Even though the Atlanta Falcons are in the middle of a miserable season, that’s no reason for local football fans not to celebrate the gridiron game on American Football Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

American Football Day celebrates one of the nation’s most popular sports.

Rugby and soccer paved the way for American football in the late 1800s, according to National Today.

On Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played what was billed as the first college football game, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In Atlanta, Georgia Tech played its first football game against Mercer on Nov. 5, 1892, losing 12-6 in Macon, Georgia.

Here are five quick things to know about the Georgia Tech-Virginia football series.

Yale grad Walter Camp pushed for rule changes including the line of scrimmage, down-and-distance rules and the legalization of blocking.

Here are five quick things to know about the Georgia-Missouri football series.

College football took off well before the pro version in the early 1900s as bowl games attracted a national audience for college teams. Georgia and Georgia Tech already had a long-storied rivalry before insurance executive Rankin Smith was granted an NFL franchise in 1966, the Atlanta Falcons.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn addresses changes to defensive staff coming off bye week. (Video by D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC)

The NCAA version remains immensely popular, with media coverage rivaling the NFL’s.

In 2019, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys were estimated to be worth $5.5 billion, making it football’s most valuable team.

About the Author

Keep Reading

As the violence at Macon State Prison has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now finds itself dealing with an unexpected and costly burden: more than $100,000 in unpaid bills. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman