1.
Running back
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A running back is an American and Canadian football position, a member of the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a play, to catch passes from out of the backfield. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a play, depending on the offensive formation. A running back may be a halfback or a fullback, a running back will sometimes be called a feature back if he is the teams starting running back. The halfback or tailback position is responsible for carrying the ball on the majority of running plays, in the modern game, an effective halfback must have a blend of both quickness and agility as a runner, as well as sure hands and good vision up-field as a receiver. Quarterbacks depend on halfbacks as a safety valve receiver when primary targets downfield are covered or when they are under pressure, occasionally, halfbacks line up as additional wide receivers. As a trick play, running backs are used to pass the ball on a halfback option play or halfback pass. The difference between halfback and tailback is the position of the player in the offensive formation. In historical formations, the lined up approximately halfway between the line of scrimmage and the fullback. Because the halfback is usually the main ball carrier, modern offensive formations have positioned the halfback behind the fullback. As a result, some systems or playbooks will call for a tailback as opposed to a halfback, in most modern college and professional football schemes, fullbacks carry the ball infrequently, instead using their stronger physiques as primary lead blockers. On most running plays, the leads the halfback, attempting to block potential tacklers before they reach the ball carrier. When fullbacks are called upon to carry the ball, the situation calls for gaining a short amount of yardage. Fullbacks are technically running backs, but today the term running back is used in referring to the halfback or tailback. Although modern fullbacks are rarely used as carriers, in previous offensive schemes fullbacks would be the designated ball carriers. In high school football, where player sizes vary greatly, fullbacks are still used as ball carriers. In high school and college offenses, the triple option uses the fullback as a primary ball carrier. The fullback plays a role by establishing an inside running threat on every play
2.
Los Angeles
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Los Angeles, officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L. A. is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. With a census-estimated 2015 population of 3,971,883, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated county in the United States. The citys inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos, historically home to the Chumash and Tongva, Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542 along with the rest of what would become Alta California. The city was founded on September 4,1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence, in 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4,1850, the discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth to the city. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, delivering water from Eastern California, nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, and sprawling metropolis. Los Angeles also has an economy in culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine. A global city, it has been ranked 6th in the Global Cities Index, the city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area has a gross metropolitan product of $831 billion, making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas. The city has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984 and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and thus become the second city after London to have hosted the Games three times. The Los Angeles area also hosted the 1994 FIFA mens World Cup final match as well as the 1999 FIFA womens World Cup final match, the mens event was watched on television by over 700 million people worldwide. The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva, a Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ, meaning poison oak place. Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2,1769, in 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area. The Queen of the Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary, two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry. The settlement remained a small town for decades, but by 1820. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, during Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta Californias regional capital
3.
USC Trojans football
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The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FBS, the Trojans throughout NCAA history have claimed 11 national championships. USC has the most Pro Football Hall of Famers, USC has the highest all-time post-season winning percentage of schools with 25 or more bowl appearances. The team is coached by Clay Helton, USC first fielded a football team in 1888. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, USC faced its first collegiate opponent the following year in fall 1889, playing St. Vincents College to a 40–0 victory. In 1893, USC joined the Intercollegiate Football Association of Southern California, which was composed of USC, Occidental College, Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pomona College was invited to enter, but declined to do so. An invitation was extended to Los Angeles High School. Before they were named Trojans in 1912, USC athletic teams were called the Methodists, during the early years, limitations in travel and the scarcity of major football-playing colleges on the West Coast limited its rivalries to local Southern Californian colleges and universities. During this period USC played regular series against Occidental, Caltech, Whittier, Pomona, the first USC team to play outside of Southern California went to Stanford University on November 4,1905, where they were trampled 16–0 by the traditional West Coast powerhouse. While the teams would not meet again until 1918, this was also USCs first game against a future Pac-12 conference opponent, during this period USC also played its first games against other future Pac-12 rivals, including Oregon State, California, Oregon and Arizona. Between 1911–1913, USC followed the example of California and Stanford, the results were disastrous, as USC was soundly defeated by more experienced programs while the school itself experienced financial reverses, it was during this period that Owen R. After several decades of competition, USC first achieved prominence under head coach Gloomy Gus Henderson in the early 1920s. Another milestone came under Henderson in 1922, when USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference, success continued under coach Howard Jones from 1925 to 1940, when the Trojans were just one of a few nationally dominant teams. It was during this era that the achieved renown as the Thundering Herd. USC achieved intermittent success in the years following Jones tenure, jeff Cravath, who coached from 1942–1950, won the Rose Bowl in 1943 and 1945. Jess Hill, who coached from 1951 to 1956, won the Rose Bowl in 1953, from 1957 to 1959, the Trojans were coached by Don Clark. The Pacific Coast Conference dissolved in 1959, USC joined the conferences other three California schools and Washington to form a new conference, the Athletic Association of Western Universities, under a new charter. The program entered a new golden age upon the arrival of head coach John McKay, during this period the Trojans produced two Heisman Trophy winners and won four national championships
4.
