235:
298:
181:
219:
Boston", choosing players from not only
Dixwell's but from other schools in order to form a strong and competitive team. The name was suggested by R. Clifford Watson, after the lake of that name in New York State, not far from Miller's home. The team was composed of the following players: Edward L. Arnold, Robert A. Boit, Edward Bowditch, Walter Brooks, George Davis,
218:
games, with different schools and areas playing their own variations. This informal style of play was often chaotic and very violent, and Miller had been a star of the game while attending
Dixwell. However, he grew tired of these disorganized games so in 1862 he organised the "Oneida Football Club of
316:
used in the Oneida match vs the
English High and Boston Public Latin Schools combined in November 1863, was treasured by Captain Miller (along with his red handkerchief) for 49 years until in 1922 he presented them to the "Boston Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities" (now
265:, was elected President of the Oneida Club and in this same year, a challenge was sent to the Harvard freshmen for a match. Although it was accepted, the match was never carried out. Some sources stated that the Harvard upper classes, fearing a defeat, suggested the freshmen not to play.
195:. In 1859, while 14 years old, Miller organized the "Bobolink B.B.C. (Base-Ball Club)" of Peterboro, N. Y., where he was elected president, captain and pitcher. In 1861, he joined the Lowell BBC of Boston, where he was also captain and pitcher. Miller then attended
254:
High
Schools, all of which they won. On 7 November 1863 Oneida played vs the combined English High and Boston Public Latin Schools. In that match, the Oneidas allowed their opponents sixteen men, they, themselves, playing their usual fifteen.
362:. Its inscription reads: "On this field the Oneida Football Club of Boston, the first organized football club in the United States, played against all comers from 1862 to 1865. The Oneida goal was never crossed".
223:, Gerrit S. Miller (captain), Francis G. Peabody, Winthrop S. Scudder, Louis Thies, Alanson Tucker, R. Clifford Watson, Huntington F. Wolcott (Dixwell); J. Malcolm Forbes, and John P. Hall (
683:
429:
Although the team was dissolved in 1865, self-appointed "club president" Tom McGrath pays a yearly fee of $ 50 to the city of Boston to keep an organization by that name registered.
678:
463:
581:
718:
231:). Miller was elected president and Clifford Watson secretary and treasurer, and their only uniform was a red silk handkerchief tied around the head, knotted behind.
623:
688:
301:
The seven living members of the Oneida F.C. pictured in
November 1923, (standing): Scudder, Arnold, Peabody; (seated): Bowditch, Lovett, Lawrence; (insert): Miller
703:
713:
708:
262:
371:
251:
698:
306:
647:
398:
693:
351:, published in 1924. It described the history of the Oneida FC through the life and career of its founder and captain Miller.
635:
484:
355:
540:
324:
On
November 7, 1923, a bronze plaque was unveiled in honor of Oneida's founder and captain, Gerrit Smith Miller, at the
247:
504:
By PFRA Research (Originally
Published in The Journey to Camp: The Origins of American Football to 1889 (PFRA Books))
383:
325:
224:
207:
328:. The date commemorated the 70th anniversary of the most prominent game won by Oneida. The plaque was inspired on
259:
200:
659:
243:
309:
between
Harvard and McGill Universities, although the Harvard players left them behind after those series.
220:
131:
43:
234:
165:
from 1862 to 1865, during which time they reportedly never lost a game or even gave up a single point.
501:
318:
286:
147:
596:
228:
188:
127:
106:
321:), putting them in its Museum, in the old Harrison Gray Otis House, on Cambridge Street, Boston.
278:
196:
297:
394:
282:
155:
468:
313:
214:
was played as a fun and exercise for students. At the time there were no formal rules for
660:
Football - Roundish, rubber football; won by the Oneida
Football Club of Boston in 1863
607:
403:
333:
151:
567:
242:
In the 1862 and 1863 seasons the
Oneidas played matches with the Boston Latin and the
672:
169:
162:
139:
47:
636:
Best of the 1870s: The defining players and teams of college football’s first decade
526:
19:
This article is about the historical football team. For the modern soccer club, see
390:
341:
305:
The Boston rules developed by Oneida were also the code used in the first (of two)
180:
274:
143:
93:
289:
and American football, the club predated formal rules of any football variant.
