1939 Waynesburg vs. Fordham football game
Encyclopedia
The 1939 Waynesburg vs. Fordham football game was a college football
game between the and the played on September 30, 1939. The game was played at Triborough Stadium
on New York City
's Randall's Island
. Fordham won the game by a score of 34 to 7. Broadcast by NBC
, the contest was the first American football
game ever televised.
Fordham's offense managed 16 first downs and 337 yards, while Waynesburg managed only five first downs for a total of 157 yards. Fordham blocked a punt in both the first and second halves of the game and recorded an interception in the fourth quarter that the offense was able to turn in to a touchdown.
broadcasted the game on station W2XBS with one camera and Bill Stern
was the sole announcer. Estimates are that the broadcast reached approximately 1,000 television sets.
The game came just one month after the Brooklyn Dodgers hosted the Cincinnati Reds
in the first-ever televised professional baseball
game, and five months after the Princeton
and Columbia
baseball teams played the first televised sporting event.
Sports broadcasting continued. Less than one month later (October 22) the now defunct Brooklyn "Football" Dodgers
defeated the Philadelphia Eagles
, 24–14, at Ebbets Field
for the first televised professional football
game. Soon the University of Pittsburgh
traveled to Fordham for the first televised basketball
game.
College football on television
continued with the second televised college game
just one month later, on October 28, when the Kansas State Wildcats
hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers
for their homecoming contest.
home football game from 1938 as the first televised football game. This is likely due to the 1981 NCAA Television Briefing Book, which said However, this game occurred before the 1939 world's fair, which marked the beginning of regularly scheduled television broadcasts. This, along with the fact that the game was broadcast to the Philco laboratories, likely means the game was used as a field test.
The University of Pennsylvania hosted the first full schedule of college football games in 1940.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game between the and the played on September 30, 1939. The game was played at Triborough Stadium
Downing Stadium
Downing Stadium, previously known as Triborough Stadium and Randall's Island Stadium, was a 22,000-seat stadium in New York City. It was renamed Downing Stadium in 1955 after John J...
on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Randall's Island
Randall's Island
Randall's Island is situated in the East River in New York City, part of the borough of Manhattan. It is separated from Manhattan island on the west by the river's main channel, from Queens on the east by the Hell Gate, and from the Bronx on the north by the Bronx Kill. It is joined to Wards...
. Fordham won the game by a score of 34 to 7. Broadcast by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, the contest was the first American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game ever televised.
Game play
Fordham entered the game a pre-season pick for the national championship, but the first score was completed by Waynesburg when Bobby Brooks completed a 63-yard run for a touchdown on the third play of the game. Waynesburg only scored in the first quarter but managed to keep Fordham within reach during the early part of the game. Fordham scored in every quarter leaving the final score at 34–7.Fordham's offense managed 16 first downs and 337 yards, while Waynesburg managed only five first downs for a total of 157 yards. Fordham blocked a punt in both the first and second halves of the game and recorded an interception in the fourth quarter that the offense was able to turn in to a touchdown.
Broadcast implications
NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
broadcasted the game on station W2XBS with one camera and Bill Stern
Bill Stern
Bill Stern was a U.S. actor and sportscaster who announced the nation's first remote sports broadcast and the first telecast of a Major League Baseball game. In 1984, Stern was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame’s inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Red...
was the sole announcer. Estimates are that the broadcast reached approximately 1,000 television sets.
The game came just one month after the Brooklyn Dodgers hosted the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the first-ever televised professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game, and five months after the Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
baseball teams played the first televised sporting event.
Sports broadcasting continued. Less than one month later (October 22) the now defunct Brooklyn "Football" Dodgers
Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)
The Brooklyn Dodgers were an American football team that played in the National Football League from 1930 to 1943, and in 1944 as the Brooklyn Tigers. The team played its home games at Ebbets Field. In 1945, because of financial difficulties, the team was merged with the Boston Yanks...
defeated the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 24–14, at Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
for the first televised professional football
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
game. Soon the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
traveled to Fordham for the first televised basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
game.
College football on television
College football on television
College football on television includes the broadcasting of college football games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories. Within the United States, the college version of American football annually garners high television ratings.College football games have...
continued with the second televised college game
1939 Nebraska vs. Kansas State football game
The 1939 Nebraska vs. Kansas State football game was a college football game between the and the Nebraska Cornhuskers played on October 28, 1939...
just one month later, on October 28, when the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers
1939 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1939 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1939 college football season. The team was coached by Biff Jones and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Before the season:...
for their homecoming contest.
Other claims
Sources have cited a University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
home football game from 1938 as the first televised football game. This is likely due to the 1981 NCAA Television Briefing Book, which said However, this game occurred before the 1939 world's fair, which marked the beginning of regularly scheduled television broadcasts. This, along with the fact that the game was broadcast to the Philco laboratories, likely means the game was used as a field test.
The University of Pennsylvania hosted the first full schedule of college football games in 1940.
See also
- College football on televisionCollege football on televisionCollege football on television includes the broadcasting of college football games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories. Within the United States, the college version of American football annually garners high television ratings.College football games have...
- 1939 college football season1939 college football seasonThe 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas being named as the national champions by the voters in the Associated Press writers' poll....
- List of historically significant college football games