Kansas City Chiefs
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The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference West division. The team was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt and was a member of the American Football League. In 1963, the relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970, the team is valued at just under $1 billion. The Chiefs were also the team, after the Green Bay Packers, to appear in more than one Super Bowl. The Chiefs Wild-Card playoff victory ended what was at the time the third-longest drought in the NFL, in 1959, Lamar Hunt began discussions with other businessmen to establish a professional football league that would rival the National Football League. Hunts desire to secure a team was heightened after watching the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts. After unsuccessful attempts to purchase and relocate the NFLs Chicago Cardinals to his hometown of Dallas, Texas, Hunt went to the NFL and asked to create an expansion franchise in Dallas. The NFL turned him down, so Hunt then established the American Football League and started his own team, the Dallas Texans, to begin play in 1960. Hunt hired an assistant coach from the University of Miami football team, Hank Stram, to be the teams head coach after the job offer was declined by Bud Wilkinson. The Texans shared the Cotton Bowl with the NFLs cross-town competition Dallas Cowboys for three seasons, the Texans were to have exclusive access to the stadium until the NFL put an expansion team, the Dallas Cowboys, there. While the team averaged a league-best 24,500 at the Cotton Bowl, in the franchises first two seasons, the team managed only a 14–14 record. In their third season, the Texans strolled to an 11–3 record, the game was broadcast nationally on ABC and the Texans defeated the Oilers 20–17 in double overtime. The game lasted 77 minutes and 54 seconds, which stands as the longest championship game in professional football history. It turned out to be the last game the team would play as the Dallas Texans and he considered moving the Texans to either Atlanta or Miami for the 1963 season. However, he was swayed by an offer from Kansas City Mayor Harold Roe Bartle. Bartle promised to triple the franchises season ticket sales and expand the capacity of Municipal Stadium to accommodate the team
5.
History of the San Diego Chargers
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The Los Angeles Chargers franchise was founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League. The team played the 1960 season in Los Angeles, moving to San Diego in 1961, the Chargers played in San Diego for 56 years. In 2017, the Chargers owner announced a move to Los Angeles, effective with the 2017 season, the Chargers original owner was hotel heir Barron Hilton, son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. Frank Leahy, a former Notre Dame University football coach, was named the teams first general manager, the Chargers initially considered playing at the Rose Bowl, but instead signed a lease to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum. There is also a theory about a man named Gerald Courtney of Hollywood who won an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico City. They played ten years in the AFL before the merging of the league into the older NFL and their only coach for the ten-year life of the AFL was Sid Gillman, former coach of the NFLs Los Angeles Rams, who originally signed a three-year contract as head coach. Gillman, who was voted to the Hall of Fame, was widely recognized as a great offensive innovator. He also took on the role of coach and general manager after Frank Leahy resigned because of poor health. The early AFL years of the San Diego Chargers were highlighted by the play of wide receiver Lance Alworth with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards in his 11-AFL/NFL-season career. In addition, he set the pro football record of games with a reception during his career. With players such as Alworth, Paul Lowe, Keith Lincoln and John Hadl, the high-scoring Chargers reached the AFL Championship Game five times winning once during that ten-year span. The Chargers spent only one season in L. A. before moving in 1961, on that season, the defense recorded 49 pass interceptions as the AFL played an exciting brand of football featuring strong passing attacks. The Chargers were the originators of the term Fearsome Foursome to describe their all-star defensive line, anchored by Earl Faison, the phrase was later appropriated by various NFL teams. Houston defeated the Chargers 10–3 before 29,556 persons in Balboa Stadium to win the second AFL championship. The next year, the Chargers stumbled to a 4-10 record, as of 2016, this was the last professional sports championship for the city of San Diego. In 1964, the AFL teams signed a television contract with National Broadcasting Company for a record $36 million. The Chargers and New York Jets tied 17-17 before a record AFL crowd of 50,222 fans,46,828 paid in New Yorks Shea Stadium, a Balboa Stadium attendance record of 34,865 was set as Buffalo defeated San Diego 27-24 on Thanksgiving Day. The Chargers defeated the Jets 38-3 before 25,753 persons in Balboa Stadium to clinch their fourth AFL West title in five years, in 1965, San Diego won their fifth AFL West title in six years by defeating Houston on December 12 by the score of 37-26
6.
Heisman Trophy
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The Heisman Memorial Trophy, is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work and it is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust in early December before the postseason bowl games. The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club in 1935 to recognize the most valuable football player east of the Mississippi. After the death in October 1936 of the Clubs athletic director, John Heisman, Heisman had been active in college athletics as a football player, a head football, basketball, and baseball coach, and an athletic director. It is the oldest of several awards in college football, including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award. The most recent winner of the Heisman Trophy is University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the trophy itself, designed by sculptor Frank Eliscu, is modeled after Ed Smith, a leading player in 1934 for the now-defunct New York University football team. The trophy is made out of cast bronze, is 13.5 inches tall, Eliscu had asked Smith, his former George Washington High School classmate, to pose for a commissioned sculpture of a football player. Smith did not realize until 1982 that the sculpture had become the Heisman Trophy, the Downtown Athletic Club presented Smith with a Heisman Trophy of his own in 1985. From its inception in 1935, the statue was cast by Dieges & Clust in New York until 1980, for a time until at least 2008, the statues were cast by Roman Bronze Works in New York. There are 870 media voters,145 voters from each of six regions, according to Heisman. com there are currently 57 prior winners eligible to vote and, thus,57 potential votes. Fans, As the Premier Partner of the Heisman Trophy, Nissan has a vote, fan voting done through a survey collected by ESPN on NissanHeismanHouse. com. Each voter identifies three selections, ranking them in order, each first-place selection is awarded three points. Each second-place selection is awarded two points, each third-place selection is awarded one point. Voters must make three selections and cannot duplicate a selection, else the ballot is invalid and none of the selections count, the accounting firm Deloitte is responsible for the tabulation of votes, which has moved almost exclusively to online voting since 2007. Larry Kelley and Clint Frank of Yale were the first teammates to win the Heisman Trophy, nile Kinnick of Iowa was the only Heisman Trophy winner to have a stadium named after him. In 1972, the University of Iowa renamed its football complex Kinnick Stadium, Kinnick is also the only winner to die in military service of the United States, he went down piloting an F4F Wildcat from the deck of USS Lexington. His death in 1943 made him the first Heisman Trophy winner to die, Doc Blanchard was the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy when he led Army to the national title in 1945. Paul Hornung was the player to win the Heisman Trophy as a player for a losing team
7.
