https://www.history-of-football.com/The record of the American game — how the leagues, the rules, and the numbers got this way.https://www.history-of-football.com/articles/how-long-is-the-history-of-american-footballhttps://www.history-of-football.com/articles/how-long-is-the-history-of-american-footballWed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000American football's organized history runs about 150 years — from the 1869 Rutgers–Princeton game through the NFL's 1920 founding to today's 17-game seasons.