Post by Coach Campbell on Mar 11, 2009 19:56:59 GMT
First Indoor Pro Game - 1902-1903
Madision Square Garden - New York City
Almost 100 years ago, 1902-1903, the first indoor football games were played in New York's Madison Square Garden. Manager Tom O'Rourke was seeking a premier attraction during the 1902-03 New Year's holiday and advertised "a First Ever Football World Series to be Played Indoors". Five teams participated in the tourney, which was one by the Syracuse, New York, Athletic Club.
Madison Square Garden had to be redone to accommodate the teams. The wooden flooring of the arena was removed and replaced by an earthen surface. The goal lines were only 70 yards apart and the playing field was only 35 yards wide. The earthen surface became sticky as the game progressed and made for some tough maneuvering, while the stands were right up to the playing field and proved to be a physical hazard. Footballhistorian.com
First Inter-League Playoff - Football 1926
Giants face off against Quakers
First Inter-league Playoff Game - Football 1926
As the 1926 football season came to an end, New York Giants' owner Tim Mara wanted to beat his hated and costly rivals, the AFL's New York Yankees. Mara challenged Pyle's Yankees to a game. At first Pyle agreed but then cancelled the game. Mara then offered to play the AFL Champion Philadelphia Quakers, who agreed to play in New York's Polo Grounds on December 12, 1926. The Quakers had a 7-2 season record, while the Giants were 8-4-1. The Giants pounded the Quakers 31-0 in a snow storm, the Quakers managed only one first down, while the Giants seemed to bring the ball down field at will. Due to the heavy snow and lack of fan interest only 5,000 people attended the game.
However, the game featured a NFL-AFL inter-league playoff, something that would not happen again for the next 40 years. Footballhistorian.com - Early Pro Football History
First Radio and First TV Games
Radio 1934... Television 1939 - National Football League Games
The first national radio broadcast of a National Football League game was the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) 1934 Thanksgiving Day in which the Chicago Bears toppled the hometown Detroit Lions 19-16. Football Historian First televised NFL game - October 22, 1939. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) gave the fans on the east coast a taste of what was to come, by televising a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. At the time, there was an estimated 1,000 television sets in New York. Footballhistorian.com Archives
Madision Square Garden - New York City
Almost 100 years ago, 1902-1903, the first indoor football games were played in New York's Madison Square Garden. Manager Tom O'Rourke was seeking a premier attraction during the 1902-03 New Year's holiday and advertised "a First Ever Football World Series to be Played Indoors". Five teams participated in the tourney, which was one by the Syracuse, New York, Athletic Club.
Madison Square Garden had to be redone to accommodate the teams. The wooden flooring of the arena was removed and replaced by an earthen surface. The goal lines were only 70 yards apart and the playing field was only 35 yards wide. The earthen surface became sticky as the game progressed and made for some tough maneuvering, while the stands were right up to the playing field and proved to be a physical hazard. Footballhistorian.com
First Inter-League Playoff - Football 1926
Giants face off against Quakers
First Inter-league Playoff Game - Football 1926
As the 1926 football season came to an end, New York Giants' owner Tim Mara wanted to beat his hated and costly rivals, the AFL's New York Yankees. Mara challenged Pyle's Yankees to a game. At first Pyle agreed but then cancelled the game. Mara then offered to play the AFL Champion Philadelphia Quakers, who agreed to play in New York's Polo Grounds on December 12, 1926. The Quakers had a 7-2 season record, while the Giants were 8-4-1. The Giants pounded the Quakers 31-0 in a snow storm, the Quakers managed only one first down, while the Giants seemed to bring the ball down field at will. Due to the heavy snow and lack of fan interest only 5,000 people attended the game.
However, the game featured a NFL-AFL inter-league playoff, something that would not happen again for the next 40 years. Footballhistorian.com - Early Pro Football History
First Radio and First TV Games
Radio 1934... Television 1939 - National Football League Games
The first national radio broadcast of a National Football League game was the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) 1934 Thanksgiving Day in which the Chicago Bears toppled the hometown Detroit Lions 19-16. Football Historian First televised NFL game - October 22, 1939. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) gave the fans on the east coast a taste of what was to come, by televising a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. At the time, there was an estimated 1,000 television sets in New York. Footballhistorian.com Archives