161:
The team, made up of students of Boston's elite preparatory schools, played on
410:
329:
407:
by Winthrop Saltonstall Scudder - The Massachusetts Historical Society (1926)
337:
20:
347:
Former Oneida player Winthrop S. Scudder wrote a history of the team named
648:
History Bytes: The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities
215:
211:
192:
135:
96:
16:
First organized team to play any kind of football in the United States
438:
The team did not have a uniform jersey but a red simple handkerchief.
405:
An Historical Sketch of the Oneida Football Club of Boston: 1862-1865
238:
The ball used by Oneida in 1863 was box-shaped with rounded corners
572:
by Scudder, Winthrop S. (Winthrop Saltonstall) - published in 1924
485:
History of Professional Soccer in New England by David A. Litterer
179:
385:
Muscle and Manliness: Rise Of Sport In American Boarding Schools
387:
by Axel Bundgaard. Published by Sports and Entertainment (2005)
285:. Although it has been claimed by much later followers of both
273:
The game played by the Oneida Football Club is known as the "
134:, in 1862, was the first organized team to play any kind of
277:". This informal local football variety later took hold at
258:
In 1864, J. Huntington Wolcott, older brother of future
206:
Miller then entered Epes S. Dixwell's school, a private
502:
No Christian End! The Beginnings of Football in America
172:, which continued to play under the Boston game rules.
168:
After Oneida disbanded, former members established the
184:
Gerrit Smith Miller, founder and captain of the team
154:
football and predated the codification of rules for
112:
102:
89:
79:
61:
53:
39:
31:
464:"Remembering the first high school football games"
582:"THE FOOTBALL H: A CRIMSON H ON A BLACK SWEATER
344:of England congratulating Miller was received.
246:schools and one with the combined teams of the
146:", was an informal local variant that combined
684:Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1865
142:. The game played by the club, known as the "
8:
563:
561:
559:
557:
555:
553:
551:
549:
26:
531:article by Michael T. Geary at academia.edu
679:Sports clubs and teams established in 1862
638:by Matt Brown on The Athletic, 28 Jan 2019
584:The H Book Of Harvard Athletics 1852 1922
626:at cfbdatawarehouse.com (archived, 2014)
543:by Roger Allaway at sover.net (archived)
296:
233:
719:1865 disestablishments in Massachusetts
541:Were the Oneidas playing soccer or not?
522:
520:
518:
516:
514:
512:
510:
497:
495:
493:
480:
478:
459:
457:
455:
451:
422:
358:was unveiled on Boston Common to honor
689:History of soccer in the United States
372:History of soccer in the United States
25:
704:Defunct soccer clubs in Massachusetts
7:
714:1862 establishments in Massachusetts
709:Athletics clubs in the United States
597:The Boston Game: Origins of Football
569:Gerrit Smith Miller: An Appreciation
487:at Sover.net (archived, 22 Feb 2008)
349:Gerrit Smith Miller: An Appreciation
281:and was an important precursor to
191:started his sports career playing
14:
624:Harvard Yearly Results: 1873-1874
332:'s dedication as the inventor of
170:Harvard University Football Club
116:J. Huntington Wolcott (1864–65)
1:
699:History of American football
227:); and James D'Wolf Lovett (
67:; 159 years ago
199:, where he was part of its
126:, founded and captained by
735:
411:HathiTrust Digital Library
326:Noble and Greenough School
225:Boston English High School
208:college preparatory school
18:
336:. During the ceremony, a
260:Governor of Massachusetts
354:On November 21, 1925, a
