Thanksgiving and football go together like gravy and mashed potatoes — but the game’s origins might surprise you. Long before packed stadiums and televised touchdowns, the very first college football match kicked off on a chilly November afternoon in 1869, and the ball everyone fought over? It wasn’t quite the “pigskin” we toss around today — though it came close.
Back then, the “football” was literally an inflated pig bladder wrapped in stitched leather. Misshapen, heavy, and totally unpredictable, it could bounce anywhere — chaos that made every kick count. That historic day, Rutgers College and Princeton squared off in New Brunswick, New Jersey, under rules that looked more like soccer than football. No helmets. No pads. No passing. Just 50 men kicking, blocking, and sprinting for school pride.
About 100 people lined the field — and by sundown, Rutgers had edged Princeton 6–4, earning the first college football win in U.S. history. The rivalry was fierce, the uniforms homemade, and the passion unmistakably American.
Fast-forward to 2025: 150 years later, millions tune in to Thanksgiving football — from Detroit to Dallas — watching players chase a sleeker, factory-perfect leather ball that still carries that same nickname: pigskin.
So when you’re yelling at the TV or tossing the ball between bites of pie, remember how it started: a handful of college kids, a rough homemade ball, and a spark that would light a national obsession.
Talking point for your Thanksgiving table: Would you have played in that first game — no pads, no rules, just pride and a pig bladder ball?
