They Pull off the "Hook and Ladder"

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by wwcfoa43

Actually 11 players and the tiny U.S. field was because Harvard did not have enough room on their field for the proper size Rugby pitch and so 100 yards with 10 yard end zones and 11 players was born!

Not true. Harvard played 15s with everyone else until Yale prevailed to reduce sides to 11s in 1880, with an accompanying reduction in width of the field to what we have now. Yale had been used to a soccer-like game and wouldn't play the rugby game until then, but yielded on everything else and got as a concession a reduction in the number of players. Isn't that strange, conceding on a change in the entire nature of the game but getting the number of players they'd been used to? You'd think once you changed your game to that degree, your attitude about those particulars would change. Can you imagine if their baseball team had been in on the negotiations, and we'd be playing 9 a side now?

What you may be thinking about is that in 1906 consideration was given to widening the field, but the cement had just been poured for Harvard's Soldiers Field, which wouldn't accommodate the widening that was considered.

Robert

[hawkishowl20]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Not true. Harvard played 15s with everyone else until Yale prevailed to reduce sides to 11s in 1880, with an accompanying reduction in width of the field to what we have now. Yale had been used to a soccer-like game and wouldn't play the rugby game until then, but yielded on everything else and got as a concession a reduction in the number of players. Isn't that strange, conceding on a change in the entire nature of the game but getting the number of players they'd been used to? You'd think once you changed your game to that degree, your attitude about those particulars would change. Can you imagine if their baseball team had been in on the negotiations, and we'd be playing 9 a side now?

What you may be thinking about is that in 1906 consideration was given to widening the field, but the cement had just been poured for Harvard's Soldiers Field, which wouldn't accommodate the widening that was considered.

Robert

Where did you find this trivia? Rites of Autumn? Some other history? (I will probably read immediately after finding out what it is) The stuff from Yale and Harvard is always so interesting; think Alonzo Stagg.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by hawkishowl20

Where did you find this trivia? Rites of Autumn? Some other history?

Damned if I can remember. I did a lot of study of this subject decades ago, but the business about Yale & 11s is widely available.