662:at Historic New England
587:(archived, 21 Ago 2010)
694:Soccer clubs in Boston
302:
239:
185:
300:
237:
183:
132:Boston, Massachusetts
44:Boston, Massachusetts
614:, May 16, 1874, p. 3
319:Historic New England
124:Oneida Football Club
35:Oneida Football Club
229:Boston Latin School
189:Gerrit Smith Miller
128:Gerrit Smith Miller
107:Gerrit Smith Miller
28:
472:, 21 November 2012
303:
279:Harvard University
240:
221:Robert M. Lawrence
197:Harvard University
186:
283:American football
156:American football
120:
119:
726:
663:
657:
651:
645:
639:
633:
627:
621:
615:
610:, clipping from
605:
599:
594:
588:
579:
573:
565:
544:
538:
532:
524:
505:
499:
488:
482:
473:
469:The Boston Globe
461:
439:
436:
430:
427:
85:
75:
73:
68:
29:
734:
733:
729:
728:
727:
725:
724:
723:
669:
668:
667:
666:
658:
654:
646:
642:
634:
630:
622:
618:
612:The Boston Post
606:
602:
595:
591:
580:
576:
566:
547:
539:
535:
528:THE BOSTON GAME
525:
508:
500:
491:
483:
476:
462:
453:
448:
443:
442:
437:
433:
428:
424:
419:
380:
368:
360:the Boston boys
295:
271:
178:
83:
71:
69:
66:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
732:
730:
722:
721:
716:
711:
706:
701:
696:
691:
686:
681:
671:
670:
665:
664:
652:
640:
628:
616:
600:
589:
574:
545:
533:
506:
489:
474:
450:
449:
447:
444:
441:
440:
431:
421:
420:
418:
415:
414:
413:
401:
399:978-0815630821
379:
376:
375:
374:
367:
364:
356:stone monument
334:rugby football
294:
291:
270:
267:
177:
174:
118:
117:
114:
110:
109:
104:
100:
99:
91:
87:
86:
81:
77:
76:
63:
59:
58:
55:
51:
50:
41:
37:
36:
33:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
731:
720:
717:
715:
712:
710:
707:
705:
702:
700:
697:
695:
692:
690:
687:
685:
682:
680:
677:
676:
674:
661:
656:
653:
650:, 23 Jul 2013
649:
644:
641:
637:
632:
629:
625:
620:
617:
613:
609:
604:
601:
598:
593:
590:
586:
585:
578:
575:
571:
570:
564:
562:
560:
558:
556:
554:
552:
550:
546:
542:
537:
534:
530:
529:
523:
521:
519:
517:
515:
513:
511:
507:
503:
498:
496:
494:
490:
486:
481:
479:
475:
471:
470:
465:
460:
458:
456:
452:
445:
435:
432:
426:
423:
416:
412:
408:
406:
402:
400:
396:
392:
388:
386:
382:
381:
377:
373:
370:
369:
365:
363:
361:
357:
352:
350:
345:
343:
339:
335:
331:
327:
322:
320:
315:
310:
308:
299:
292:
290:
288:
284:
280:
276:
268:
266:
264:
263:Roger Wolcott
261:
256:
253:
249:
245:
236:
232:
230:
226:
222:
217:
213:
209:
204:
202:
201:baseball team
198:
194:
190:
182:
175:
173:
171:
166:
164:
163:Boston Common
159:
157:
153:
149:
145:
141:
140:United States
137:
133:
129:
125:
115:
111:
108:
105:
101:
98:
95:
92:
88:
82:
78:
64:
60:
56:
52:
49:
45:
42:
38:
34:
30:
22:
655:
643:
631:
619:
611:
603:
592:
583:
577:
568:
536:
527:
467:
434:
425:
404:
391:Google Books
384:
378:Bibliography
359:
353:
348:
346:
342:Rugby School
323:
311:
304:
272:
257:
244:English High
241:
205:
187:
167:
160:
123:
121:
608:"Foot Ball"
287:association
275:Boston game
148:association
144:Boston game
94:Boston game
80:Club colors
673:Categories
446:References
330:Webb Ellis
307:1874 games
252:Dorchester
90:Activities
338:cablegram
113:President
62:Dissolved
32:Full name
21:Oneida FC
366:See also
216:football
212:football
210:, where
193:baseball
136:football
97:football
40:Location
248:Roxbury
176:History
138:in the
103:Founder
70: (
54:Founded
397:
293:Legacy
84:
27:Oneida
417:Notes
152:rugby
395:ISBN
314:ball
312:The
269:Code
250:and
150:and
122:The
72:1865
65:1865
57:1862
466:on
409:at
389:at
340:by
130:in
675::
548:^
509:^
492:^
477:^
454:^
393:-
203:.
158:.
48:US
46:,
74:)
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