American Football League
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The American Football League was a major professional American football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when it merged with the National Football League. The upstart AFL operated in competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. The AFL was created by a number of owners who had been refused NFL expansion franchises or had shares of NFL franchises. The league first gained attention by signing 75% of the NFLs first-round draft choices in 1960, the transformation of the struggling Titans into the New York Jets under new ownership further solidified the leagues reputation among the major media. As fierce competition made player salaries skyrocket in both leagues, especially after a series of raids, the agreed to a merger in 1966. Among the conditions were a common draft and a game played between the two league champions, which would eventually become known as the Super Bowl. The AFL and NFL operated as separate leagues until 1970, with regular season. During this time the AFL added the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, in 1970, the AFL was absorbed into the NFL, and the ten AFL franchises along with the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers became the American Football Conference. During the 1950s, the National Football League had grown to rival Major League Baseball as one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States. One franchise that did not share in this success of the league was the Chicago Cardinals, owned by the Bidwill family. The Bidwills hoped to relocate their franchise, preferably to St. Louis, needing cash, the Bidwills began entertaining offers from would-be investors, and one of the men who approached the Bidwills was Lamar Hunt, son and heir of millionaire oilman H. L. Hunt. Hunt offered to buy the Cardinals and move them to Dallas, while Hunt negotiated with the Bidwills, similar offers were made by Bud Adams, Bob Howsam, and Max Winter. When Hunt, Adams, and Howsam were unable to secure a controlling interest in the Cardinals, they approached NFL commissioner Bert Bell, Bell, wary of expanding the 12-team league and risking its newfound success, rejected the offer. On his return flight to Dallas, Hunt conceived the idea of a new league. He contacted Adams, Howsam, and Winter to gauge their interest in starting a new league, hunts first meeting with Adams was held in March 1959. Hunt, who felt a regional rivalry would be critical for the success of the new league, convinced Adams to join, Hunt next secured an agreement from Howsam to bring a team to Denver. After Winter and Boyer agreed to start a team in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Hunt then approached Willard Rhodes, who hoped to bring pro football to Seattle. With no place for his team to play, Rhodes effort came to nothing, Hunt also sought franchises in Los Angeles, Buffalo and New York City
8.
Super Bowl
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The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The game is the culmination to a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Normally, Roman numerals are used to each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15,1967, the single exception to this rule is Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7,2016, following the 2015 regular season. The next game, Super Bowl LII, scheduled for February 4,2018, the game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two champion teams would play in the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a conference, currently, the National Football Conference leads the league with 26 wins to 25 wins for the American Football Conference. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles, with six, the New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances, with nine. The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some as an unofficial American national holiday, is called Super Bowl Sunday and it is the second-largest day for U. S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year, in 2015, Super Bowl XLIX became the most-watched American television program in history with an average audience of 114. The NFL restricts the use of its Super Bowl trademark, it is called the Big Game or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcasts commercials has become a significant aspect of the event, for four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached an agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two agreed to meet in a world championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected. A bowl game is a college football game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Games popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami, New Orleans, and El Paso, Texas in 1935, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term bowl for any major American football game was well established
9.
Super Bowl IV
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Super Bowl IV, the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, was played on January 11,1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football League champion Minnesota Vikings by the score of 23–7 and this victory by the AFL squared the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece. This was also the final AFL-NFL World Championship Game before the two merged into one after the season.5 to 13-point favorites. Minnesota posted a 12–2 record during the 1969 NFL season before defeating the Cleveland Browns, 27–7, in the 1969 NFL Championship Game. The Chiefs, who appeared in the first Super Bowl, finished the 1969 AFL season at 11–3. Under wet conditions, the Chiefs defense dominated Super Bowl IV by limiting the Minnesota offense to only 67 rushing yards, Kansas Citys Len Dawson became the fourth consecutive winning quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, Dawson also recorded three rushing attempts for 11 yards. Super Bowl IV is also notable for NFL Films miking up the Chiefs Hank Stram during the game, the game was awarded to New Orleans on March 19,1969 at the owners meetings held in Palm Springs, California. The Minnesota Vikings, led by head coach Bud Grant, entered the game with an NFL best 12–2 regular season record, leading the league in total points scored. They had scored 50 or greater points in three different games and they lost their first and last games of the season, but in between had 12 straight victories, the longest single-season winning streak in 35 years. The secondary was led by defensive backs Bobby Bryant, Earsell Mackbee, on offense, quarterback Joe Kapp was known for his superb leadership and his running ability, both throwing on the run and running for extra yards. And when Kapp did take off and run, instead of sliding when he was about to be tackled like most quarterbacks, he lowered his shoulder and this style of play earned him the nickname Indestructible. In the NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns, he collided with linebacker Jim Houston while running for a first down, and Houston had to be helped off the field after the play ended. Also, Kapp was known for being an extremely unselfish leader, running back Dave Osborn was the teams top rusher with 643 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 236 yards and another touchdown, in the passing game, Pro Bowl wide receiver Gene Washington averaged 21.1 yards per catch by recording 821 yards and nine touchdowns from 39 receptions. Wide receiver John Henderson caught 34 passes for 553 yards and 5 touchdowns, the Vikings offensive line was anchored by Pro Bowlers Grady Alderman and Mick Tingelhoff. By winning the 1969 NFL Championship, the Vikings became the last possessors of the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, meanwhile, it seemed that the Chiefs, led by head coach Hank Stram, and especially quarterback Len Dawson, were jinxed throughout the year. In the second game of the season, Dawson suffered a knee injury that kept him from playing the next six games
10.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
11.
