The following is a list of the first college football game in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia. Games included on this list are the earliest recorded single intercollegiate football games in each member state of the United States. State Date Home Visitor Location Final score NotesNJNovember 6, 1869RutgersPrincetonAlso called College of New Jersey when the game was played.College Avenue Field, New Brunswick, New Jersey6–4First organized intercollegiate football game in New Jersey. The game was essentially soccer, but is considered the first college football game ever played.NYNovember 2, 1872ColumbiaRutgersUnion Base Ball Club Grounds, Tremont, New York0–0First organized intercollegiate football game in New York. The game was essentially soccer, as a kick over the crossbar was not counted as a goal. Tremont became a part of New York City in 1874, and Walter Gladwin Park in The Bronx is the approximate location where the game was played.CTNovember 16, 1872YaleHamilton Park, New Haven, Connecticut3–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Connecticut. First game in New England. The game was essentially soccer with 20-man sides, played on a field 400 by 250 feet. Yale won 3–0, Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin the other two.VANovember 2, 1873Washington and LeeVMILexington, Virginia4–2First organized intercollegiate football game in Virginia. The game was essentially soccer and is considered by some to be the first intercollegiate game in the south.
Some industrious students of the two schools organized a game for October 23, 1869 – but it was rained out. Students of the University of Virginia were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim it organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871. But no record has been found of the score of this contest. Due to scantness of records of the prior matches some will claim either Richmond v. Randolph-Macon on December 3, 1881 (essentially soccer) or Virginia v. Pantops Academy on November 13, 1887 as the first game in Virginia.MAMay 14, 1874HarvardMcGillJarvis Field, Cambridge, Massachusetts3–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Massachusetts. The game was played under the "Boston Rules", which were essentially modified soccer rules that allowed the ball to be carried in some limited circumstances.
The next day, May 15, 1874, Harvard and McGill played to a scoreless tie in the first organized intercollegiate football game under rugby rules.MENovember 6, 1875BatesTuftsRand Field, Lewiston, Maine1–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Maine. After playing Harvard in a rugby football game in June 1875, Tufts took its squad to Bates College for the first organized intercollegiate football game played in Maine.PANovember 11, 1876PennPrincetonYoung America Cricket Club Grounds (Turnpike Bridge), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania6–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Pennsylvania. The game was essentially soccer, though some "batting with the wrist" was apparently allowed.ILMay 30, 1879MichiganRacine CollegeWhite-Stocking Park, Chicago, Illinois1–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Illinois. The Chicago Daily Tribune called it "the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies" and it was advertised as the "championship of the Western Colleges."
The first organized intercollegiate football game in Illinois played by teams from the state occurred November 11, 1882, when Lake Forest defeated Northwestern 1–0 on the Campus Meadow in Evanston.MINovember 1, 1879MichiganTorontoRecreation Park, Detroit, Michigan0–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Michigan.KYApril 9, 1880TransylvaniaCalled Kentucky University when the game was played.CentreStoll Field, Lexington, Kentucky13¾–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Kentucky. Due to being the first rugby-style intercollegiate game in the south, the game is considered by some to be the first intercollegiate game in the south.NHNovember 17, 1881AmherstHanover, New Hampshire1–0First organized intercollegiate football game in New Hampshire.
The first organized football game in New Hampshire involving a college occurred October 29, 1881 when MIT defeated Exeter Academy 2-0 in Exeter.MNSeptember 30, 1882MinnesotaHamlineKing's Fair Ground, Minneapolis, Minnesota4–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Minnesota. Some secondary sources may incorrectly report September 29 as the date and the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul as the location. The correct date and location are September 30 at King's Fair Ground in Minneapolis.MDNovember 30, 1882NavyJohns HopkinsAnnapolis, Maryland8–0First organized intercollegiate football in Maryland. It snowed heavily before the game, to the point where players for both teams had to clear layers of snow off of the field, making large piles of snow along the sides of the playing ground. The field was 110 yards by 53 yards, with goalposts apart and high. The first half of the game went scoreless; the Baltimore American reported that "the visitors pushed Navy every place but over the goal line in the first half".Bealle (1951), p. 9 During play, the ball was kicked over the seawall a number of times, once going so far out it had to be retrieved by boat before play could continue.Patterson (2000), p. 22
The first organized football game in Maryland involving a college occurred December 11, 1879 when Navy and the Baltimore Athletic Club played to a scoreless tie on the "superintendent's cow pasture" in Annapolis.DCNovember 20, 1883GallaudetGeorgetownKendall Green, Washington, D.C.13–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Washington, D.C.INMay 31, 1884ButlerDePauw7th Street Base Ball Park, Indianapolis, Indiana16–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Indiana.COApril 11, 1885Colorado CollegeAthletic Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado12–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Colorado. The CC Athletic Association responded to a challenge from the University of Denver by scheduling a game early on April 11. A severe windstorm that morning forced postponement of the game until the afternoon.
