selected the first All-America teams but once he started his selections carried the greatest honor. Walter Camp is American football.
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