HISTORY(Amateur Game )

[1920-1930]

1920 - National Federation of State High School Associations established

• On May 14, the National Federation of State High School Associations was founded. Today the association publishes playing rules in 16 sports for boys and girls competition and provides programs and services for nearly 17,500 member schools and approximately 10 million student athletes involved in high school activity programs.

1922 - Jersey Shore Scores!

• Jersey Shore High School (Pa.) averaged 75.1 points per game to set the high school team scoring record. Jersey Shore scored 676 points in only nine games.

1926 - Action Denied

• Utica Free Academy's (N.Y.) Jacob Finer blocked eight punts in a game against Fulton High School (N.Y.) to set the high school record for most punts blocked in a game by one player.

1927 - "Touchdown McCoy!"

• Those were the words shouted often as Elvin McCoy, of Haven, Kan., scored 90 points in a high school football game. McCoy's team scored a high-school record 38 touchdowns against Sylvia High School (Kan.).

1929 - Pop Warner Established

• Pop Warner, called the Junior Football Conference at the time, was established for youth ranging in age from 5 to 16 in Philadelphia by Joe Tomlin, an avid athlete. The goal was to keep idle youth out of trouble as the city did not have organized recreation programs. After starting as a four-team football league, Pop Warner Little Scholars now has programs in 41 states, consisting of nearly 360,000 participants, making it the largest youth football program in the U.S.

1930 - Police Athletic League founded

• Developed in the 1930s as a way to keep youth off the streets, PAL is the home of recreational youth leagues for thousands of children across the country. Part of its mission is to create a positive bond between young people and police officers. Today there are six nationally recognized PAL regional associations. Through these chapters, PAL coordinates regional and state tournaments, publishes a quarterly newspaper, and provides other media publicity projects.

[1931-1941]

1934 - Junior Football Conference is renamed "Pop" Warner

• Joe Tomlin, the founder of the Junior Football Conference, met Glenn Scobie "Pop" Warner at a winter banquet and asked the legendary coach to speak at a clinic for JFC teams. On April 19, 1934, temperatures dropped and winds, along with torrential rain, mixed with sleet forcing a dozen other college coaches to cancel. Warner showed up and spoke for two hours with 800 young football players.
  
  By the conclusion of the evening, the program was renamed the Pop Warner Conference. The coach agreed. "Pop" Warner, then coaching Temple University, had led Pittsburgh to the national championship in 1916 as his team outscored opponents 255-25 for an 8-0 record. Warner's Pittsburgh team won the title again in 1918.

  [1942-1952]

  1947 - Pop Warner Champions

  • On December 27, in the first "kiddie" bowl championship game, named the Santa Claus Bowl, the Crickets midget team, sponsored by Palumbo's, a Philadelphia supper club, defeated Franks Sinatra's Cyclones, a New York team, 6-0. The game was played in six inches of snow, before 2,000 spectators. It is this game that captivated Pop Warner football across the country.

  1949 - Shelbyville Shutout

  • Shelbyville Bedford County Training (Tenn.) recorded 52 consecutive shutouts from 1942-1949. Portsmouth Woodrow Wilson High School (Va.) was second with 18 straight from 1926-27.

  1950 - Special Jack

  • Jack Golson, of Haynesville Lowndes Co. (Ala.), returned six punts for touchdowns against Loretto High School (Ala.). Golson's returns are of 65, 50, 90, 75, 75, and 75 yards.

    [1942-1952]

    1947 - Pop Warner Champions

    • On December 27, in the first "kiddie" bowl championship game, named the Santa Claus Bowl, the Crickets midget team, sponsored by Palumbo's, a Philadelphia supper club, defeated Franks Sinatra's Cyclones, a New York team, 6-0. The game was played in six inches of snow, before 2,000 spectators. It is this game that captivated Pop Warner football across the country.

    1949 - Shelbyville Shutout

    • Shelbyville Bedford County Training (Tenn.) recorded 52 consecutive shutouts from 1942-1949. Portsmouth Woodrow Wilson High School (Va.) was second with 18 straight from 1926-27.

    1950 - Special Jack

    • Jack Golson, of Haynesville Lowndes Co. (Ala.), returned six punts for touchdowns against Loretto High School (Ala.). Golson's returns are of 65, 50, 90, 75, 75, and 75 yards.

      [1964-1974]

      1967 - Air Show

      • In high school action, Smithfield Westside High School (Va,) passed for 11 touchdowns against Franklin Hayden to establish a one-game mark.

        [1975-1985]

        1975 - Catching On

        • In high school action, Bob Thomas caught 13 passes in one quarter for King of Prussia Upper Merion High School (Pa.). Big Sandy High School (Texas) set a prep record by averaging 8.1 rushing touchdowns per game. It scored 114 in 14 games.

        1981 - "Sticky Fingers" Golin

        • Ken Golin, of Broome High School (S.C.), sets a prep-boy record with nine interceptions in one game.

        1982 - Return Specialists

        • Brent Fullwood, of St. Cloud High School (Fla.) returns three kickoffs for touchdowns. Fullwood's returns are of 96, 90, and 89 yards. Fullwood later starred in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1989. In 1988, Bossier City Parkway's (La.) Dennis Bamburg tied Fullwood's mark. Bamburg's returns were of 85, 85 and 86 yards.