The first organized football game in Colorado involving a college occurred December 25, 1882 when Colorado College defeated Sigafus Hose Company 10–8 on a field near the college campus in Colorado Springs.VTNovember 6, 1886VermontBurlington, Vermont91–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Vermont. NCOctober 18, 1888Wake ForestNorth CarolinaState Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina6–4First organized intercollegiate football game in North Carolina.
The first "scientific game" occurred on Thanksgiving of the same year when North Carolina played Duke (then Trinity) at Raleigh Athletic Park. Duke won 16 to 0.WINovember 29, 1888Lake ForestRacine, Wisconsin6–4First organized intercollegiate football game in Wisconsin. Lake Forest claims it was just the sixteenth team in the nation.OHDecember 8, 1888Miami (OH)CincinnatiOld Main lawn, Oxford, Ohio0–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Ohio. The "Victory Bell" is one of the sport's oldest rivalries. The first game was played in a freezing rain.
The first organized football game in Ohio involving a college occurred October 23, 1885 when Cincinnati and Mount Auburn Athletic Club tied 0-0 in Cincinnati.SDMay 3, 1889South Dakota StateCalled Dakota Agricultural College when the game was played.South DakotaCalled University of Dakota when the game was played.Sioux Falls Fairgrounds, Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory6–6First organized intercollegiate football game in territory that would become South Dakota. "The foot ball resulted in a draw and the prize of $15 was divided between Vermillion [South Dakota] and Brookings [South Dakota State]."CA1889USCLoyola MarymountCalled St. Vincent's College when the game was played.Los Angeles, California40–0First organized intercollegiate football game in California. First Pacific Coast game.
The first organized football game in California involving a college occurred December 2, 1882 when Cal lost a rugby football game to Phoenix Club 7–4 in San Francisco. The first organized American football game in California involving a college occurred January 16, 1886 when Cal defeated a club team called the Wasps 20–2 at West Field in Berkeley. RIOctober 23, 1889BrownTuftsPawtucket, Rhode Island16–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Rhode Island. Brown may have played an organized intercollegiate game in Rhode Island as early as 1886 against Boston University, but it is unclear whether that game was played in Massachusetts or in Rhode Island.IANovember 16, 1889GrinnellCalled Iowa College when the game was played.IowaField on South Campus, Grinnell, Iowa24–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Iowa.
At least one Associated Press article claims this is the first game west of the Mississippi River. However, by November 1889 intercollegiate games had already been played west of the Mississippi River in Colorado and Dakota Territory, and possibly in California. As a technical matter, the first intercollegiate game played west of the Mississippi River was the 1882 contest between Minnesota and Hamline. Though both university campuses are east of the river, Minnesota and Hamline played at Minneapolis' King's Fair Ground just west of the river.SCDecember 14, 1889Encampment Grounds, Spartanburg, South Carolina5–1First organized intercollegiate football game in South Carolina. The game was essentially soccer, featured no uniforms, no positions, and the rules were formulated before the game. First game in the Deep South.DEOctober 11, 1890DelawareNewark, Delaware30–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Delaware. "In Newark, when news leaked out in 1889 that the college boys were going to play football Sheriff Bill Simmons swore up and down Main Street that the first corpse carried off the field would mean the end of the game."
The first organized football game in Delaware involving a college occurred October 26, 1889 when the Delaware Field Club defeated Delaware 74–0 at Union Park in Wilmington.KSNovember 22, 1890KansasBaldwin City, Kansas22–9First organized intercollegiate football game in Kansas.
The first organized football game in Kansas involving a college occurred March 1, 1890 when Wichita UniversityWichita University was operated by the Reformed Church in the United States from 1887 to 1895 and has no connection to Wichita State University. lost to Lewis Academy 4-2 on the WU campus in Wichita.MONovember 27, 1890MissouriSportsman's Park, 28–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Missouri.
The first organized football game in Missouri involving a college occurred on December 3, 1887 when Washington (MO) defeated the University Club 14–4 at Union Park in St. Louis.TNNovember 27, 1890VanderbiltNashvilleAlso called Peabody College when the game was played.Athletic Park, Nashville, Tennessee40–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Tennessee.WAJanuary 24, 1891Washington CollegeWashingtonTacoma Base Ball Park, Tacoma, Washington6–6First organized intercollegiate football game in Washington.
Later sources suggest the game was a 0-0 tie played on Thanksgiving Day 1890, but period sources show a 6-6 tie played in January 1891.
The first organized football game in Washington involving a college occurred November 28, 1889 when a team of Eastern College Alumni defeated Washington 20–0 at Jackson Street Baseball Park in Seattle.NEFebruary 14, 1891DoaneNebraskaField "west of the reservoir", Crete, Nebraska18–0First organized intercollegiate football game in Nebraska.