1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game

The 1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game, played September 28, 1892, was the first-ever American football game played at night.[1][2] The game was played between Wyoming Seminary (a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania) and Mansfield State Normal School in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. During the time period, it was common for a college and high school to play each other in football—a practice that has long since been discontinued.

First Night Football Game
Wyoming Seminary Mansfield Normal
0 0
Head coach: 
J. H. Race		 Head coach: 
Professor S. E. Sprole
12 Total
Wyoming Seminary 00 0
Mansfield Normal 00 0
DateSeptember 28, 1892
Season1892
StadiumSmythe Park
LocationMansfield, Pennsylvania

Game summary

The lighting system brought in turned out to be inadequate for gameplay. The game itself lasted only 20 minutes and there were only 10 plays. Both sides agreed to end at halftime with a 0–0 tie after several players had an unfortunate run-in with a light pole.[3]

References in modern culture

Annual reenactment

This historic game is celebrated by a yearly reenactment of the original game played between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal School during an autumn festival known as the "Fabulous 1890s Weekend." The re-enactment of the game is a play-by-play version of the actual game as recorded. Fans who watch the game are sometimes known to correct players when they deviate from the original recorded plays.[4]

100th anniversary

The 100th anniversary of the game happened to occur on Monday, September 28, 1992. Monday Night Football celebrated "100 years of night football" with a game between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 27–7 in front of 77,486 fans.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Mansfield eliminates Division II football program". ESPN.
  2. "Good Night". The Washington Post. November 18, 2006.
  3. USA Today Weekend Past and Present: Replaying History
  4. Mansfield Chamber of Commerce Archived May 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Kansas City Chiefs Archived 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine Year-by-year record
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