[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 29, 2019

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate and recognize the 
150th Anniversary of the first college football game and the importance 
of college football to our country.
  That first game, played on November 6, 1869, featured Rutgers College 
(now Rutgers University) defeating the College of New Jersey (now 
Princeton University) by a score of 6-4. Since then, more than five 
million Americans have participated in college football, a game that is 
now woven into the very fabric of our country. American Football has 
become the most popular sport in our great nation, and without the 
developmental landscape provided by the college competitive format, 
that would never have been possible.
  Thanks to the influence of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the 
college game instituted the single most influential rule change in the 
history of American Football: the introduction of the forward pass. 
Notre Dame players Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne perfected the forward 
pass from a gimmick into a unique and defining feature of the game. On 
November 1, 1913, in a game against Army, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 
unleashed one of the first sophisticated passing attacks to win in an 
upset by a score of 35-13. Later, in 1914, legendary University of 
Illinois Head Coach Robert Zuppke used an early version of the ``T 
formation'', which became the blueprint for modem college and 
professional football offenses.
  Since then, college football has grown in scope and spectacle over 
the years. It has served as a proving ground for innovation in the game 
and on the field, and has produced U.S. Presidents, Rhodes Scholars, 
actors, chief executives of businesses, entrepreneurs, academics, and 
elected officials off the field.
  Watching or playing college football allows us--even if just for the 
span of a few short hours--to put our differences aside and celebrate a 
game that in many ways embodies the spirit of what makes us great as a 
country. As Americans we believe in having the will to succeed; we 
believe in teamwork; we value grit and determination; we embrace our 
individual roles as we work to advance an idea, concept, or 
organization bigger than ourselves. College football has drawn 
participants from every corner of America, and we see the diversity of 
our nation in the faces of the players and coaches on the field every 
Saturday.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the schools, teams, 
coaches, players, and fans who participate in college football on the 
celebration of this incredible milestone. I hope that the next 150 
years of college football bring all of us just as much passion, joy, 
and fulfillment as the last 150 years have.

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