Halfback (American football)
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A halfback is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i. e. a running back. The halfback position is one of the more glamorous positions on the field, sometimes the halfback can catch the ball from the backfield on short passing plays as he is an eligible receiver. Occasionally, they line up as wide receivers. When not running or catching the ball, the responsibility of a halfback is to aid the offensive linemen in blocking. Before the emergence of the T-formation in the 1940s, all members of the backfield were legitimate threats to run or pass the ball. Most teams used four offensive backs on every play, a quarterback, the quarterback began each play a quarter of the way back, the halfbacks began each play side by side and halfway back, and the fullback began each play the farthest back. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the position was both an offensive and defensive position. There has also been a shift in most offense’s dependence on halfbacks, however, the average output of the halfback has not changed. Older systems require the halfback be proficient at throwing the ball downfield as well, many of the “scat backs” in the modern era produce more total yards and touchdowns than their ancestor “power backs” by breaking off big plays on outside runs and receptions. The spread offense and the hurry-up offense change the halfback’s role, the spread, the hurry-up, and the pro-style offenses dominate American football but the “smash-mouth” style of play is far from extinct. A power-running scheme is often utilized to counter an effective Spread attack, as it allows a team to control the clock and this strategy is utilized in NFL, college, and all other forms of American football. The need for “power backs is very prevalent, alongside the need for “scat backs”, in the past few decades the role of the halfback has gone through a great shift as most offensive game plans are now fueled by creativity and finesse instead of raw force. Stamina and durability is more important than ever in the hurry-up offense, on the other hand, speed is often valued over strength, and pass-catching ability is sometimes valued over blocking proficiency. Power was once the most desired trait in a halfback, but has been taken by the need for a diverse skill set. In the last few decades the running back’s individual share of output has declined as quarterbacks are generally treated as the cornerstone of the offense. The demands of an up-tempo offense also favor a multiple running back system, from the dawn of American football through the 1880s most offensive schemes focused on the running game. In a running based game plan the halfback was typically the cornerstone of the offense and this system focused on a physical run attack concentrated in the inside of the field, and therefore depended on a skilled “power back”. There were no forward passes, and pure speed took a backseat to tackle-breaking and bucking ability, there was a focus on physicality over finesse, as this type of playing style earned the moniker of “smash mouth” football
12.
University of Southern California
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The University of Southern California is a private research university founded in 1880 with its main campus in Los Angeles, California. As Californias oldest private university, USC has historically educated a large number of the regions business leaders. In recent decades, the university has also leveraged its location in Los Angeles to establish relationships with research and cultural institutions throughout Asia, an engine for economic activity, USC contributes $8 billion annually to the economy of the Los Angeles metropolitan area and California. For the 2014–15 academic year, there were 18,740 students enrolled in undergraduate programs. USC also has 23,729 graduate and professional students in a number of different programs, including business, law, engineering, social work, and medicine. The university is one of the top fundraising institutions in the world, consistently ranking among the top 3 in external contributions, multiple academic rankings list the University of Southern California as being among the top 25 universities in the United States. With an acceptance rate of 16 percent, USC is also among the most selective academic institutions in the nation. USC maintains a tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship, with alumni having founded companies such as Lucasfilm, Myspace, Salesforce. com, Intuit, Qualcomm, Box, Tinder. As of 2014, the university has produced the fourth largest number of billionaire alumni out of all institutions in the world. USC is home to the world’s most powerful computer, which is presently housed in a super-cooled. The only other commercially available quantum computing system is operated jointly by NASA, USC was also one of the earliest nodes on ARPANET and is the birthplace of the Domain Name System. Other technologies invented at USC include DNA computing, dynamic programming, image compression, VoIP, USC sponsors a variety of intercollegiate sports and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Members of the teams, the Trojans, have won 102 NCAA team championships, ranking them third in the nation. Trojan athletes have won 288 medals at the Olympic games, more than any university in the United States. If USC were a country, its athletes would have received the 12th-most Olympic gold medals in history. In 1969, it joined the Association of American Universities, the University of Southern California was founded following the efforts of Judge Robert M. Hellman. The three donated 308 lots of land to establish the campus and provided the seed money for the construction of the first buildings. Originally operated in affiliation with the Methodist Church, the school mandated from the start that no student would be denied admission because of race, the university is no longer affiliated with any church, having severed formal ties in 1952
13.
