CINCINNATI

Football!

The Bengals open their pre-season next weekend so I thought I'd delve back into the history of football in this fair city.  Here goes!

The University of Cincinnati fielded a football team in 1885 and played their early rival, Miami University in 1888 - a match-up that has existed ever since that date.  It was the first intercollegiate football game in Ohio.  One of the oldest in the country.

Xavier University fielded a football team beginning in 1900.  They gave up the sport in 1973 and haven't lost a game since.

In 1935, the Midwest Football League (MFL) was formed.  It was a minor professional league and included teams from Cincinnati;  the Models and the Treslers.  Pete Rose Sr. was the quarterback of the Treslers. That league only lasted five years.  Cincinnati moved a team, the Bengals into the American Professional Football Association (APFA) which dated back to 1920.  Later the Bengals were renamed the Blades and dropped out of that league.  The APFA eventually became the National Football League (NFL).  The current Bengals were formed in 1966, joined the American Football League (AFL) in 1968 and were brought into the NFL in 1970.

You can't disregard what we call soccer when you talk about football.  Most of the rest of the world calls it football or futbol or the like.  Thus, we have FC Cincinnati and are quite proud.  They compete in the United Soccer League (USL) right now but have aspirations of joining the Major Soccer League (MSL).  Evidently, soccer football clubs don't use animals and such as their mascots.

If you thought that was all, your wrong.  In 1974, the Cincinnati Wolfhounds were formed.  These boys play Rugby Football - division I level.  Also in town, are the Cincinnati Kelts and the Queen City Rugby teams playing a more minor league schedule.  Both University of Cincinnati and Xavier University field rugby club teams.
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