Jean Levenque Speaks on American Football

History and Her Love for the 49ers

Jean Leveque loves American football because it is a rich and intriguing sport that is

immersed in the heart of American culture and tradition. Often people ask however, how did

it come about, and where did it get its start? The history of American football can be traced

all the way back to the earliest forms of rugby, which originated in Britain, and was played at

the height of its popularity during the 19th century. The Americanized version of football only

surfaced as the result of several distinct divergences from classic rugby, including rule

changes that were implemented by Walter Camp, a Yale graduate who would later go on to

be considered the founding father of American football. . Because the popularity of these

new rules and essentially new game took off so quickly, the sport rapidly grew into the most

dominating one played in all of America for the first half of the twentieth century.

Some of the distinguishing changes that separated football from rugby included the

introduction of the line of scrimmage. Later, in the beginning of the twentieth century, many

different game play developments by college coaches would take advantage of the new rule

which allowed for forward passing, something entirely unique to American football.

Jean Levenque says that one of the teams responsible for birthing her love of football has

been the San Francisco 49ers. The American football team the San Francisco 49ers, have a

rich and unique history in American football, one that is boiled down to the essence of the

American spirit. The 49ers first became an established professional football team in 1946, as

a member of the All-American Football Conference. While the 49ers were never capable of

defeating the dominant Cleveland Browns of the time, they were still the second-best team in

the entire league. Once the league was dissolved in the 1950s, both the 49ers and the

Browns were then granted admission to the NFL, or National Football League, where they

would become two of the most profitable teams in the league.

While the Browns did well, winning the championship that same year, the 49ers would have

to find their place in the league, finishing their first NFL season at a devastating 3-9. Their

poor play would be short lived however, as their next few seasons would bring them closer

and closer to the championship, and eventually, they would taste the victory that they truly

deserved.