California State University, Los Angeles
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California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the 23 universities in the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 129 Bachelors degrees,112 Masters degrees,3 Doctoral degrees, Cal State LA is a Hispanic-serving institution. Cal State LA has a student body of more than 24,000 students primarily from the greater Los Angeles area, Cal State LA operated year-round on the quarter system with four quarters, each 11 weeks in duration. In fall 2016, the university converted to the system as part of a system-wide conversion of all quarter campuses. Cal State LA is organized into eight colleges that house a total of four schools and approximately 50 academic departments, divisions, Cal State LA is home to the critically acclaimed Luckman Jazz-Orchestra and a unique Early Entrance Program in the Honors College for gifted students as young as 11. U. S. News has ranked Cal State LAs undergraduate business program as one of the best in the nation, the School of Nursing is considered to be one of the best in the state of California. Classrooms are shared with Cal State LA However, LACHSA activities tend to be separate from those of the university, notable LACHSA alumni include singer Josh Groban, actress Jenna Elfman, actor/singer Corbin Bleu, and UCLA Athletics senior executive Ron Country Club Kobata. Cal State LA open a new downtown Los Angeles campus in 2016 to provide university programs, the university has signed a lease for 21,000 square feet at West 8th Street and South Grand Avenue. Cal State LA will offer undergraduate and graduate programs at the site, as well as professional development, the campus will contain 12 classrooms,2 computer labs, student lounges, student collaboration space, conference and events space, and administrative and faculty offices. The university is located on the site of one of Californias 36 original adobes, built in 1776 by Franciscan missionaries and destroyed by fire in 1908. These lands once were part of a Spanish land grant known as Rancho Rosa Castilla, given to Juan Batista Batz, the inspiration for the name of the rancho, according to local historians, was the wild roses that once grew near the ranch home. The main drive through the campus is known as Paseo Rancho Castilla, Cal State LA was founded on July 2,1947 by an act of the California legislature and opened for classes as The Los Angeles State College on the campus of Los Angeles City College. In 1949, the Los Angeles State College was reconstituted by the Legislature as The Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts, in 1972, CSCLA was awarded university status and was renamed California State University, Los Angeles. Since 1954, Cal State LA has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools, the universitys credential programs are approved by the Commission for Teacher Credentialing Committee on Accreditation. In 1968 Cal State LA established the nations first Chicano Studies department, in 1993, the CSU Chancellor and Trustees approved development of Cal State LAs Charter College of Education, creating the first such college of higher education in the nation. The original mascot of the school was the Diablo, in 1980, new university president James Rosser adopted a new mascot, Eddie the golden eagle, designed to be more reflective of the campus highly diverse community. The theme was extended to student facilities such as the student union, sept.2000 California Governor Gray Davis chooses the Cal State LA campus to hold press conference at which he signs the historic bills expanding the Cal Grant program. A Statue of Confucius, a gift of the Republic of China in Taiwan, was dedicated June 1987, the statue was moved to a new campus location in summer 2005
14.
Theodore Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles)
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Theodore Roosevelt High School is an educational institution of seven high schools located in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, California named for the 26th president of the United States. Up until the 2008-09 school year, the followed a year-round calendar. In 2008, the school started to be managed by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, in 2010, the cohesive institution was split up into seven small schools, each with its own principal, CEEB code, students and staff. The outcomes of this have been debated by students and administrators and its school colors are red and gold, the mascot is Teddy the Bear, and their sport teams are known as the Rough Riders. The schools motto is Dont flinch, dont foul, hit the line hard, which is a Theodore Roosevelt quote. Students come from Boyle Heights, South Central, East Los Angeles, Roosevelt participates in the annual East L. A. Classic against Garfield High School. It is the game for both schools and attracts over 20,000 people every year. Roosevelt was founded in 1922, but opened in 1923 in Boyle Heights to the east of the Los Angeles River, during World War II the Japanese were removed to internment camps. A Japanese garden that had been destroyed was restored in 1996 with funds raised by alumni, as the population grew in the area, Roosevelt sought expansion. The R-Building was the building and faced Fickett Street. The street was vacated and a new administration was constructed, many new buildings were created and added to campus. The R-building has a history and distinct architecture. There was a floor to the building which had to be closed due to damage from a fire. The basement was built with a range for the Junior ROTC. Roosevelt was one of the five schools to initiate the student walkouts in 1968, in 2009 the opening of the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Centers helped to expand Roosevelt. API for High Schools in the LAUSD District 5 and local public charter high schools in the East Los Angeles region. The East L. A. Classic is the game for Roosevelt High School. The classic has taken place since a few years after the opening of the two schools, with the exception of the Depression and World War II
15.
East Los Angeles, California
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East Los Angeles, or East L. A. is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. It is 96. 7% Latino - the highest percentage of the 272 neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, the unincorporated area known as City Terrace occupies the northern part of the East L. A. CDP. East Los Angeles is the least ethnically diverse community in Los Angeles County as noted by the Los Angeles Times Mapping L. A. survey, the 2010 United States Census reported that East Los Angeles had a population of 126,496. Population density was 16,973.5 people per square mile. The racial makeup of East Los Angeles was 53,934 White,817 African American,1,549 Native American,1,144 Asian,63 Pacific Islander,54,846 from other races, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 122,784 persons. The Census reported that 126,176 people lived in households,174 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, there were 2,516 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 199 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,781 households were made up of individuals and 1,781 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 4.09. There were 25,839 families, the family size was 4.33. The median age was 29.1 years, for every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. There were 32,201 housing units at a density of 4,320.8 per square mile, of which 10,986 were owner-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1. 2%, the vacancy rate was 3. 2%. 47,123 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 79,053 people lived in housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, East Los Angeles had a household income of $37,982. As of the of 2000, there were 124,283 people,29,844 households, the population density was 16,697.4 people per square mile. There were 31,096 housing units at a density of 4,177.8 per square mile. 96. 8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino,12. 5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6. 4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.15 and the family size was 4.42
16.