        1983 - Pop Warner Created a Flag Football Program

        Brian Brohm

        • In response to many requests, Pop Warner Football created a flag football program. It was designed for teams on tight budgets and became a training ground for tackle leagues.

        1985 - Barnone

        • Reno High School kicker Dirk Borgognone connected on a 68-yard field goal against Sparks High school. Borgognone's field goal was five yards longer than the NFL record of 63 yards.

          [1986-1996]

          1986 - Running on Empty

          • Andalusia Straughn (Ala.) High School tailback Russell Gunter carried the ball a high-school record 72 times against Coffee Springs. Gunter finished with 331 yards.

          1987 - High School Highlights

          • Shane Boyd of New Deal High School (Texas) caught 33 touchdown passes to set a record. Baton Rouge Southern Lab (La.) star Baron Jackson finishes his career with 62 interceptions. Richmond Burton High School (Ill.) allowed only 172 yards throughout its entire nine-game season. It was the fewest amount allowed in high school history (minimum 9 games).

          1988 - Laying Down the Law

          • Brett Law, of Sheridan, Ind., established the high school mark for points in a season with 453. Law would later play for the Indiana Hoosiers.

          1990 - It's Good!

          • Dominic Gutierrez, of Albuquerque Menaul, N.M., made a high-school record nine field goals against Newcomb.

          1990 - Boys and Girls Clubs of America

          NFL Flag Championships

          • To recognize girls across the country, in 1990 the Boys Club of America changed its name to the now present Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The club got its roots in 1860 when several women in Hartford, Conn., believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, organized the first club.

          1996 - NFL Flag Football launches

          • NFL Flag was established to give young athletes an alternative to tackle football. The program emphasizes football education, participation, and sportsmanship.
            
            
          • American Youth Football, Inc. is established. AYF, an international youth football organization, was established to promote the development of youth through their association with adult leaders in the sport of American football. AYF is the fastest growing youth organization in America and in just six years is in 44 states with more than 200,000 documented participants. Its mission is to give back to the community. The NFL has made AYF a national youth partner.
            
            
          • Shreveport Evangel Academy (La.) wide receiver Abram Booty established the career mark for receiving yards in a career with 5,867. Booty also held the record for career receptions with 302 and 83 touchdown receptions. He would later play at LSU with his brother quarterback Josh Booty.

            [1997-Present]

            Global Junior Championships

            1997 - Global Junior Championships

            • Following Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans the first Global Junior Football Championships took place. The game has evolved from a single game to showcase the talents of young American football players from Europe and Mexico. The five-team tournament has become a part of Super Bowl celebrations.

            1998 - Stephenville Scores, Again

            • Stephenville High School (Texas) broke the 73-year record for yards in a season with 8,664. The previous mark of 8,588 was held by Pine Bluff, established in 1925.

            1999 - Catching Clark

            • Jeff Clark, of Nitro High School (W.Va.), breaks John Portugal's mark of receiving yards in a game with 413. Clark also recorded 29 receptions, another high school record. Portugal played at Oceanside El Camino High School in California. Jackson Breathitt County High School (Ky.) established a record for average yards passing per game with 367.3. It passed for 4,779 yards in 12 games.
              
              
            • The NFL established Junior Player Development as an introductory youth tackle program for boys ages 12-14.

            2001 - Scoring Machine

            • Albemarle, (N.C) High School star T.A. McLendon set the all-time prep mark for points in a career with 1,076. McLendon also shattered Brett Law's record of touchdowns in a career by reaching the end zone 178 times. McLendon later starred with the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
              Led by McLendon, Albemarle broke the high school record for points in a season with 903. The old mark of 880 points was held by Bloomington High School (Calif.). Kenton High School (Ohio) breaks the three-year-old record for passing yards in a season with 5,770. The previous mark of 5,526 was held by Nitro High School (W. Va.).

            2002 - Creation of USA Football

            • The NFL and NFLPA announced the creation of USA Football, the first national advocacy organization representing all levels of amateur football, December 5.
            • The NFL established the High School Development program, designed to address the issues that face high school football programs in underserved communities.

            2002 - A Passing Leak

            Chris Leak

            • Chris Leak, a high school quarterback at Charlotte Independence, N.C., established a career record for passing yards with 15,593. Leak set the mark for total yards in a career with 16,590. The previous mark of 14,710 was held by J.R. House of Nitro, W. Va. House played at Nitro from 1995-98.

            2002 - Mauk Passes Leak

            • Kenton High School's (Ohio) Ben Mauk surpasses Chris Leak with 17,534 passing yards. Mauk also set national records for career completions (1,105) and attempts (1931). He is second to Leak with 179 career touchdowns. Mauk enjoyed a fine senior season establishing national records for passing yards in a single campaign (6,540) and touchdowns (76). He currently plays college football for Wake Forest University.

            2003 - It's All About Hart

            • Mike Hart, of Onondaga High School in upstate New York, broke the two-year old record of T.A. McLendon for career touchdowns with 204. Hart finished the season with 11,045 career rushing yards, just shy of the Ken Hall high school record. The 5-foot-8 tailback would later sign a letter of intent to play for the University of Michigan.

            2004 - It's Classic Time

            • The inaugural USA Football Classic is conducted in Blaine, MN at the 660-acre National Sports Center near Minneapolis. Guest speakers included Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer and former "Purple People Eater" defensive end Carl Eller and former American Football League star quarterback Jack Kemp. Thirty five teams representing 900 youth players and 100 coaches participated in the event.