Portal:American football

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American football, known as football in the United States, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players with an oval ball on a rectangular field 120 yards long and 53.3 yards wide with goalposts at either end. The team in possession of the ball (the offense) attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball. In order to continue their drive, the offense must advance the ball at least 10 yards down the field in a series of four downs. If they succeed, they receive a new set of four downs to continue their drive, but if they fail, they lose control of the ball to the opposing team. The team that has scored the most points by the end of the game wins. The offense can score points by advancing the ball into the end zone (a touchdown) or by place or drop kicking the ball through the opponent's goalpost (a field goal), while the defense can score points by forcing an offensive turnover and advancing the ball into the offense's end zone or by tackling the ballcarrier in the offense's end zone (a safety). American football evolved from early forms of rugby (particularly rugby union) and association football (soccer), with the first game played on November 6, 1869. Rule changes from 1880 on by Walter Camp included the snap, 11-a-side teams and downs; further rule changes legalized the forward pass and created the neutral zone along the width of the football. Today, American football is the most popular sport in the United States, where the National Football League (NFL) is the most popular league. The league's championship, the Super Bowl, is among the most-watched club sporting events in the world. College football is also popular in the United States, with the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as the top level competition. More about the American football... edit  Selected article The Birmingham Americans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the four-team Central Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Americans, founded in late December 1973, played in the upstart league's inaugural season in 1974. The team was owned by William "Bill" Putnam, doing business as Alabama Football, Inc. The club played all of their home games at Legion Field. The most successful of the World Football League franchises, the Americans led the league in attendance and won all 13 of their home games. Winning their first ten games in a row, they developed a reputation for come-from-behind victories and winning by narrow margins. The Americans finished the 1974 regular season at 15–5 and won the 1974 World Bowl by one point over the Florida Blazers. Financially unstable due to investor reluctance and lavish signing bonuses paid to lure National Football League (NFL) players to the new league, the team folded after only one season. Most of the team's assets were seized to pay back taxes; failed lawsuits to recover the signing bonus money kept the team in the headlines long after the WFL was itself defunct. The Americans were replaced as the Birmingham WFL franchise for the 1975 season by a new team called the Birmingham Vulcans. edit  Selected picture Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, played center and linebacker for the Michigan Wolverines, helping his team to two national titles. Wikinews American football portal February 8: Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos defeat Carolina Panthers 24–10 October 5: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger upgraded to fair condition October 5: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger hospitalized after motorcycle accident September 16: National Football League from United States Senators: zero tolerance on domestic violence August 5: Illinois high schools now required to buy insurance for athletes edit  Selected biography Otto Graham (1921–2003) was an American football quarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League. Graham is regarded by critics as one of the most dominant players of his era, having taken the Browns to league championship games every year between 1946 and 1955, winning seven of them. He grew up in Waukegan, Illinois, and entered Northwestern University in 1940 on a basketball scholarship, although football became his main sport. After a brief stint in the military, and a season playing basketball for the Rochester Royals, Graham joined the Browns, where he thrived. With him at quarterback, the Browns posted a record of 114 wins, 20 losses and 4 ties, including a 9–3 win–loss record in the playoffs. While most of Graham's statistical records have been surpassed, he still holds the NFL record for career average yards gained per pass attempt. After he retired from playing football in 1955, Graham became head football coach at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut for seven years. He then spent three unsuccessful seasons as head coach of the Washington Redskins before returning to the Coast Guard Academy as athletic director until his retirement. August 27 Sydney Cup California vs Hawai'i September 3 Aer Lingus College Football Classic Georgia Tech vs Boston College Lambeau Field LSU vs Wisconsin Cactus Kickoff BYU vs Arizona Cowboys Classic USC vs Alabama Texas Kickoff Oklahoma vs Houston September 5 Camping World Kickoff Ole Miss vs Florida State September 8 NFL Kickoff Game Carolina vs Denver September 10 Megaphone Trophy Michigan State vs Notre Dame 2016 season: NFL • NCAA FBS (Bowl games) Template:/box-header ▼ American football ► American football by country ► American football-related lists ► American football occupations ► American football competitions ► History of American football ► American football media ► American football people ► American football plays ► American football positions ► American football strategy ► American football teams ► American football terminology ► American football trophies and awards ► Women's American football ► American football logos ► American football stubs Add {{Portal|American football}} to the See also section of American football-related articles. Tag the talk pages of American football-related articles, categories and templates with {{WikiProject American football}} Join WikiProject American football and list yourself as a Member. Rate the Unassessed American football articles in the American football WikiProject. Deletion discussions: listed at Wikipedia:WikiProject Deletion sorting/American football Requested articles: Create a requested article on American football Stubs: Help expand Category:American football stubs List of NFL champions NCAA Division 1A Champions List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees List of NFL first overall draft_picks List of National Football League head coaches List of NFL rushing champions List of college football coaches with 200 career wins List of current NFL team rosters National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team National Football League 1960s All-Decade Team National Football League 1970s All-Decade Team National Football League 1980s All-Decade Team National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team List of NFL franchise post-season droughts WikiProject Sports WikiProject American football WikiProject American Football League WikiProject Arena Football League WikiProject College football WikiProject National Football League WikiProject Pittsburgh Steelers WikiProject Chicago Bears WikiProject Green Bay Packers WikiProject New England Patriots WikiProject San Francisco 49ers WikiProject St. Louis Rams WikiProject Canadian football WikiProject Gridiron in AustraliaSee also... 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