The story of “football” began with games played on foot, far different from what we witness today. The term was a broad descriptor for various games with the common goal of moving a ball towards a target area, primarily using feet.

Early on, American and Canadian football developed alongside (but independently from) each other; the root of the game known as "football" today originates with an 1874 game between Harvard and McGill Universities, following which the American school adopted the Canadian school's more rugby-like rules.

Usage. The fair catch kick rule is very rarely invoked, and is one of the rarest plays in football. The rule has been regarded as "obscure", "bizarre", and "quirky".

While there are many people who contributed to the development of the sport, Walter Camp is considered the father of American football. In 1880, he proposed a set of rules that would make the game more structured and safe. These rules included downs, the line of scrimmage, and the neutral zone.