College Football All-America Team
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The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. Camp took over the responsibility for picking the All-America team and was recognized as the selector in the early years of the 20th century. com. As of 2009, the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizes the All-America teams selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News, if three of these organizations select a player to their first team, he automatically receives the consensus honor. If a player is named an All-American by all five organizations, depending upon the distribution of first team honors at any given position, it is possible to be consensus with fewer than three first-team selections. The University of Notre Dame has produced the most unanimous All Americans of any program, there have been 2,868 players from 156 colleges and universities since 1889 who were selected to at least one All-American first team. It has selected an All-America team since 1925, the American Football Coaches Association has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. It is often referred to as the Coaches All-America Team, the Coaches’ All-America Team has been sponsored by various entities throughout the years but it is now under its own banner, the AFCA. These are the sponsors/publishers of the team throughout the years and it is sometimes referred to as the Writers All-America Team. The FWAA has selected an All-America team with the help of its members, the All-America team is selected by a committee of writers representing all conferences and regions of the NCAA. The Writers Team has been highlighted in various media forums, from 1946-70, Look published the FWAA team and brought players and selected writers to New York City for a celebration. During that 25-year period, the FWAA team was introduced on television shows by Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Perry Como. After Look folded, the FWAA started an association with NCAA Films. The team was part of ABC Televisions 1981 College Football Series, from 1983-90, the team was either on ABC or ESPN, and since 1991 has returned to the national spotlight on ABC. The corporate sponsor for the Writers team is AT&T, after years of Cingular being the sponsor. Walter Camp, The Father of American Football, first selected an All-America team in 1889, the WCF claims an 80% participation rate in the voting for its All-America team. Sporting News, formerly known as The Sporting News and known colloquially as TSN, have teams college football editors and staff select teams, from that year through the 1962 season TSNs All-America team was picked by a poll of sportswriters. Beginning in 1964 the team was selected by professional scouts and observers, the Sporting News cited the advent of two-platoon football as the need to go to that system. United Press International is a organization that selected players in a national poll of sportswriters
17.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit association which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations, and individuals. It also organizes the programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2014, the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue. 80 to 90% of this revenue was due to the Division I Mens Basketball Tournament and this revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States. In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships, generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently, the term Division I-AAA was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, in 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision. Inter-collegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard University, as other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted. Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, the IAAUS was officially established on March 31,1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. For several years, the NCAA was a group and rules-making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, a series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. The Sanity Code – adopted to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid – failed to curb abuses, postseason football games were multiplying with little control, and member schools were increasingly concerned about how the new medium of television would affect football attendance. The complexity of problems and the growth in membership and championships demonstrated the need for full-time professional leadership. Walter Byers, previously an executive assistant, was named executive director in 1951. Byers wasted no time placing his stamp on the Association, as college athletics grew, the scope of the nations athletics programs diverged, forcing the NCAA to create a structure that recognized varying levels of emphasis. In 1973, the Associations membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions – I, II, and III, five years later in 1978, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA in football. Until the 1980s, the association did not offer womens athletics, instead, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, with nearly 1000 member schools, governed womens collegiate sports in the United States
18.
Pac-12 Conference
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The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States. It participates in 22 NCAA sports in the NCAAs Division I, its teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The conferences 12 members are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and they include each states flagship public university, four additional public universities, and two private research universities. It became the Pac-12 in 2011 with the addition of the University of Colorado, with Arizona States softball title in 2011, the conference won its 400th NCAA Championship. The current commissioner of the conference is Larry Scott, Scott replaced Thomas C, hansen, who retired in July 2009 after 26 years in that position. Prior to joining the Pac-10, Scott was Chairman and CEO of the Womens Tennis Association, the Pac-12 has twelve full member institutions. Football currently is the sport where the conference is divided evenly into two geographic divisions, the North Division and the South Division. The Pac-12 spans six states in the Western United States, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Unusual for a conference, the Pac-12s members are spread evenly between 3 regions, with 4 schools each in California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Four Corners region. The Pac-12 has four affiliate member institutions, three in California and Boise State University in Idaho, the school will maintain its Pac-12 affiliation in wrestling, which the WAC does not sponsor. No school has left the Pac-12 since its founding as the AAWU in 1959, two members of the PCC were not invited to join the AAWU or its successors. As private schools, Stanford and USC are not obligated to publish employees salaries, Eight of the twelve member schools are members of the Association of American Universities, including all of the conferences California schools. The only FBS conference with more AAU members is the Big Ten with 13 out of 14 member institutions having AAU membership, in 2014, of the twelve member schools, nine were ranked in the top 100 universities in the world. Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds and all sources including TV income, camp income, food. Updated to show institutional reporting to the Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2013-14 academic year, the national ranking of revenue is based on 2075 institutions reporting to the Department of Education that year. The roots of the Pac-12 Conference go back to December 2,1915, charter members were the University of California, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College. The conference began play in 1916, one year later, Washington State College joined the league, followed by Stanford University in 1918. In 1922, the PCC expanded to eight teams with the admission of USC, Montana joined the Conference in 1924, and in 1928, the PCC grew to 10 members with the addition of UCLA
19.
