Camp, Walter (1859-1925), is often called the father of American football. He was the most important figure in developing modern football’s rules, strategy, and playing techniques.
Camp was largely responsible for establishing the scrimmage line, alignment of offensive players, signal calling, the center snap to the quarterback, the system of allowing a certain number of downs to make a first down, and the scoring format. In 1889, Camp and sportswriter Caspar Whitney originated the all-America football team to honor outstanding college players.
Walter Chauncey Camp was born on April 7, 1859, in New Britain, Connecticut. He played at Yale University from 1876 to 1882. He coached at Yale from 1888 to 1892 and at Stanford University in 1892, 1894, and 1895. Camp also wrote more than 20 books on sports and physical fitness. He died on March 14, 1925.
