American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football and often internationally as a type of gridiron football, as against association football, is a competitive sport, most often contested at any given point between two teams comprising 11 players each. A team attempts to advance a ball, roughly a prolate spheroid, by carrying (rushing), throwing (passing), or, under specific circumstances, kicking the ball, on a field composed of grass or artificial turf, intending eventually to advance the ball into an opponent's end zone–located 100 yards (91.44 metres) from a team's own end zone–prior to the exhaustion of a team's series of three or four downs, for a touchdown (worth six points) or a field goal (worth three points); the team to have scored more points upon expiration the time alloted for the game, 60 minutes–divided into four equal quarters–during a professional event, is the victor.
The offensive unit of one team, featuring a quarterback to whom the ball is snapped who directs the play of his team, competes against an opponent's defensive unit; should the offense fail to advance at least 10 yards beyond the location (original line of scrimmage) at which it receives possession, it may surrender the ball to the opposing team, the offense of which then takes the ball, either by exhausting its supply of downs or by kicking the ball away (punting). Possession may also transfer should, in the course of active play, an offensive player drop (fumble) or throw (interception) the ball to a defensive player.
Various activities–both relative to activities during play that inappropriately provide a competitive advantage or are inordinately dangerous and to unsportsmanlike conduct–are proscribed by rule and are punished with the assessment of penalties by a referee, who heads a team, at the professional and collegiate levels, of seven officials. Offenses are dealt with in a variety of fashions, but most often with an assessment of yardage to the team aggrieved or the nullification of a play during which an offense occurred.
Several variants of the game exist, including arena football, indoor football, and flag football. Both Canadian football and American football are derived from rugby football, and while they have some shared origins, there are significant differences.
The 1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game, played September 28, 1892, was the first-ever football game played at night.[1][2] The game was played between Wyoming Seminary (a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania) and Mansfield State Normal School in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. During the time period, it was common for a college and high school to play each other in football--a practice that has long since been discontinued.
The lighting brought in turned out to be inadequate for gameplay. The game itself lasted only 20 minutes and there were only 10 plays. Both sides agreed to end at halftime with a 0-0 tie after several players had an unfortunate run-in with a light pole.[3]
This historic game is celebrated by a yearly reenactment of the original game played between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal School during an autumn festival known as the "Fabulous 1890's Weekend." The re-enactment of the game is a play-by-play version of the actual game as recorded. Fans who watch the game are sometimes known to correct players when they deviate from the original recorded plays.[4]
Reference
Brett Favre is the current starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).
Favre started at quarterback for The University of Southern Mississippi for four years before being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. After one season with the Falcons, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers on February 10, 1992 for a first-round draft pick. He became the Packers starting quarterback in the third game of the 1992 NFL season.
Favre is the only three-time MVP (1995-97) in NFL history and has led the Packers to two Super Bowls: a victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI and a loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. Favre has played 16 seasons in the NFL and has started every game since his first for the Packers in 1992. His records include most consecutive starts among NFL quarterbacks with 237 (257 total starts including playoffs) and most completions (5,021). He ranks second behind Dan Marino for career touchdown passes (414), career attempts (8,223), and career passing (57,500). With 147 victories as a starting quarterback, Favre is tied with Dan Marino for second; they both trail John Elway's 148.
At Southern Miss, Favre began his freshman year as the seventh string quarterback and took over the starting position in the second half of the third game of the year against Tulane on September 19, 1987 in which he led the Golden Eagles to a come-from-behind victory with two touchdown passes. In his junior season, Favre led the Golden Eagles to an upset of Florida State (then ranked sixth in the nation) on September 2, 1989. Favre capped a six-and-a-half-minute drive with the game-winning touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining.
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