Touchdown
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A touchdown is a means of scoring in both American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, to score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. The touchdown is scored the instant the ball crosses the plane of the line while in possession of a player whose team is trying to score in that end zone. The play is dead and the scores the moment the ball crosses the goal line in possession of a player. The slightest part of the ball being over the line is sufficient for a touchdown to score. However, only the ball counts, not a players helmet, foot, touching one of the pylons at either end of the goal line with the ball constitutes breaking the plane as well. Touchdowns are usually scored by the offense by running or passing the ball, however, the defense can also score a touchdown if they have recovered a fumble or made an interception and return it to the opposing end zone. Special teams can score a touchdown on a kickoff or punt return, in short, any play in which a player legally carries the ball across the goal line scores a touchdown, and the manner in which he gained possession is inconsequential. A touchdown is worth six points, the scoring team is also awarded the opportunity for an extra point or a two-point conversion. Afterwards, the team scored the touchdown kicks off to the opposing team. This rule was changed to the iteration in 1889. If the teammate could fair catch the ball, he could follow with a try for goal from the spot of the catch, the governing rule at the time read, A match shall be decided by a majority of touchdowns. A goal shall be equal to four touchdowns, but in the case of a tie, in 1881, the rules were modified so that a goal kicked from a touchdown took precedence over a goal kicked from the field in breaking ties. In 1882, four touchdowns were determined to take precedence over a goal kicked from the field, two safeties were equivalent to a touchdown. In 1883, points were introduced to football, and a touchdown counted as four points, a goal after a touchdown also counted as four points. In 1889, the provision requiring the ball to actually be touched to the ground was removed, a touchdown was now scored by possessing the ball beyond the goal line. In 1897, the touchdown scored five points, and the goal after touchdown added another point, in 1900, the definition of touchdown was changed to include situations where the ball becomes dead on or above the goal line. In 1912, the value of a touchdown was increased to six points, the end zone was also added
20.
College Football Hall of Fame
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The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation launched the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players, from 1995 to 2012, the Hall was located in South Bend, Indiana. It was connected to a center and situated in the citys renovated downtown district,2 miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. In August 2014, the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience opened in downtown Atlanta, rutgers donated land near its football stadium, office space, and administrative support. In response, the Foundation moved its operations to New York City, when the New York Attorney Generals office began its own investigation, the foundation moved to Kings Mills, Ohio, where a building finally was constructed adjacent to Kings Island in 1978. The Hall opened with good attendance figures early on, but visitation dwindled dramatically as time went on, nearby Galbreath Field remained open as the home of Moeller High School football until 2003. A new building was opened in South Bend, Indiana on August 25,1995. Despite estimates that the South Bend location would more than 150,000 visitors a year, the Hall of Fame drew about 115,000 people the first year. In 2009, the National Football Foundation decided to move the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta, the possibility of moving the museum has been brought up in other cities, including Dallas, which had the financial backing of billionaire T. Boone Pickens. However, the National Football Foundation ultimately decided on Atlanta for the next site, the new $68.5 million museum opened on August 23,2014. It is located next to Centennial Olympic Park, which is near other attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The Hall of Fame is located near the Georgia Institute of Technology of the ACC, the new building broke ground on January 28,2013. Sections of the architecture are reminiscent of a football in shape, the facility is 94,256 square feet and contains approximately 50,000 square feet of exhibit and event space, interactive displays and a 45-yard indoor football field. Atlanta Hall Management operates the College Football Hall of Fame, as of 2017, there are 987 players and 214 coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, representing 306 schools. The National Football Foundation outlines specific criteria that may be used for evaluating a candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame. A player must have received major first team All-America recognition, a player becomes eligible for consideration 10 years after his last year of intercollegiate football played. Football achievements are considered first, but the record as a citizen is also weighed. Players must have played their last year of football within the last 50 years
21.
O. J. Simpson
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Orenthal James O. J. Simpson, nicknamed The Juice, is a former American football running back, broadcaster, actor, and convicted armed robber and kidnapper. Simpson attended the University of Southern California, where he played football for the USC Trojans. He played professionally in the National Football League as a back for 11 seasons, with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, holding the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1. He is the player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format. Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, after retiring from football, he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman after a lengthy and internationally publicised trial. The families of the victims filed a suit against him. In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole. He is serving his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, born and raised in San Francisco, California, Simpson is the son of Eunice, a hospital administrator, and Jimmy Lee Simpson, a chef and bank custodian. His father was a drag queen in the San Francisco area. Later in life, Jimmy Simpson announced that he was gay, Simpsons maternal grandparents were from Louisiana, and his aunt gave him the name Orenthal, which she said was the name of a French actor she liked. Simpson has one brother, Melvin Leon Truman Simpson, one living sister, Shirley Simpson-Baker, as a child, Simpson developed rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five. His parents separated in 1952, and he was raised by his mother, growing up in San Francisco, Simpson and his family lived in the housing projects of the Potrero Hill neighborhood. In his early years, he joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center. At Galileo High School in San Francisco, Simpson played for the football team. From 1965 to 1966, Simpson was a student at City College of San Francisco and he played both offense and defense and was named to the Junior College All-American team as a running back. Simpson was awarded a scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
22.
Marcus Allen
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Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football running back and football analyst for CBS. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and he scored 145 touchdowns, including a then league record 123 rushing touchdowns, and was elected to six Pro Bowls over the course of his career. He was also a good passer for a running back, completing 12 of 27 passes for 285 yards and six touchdowns. Allen was the first player ever to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards during his career, Allen is considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in National Football League history. His younger brother, Damon Allen, played quarterback for 23 seasons in the Canadian Football League and was professional footballs all-time leader in passing yards. Allen has the distinction of being the player in the history of football to have won a Heisman Trophy, an NCAA National Championship, a Super Bowl. He has also inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen played football at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California, Allen played running back at the University of Southern California from 1978 to 1981. He was recruited as a back, but head coach John Robinson switched him to tailback. As a freshman in 1978, Allen was a member of the Trojans National Championship team, in 1979, he was moved to fullback. Eventually, in 1980, Allen became the starter at tailback and rushed for 1,563 yards, the third-most in the nation that year. In 1981, Allen rushed for 2,342 yards, becoming the player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award and he was also the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Allen shares the NCAA record for most 200-yard rushing games with Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne, Allen finished his four college seasons with 4,664 rushing yards,5,232 total yards, and 46 touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. USC has retired his jersey #33, Allen was drafted with the 10th overall selection of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders. In a recent ad on NFL Network, Allen recalls shortly before being drafted that the Raiders asked him his weight at the time and then drafted him soon after. Though his rookie season was shortened by a strike, Allen rushed for 697 yards. He was voted the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Raiders would lose to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional Playoffs
23.
