The man most responsible for the transition from this rugby-like game to the sport of football we know today was Walter Camp, known as the “Father of American Football.” As a Yale undergraduate and medical student from 1876 to 1881, Camp played halfback and served as team captain, equivalent to head coach at the time.

Who invented football? The transition from rugby-style play to the game we know today kicked into gear around 1876 thanks to a man named Walter Camp, known as the Father of American Football.

Let’s take a closer look at Walter Camp, the man who started it all. Who Is Walter Camp? Camp — born on April 7, 1859, in New Britain, Connecticut — was an intriguing man who served on various collegiate football rules committees that developed the American game from what it was to what we know it to be now.