Alpha Phi Omega
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Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,000 students, and over 400,000 alumni members. There are also 250 chapters in the Philippines, one in Australia, Alpha Phi Omega is a National co-ed service fraternity organized to provide community service, leadership development, and social opportunities for college students. Being primarily a service organization, the fraternity restricts its chapters from maintaining fraternity houses to serve as residences for their members and this also encourages members of social fraternities and sororities that have houses to join APO as well. Alpha Phi Omega was founded on December 16,1925 at Lafayette College, on the 2nd floor of Brainerd Hall, located in Easton, Pennsylvania. APO was founded by Frank Reed Horton and 13 other students who were former Boy Scouts and scouters, six advisors were also inducted, Lafayette President John H. MacCracken, Dean Donald B. The founders insisted that all those gaining membership must pledge to uphold the fraternitys three cardinal principles of Leadership, Friendship, and Service, of these important founding members, a few made extremely notable and important contributions to APO that we still recognize today. Everett Probst designed the pin and coat of arms, Thane S. Cooley suggested the hand clasp during the toast song, Alpha Phi Omega became a national fraternity on January 11,1927 with the founding of Beta chapter at University of Pittsburgh. Horton served as Supreme Grand Master from the founding of the fraternity until the 1931 convention, a total of 18 chapters were founded during this period. At the 1931 convention, H. Roe Bartle was elected as Supreme Grand Master and served through World War II, during his time as president, the number of chapters grew to 109. Early in his term, Alpha Phi Omega was formally recognized by the Boy Scouts of America, the most rapid growth of the fraternity was in the post-war years. By 1950, Alpha Phi Omega had 227 chapters in the United States, the first chapter outside the US was organized in the Philippines that year. Many Filipinos were active in the Boy Scouts, sol Levy, an APO member from University of Washington and Professional Scouter introduced the organization to Filipino Scouts. Ureta, a student at Far Eastern University in Manila, was among the audience. Inspired by Levys words, he read the publications and shared them with fellow Eagle Scouts and students on the FEU campus and he asked their opinion about Levys desire and the response was good. On March 2,1950, the Alpha Phi Omega International Service Fraternity was chartered on campus, Alpha Phi Omega grew rapidly in the Philippines. Alpha Phi Omega Inc. was the first branch of the fraternity to be chartered outside the USA, the fraternity was opened fully to women in 1976. All members are called Brothers, regardless of gender, the Fraternity views Brothers as a gender-neutral term. Several Alpha Phi Omega chapters also had started little sister groups, Zeta went coed that year with B
24.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
25.
Super Bowl I
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The National Football League champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 35–10. Coming into this game, considerable animosity remained between the AFL and NFL, thus the teams representing the two rival leagues felt pressure to win. The Chiefs posted an 11–2–1 record during the 1966 AFL season, the Packers finished the 1966 NFL season at 12–2, and defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 34–27, in the 1966 NFL Championship Game. Still, many writers and fans believed any team in the older NFL was vastly superior to any club in the upstart AFL. The first half of Super Bowl I was competitive, as the Chiefs out-gained the Packers in total yards, 181–164, early in the third quarter, Green Bay safety Willie Wood intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards to the five-yard line. The turnover sparked the Packers to score 21 unanswered points in the second half, Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr, who completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, was named MVP. When the NFL began its 40th season in 1960, it had a new and unwanted rival, but unlike the NFLs prior rivals, the AFL survived and prospered, in part by signing NFL rejects who turned out to be highly talented players the older league had badly misjudged. Soon the NFL and AFL found themselves locked in a bidding war for the top free agents and prospects coming out of college. Originally, there was an agreement between the two not to raid each other by signing players who were already under contract with a team from an opposing league. This policy broke down in early 1966 when the NFLs New York Giants signed Pete Gogolak, the AFL owners considered this an act of war and immediately struck back, signing several contracted NFL players, including eight of their top quarterbacks. Eventually the NFL had enough and started negotiations with the AFL in an attempt to resolve the issue, as a result of the negotiations, the leagues signed a merger agreement on June 9,1966. Among the details, both agreed to share a common draft in order to end the bidding war for the top college players. Los Angeles was not awarded the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game until December 1,1966 six weeks prior to the kickoff, likewise, the Green Bay Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Packers winning 35–10. The Chiefs entered the game after recording an 11–2–1 mark during the regular season, in the AFL Championship Game, they beat the Buffalo Bills, 31–7. Kansas Citys high-powered offense led the AFL in points scored and total rushing yards and their trio of running backs, Mike Garrett, Bert Coan, and Curtis McClinton all ranked among the top-ten rushers in the AFL. Quarterback Len Dawson was the passer in the AFL, completing 159 of 284 of his passes for 2,527 yards and 26 touchdowns. Wide receiver Otis Taylor provided the team with a deep threat by recording 58 receptions for 1,297 yards. The Chiefs also had a defense, with All-AFL players Jerry Mays
