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Quiz about Rutgers Birthplace of College Football

Rutgers: Birthplace of College Football Quiz

Rutgers hosted the first college football game, resulting in it being called the "Birthplace of College Football". This quiz is about that game and the Rutgers football program that started there.

A multiple-choice quiz by jcpetersen. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
jcpetersen

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
322,077

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
227

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first college football game was played on November 6, 1869, when Rutgers hosted what Ivy League university? Hint

Harvard

Princeton

Yale

Cornell

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Question 2 of 10

2. What building was erected on the site of the first college football game? Hint

College Avenue Gymnasium

Vorhees Mall

Rutgers Stadium

Louis Brown Athletic Center

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Question 3 of 10

3. The 1869 "season" of college football was scheduled for 3 games, but only the first two were played. Why was the third game canceled? Hint

the Franco-Prussian War

the blizzard of 1869

officials at both schools complained about the emphasis on the games over academics

the death of former US President Franklin Pierce

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Question 4 of 10

4. What was the first team name for Rutgers athletes? Hint

Jersey Devils

Scarlet Knights

Queensmen

Scarlet Pimpernels

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Question 5 of 10

5. An early Rutgers football star was an All-American, valedictorian, stage and film actor, lawyer, singer, and civil rights activist. Who was this famous Rutgers graduate? Hint

Isaiah T. Jenkins

Avery Brooks

Paul Robeson

John 'Johnny' Zinga

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Question 6 of 10

6. In 1978, Rutgers played in its first bowl game and didn't travel very far to defeat Arizona State. What was the name of this bowl game? Hint

Garden State Bowl

St. Petersburg Bowl

Texas Bowl

Insight Bowl

7. On November 3, 1979, Rutgers upset Tennessee 13-7. The day before, the Knoxville paper ran a story predicting an easy victory with an unflattering headline about Rutgers. What question did the headline ask? Hint

Can Rutgers compete?

Who does Rutgers think they are?

What's a Rutgers?

What exit?

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Question 8 of 10

8. Rutgers' first undefeated season was in what year? Hint

1891

1980

Rutgers has never had an undefeated season

1961

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Question 9 of 10

9. Rutgers played it's second bowl game in 2005. Who was the opponent? Hint

North Carolina State Wolfpack

Kansas State Wildcats

Arizona State Sun Devils

Ball State University Cardinals

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Question 10 of 10

10. What is the Rutgers University's fight song? Hint

"The Bells Must Ring"

"Nobody Ever Died for Dear Old Rutgers"

"On the Banks of the Old Raritan"

"In a Quaint Old Jersey Town"

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first college football game was played on November 6, 1869, when Rutgers hosted what Ivy League university?

Answer: Princeton

Rutgers defeated Princeton, then called the College of New Jersey, 6-4. The rules were quite different from modern football.

2. What building was erected on the site of the first college football game?

Answer: College Avenue Gymnasium

The College Avenue Gymnasium (aka "The Barn") is the second gym on the site, erected in 1931. The first gym was built in 1892 and burned down in 1930.

Rutgers Stadium, across the Raritan River in Piscataway, has a statue commemorating the first game.

3. The 1869 "season" of college football was scheduled for 3 games, but only the first two were played. Why was the third game canceled?

Answer: officials at both schools complained about the emphasis on the games over academics

Princeton hosted and won the second game on November 13, so the first season of college football resulted in a tie. Because each game was played under the different rules of the home team (the Princeton rules gave a "free kick" to players that caught the ball), some people believe that the third game was canceled due to a disagreement over the rules, but the majority believe that school officials canceled the game over concerns about the students focusing on the games over their studies.

In 1933, Parke H. Davis, a college football historian, retroactively named both Rutgers and Princeton "college football national champion" for 1869.

4. What was the first team name for Rutgers athletes?

Answer: Queensmen

Although scarlet was not officially adopted as the school color until 1900, the Rutgers players did wear scarlet handkerchiefs as a team "uniform" during the 1869 games. Scarlet had been proposed as the school color by the student newspaper, "The Daily Targum" earlier in 1869.

The original name of the Queensmen refers to the original name of Rutgers, Queen's College.

5. An early Rutgers football star was an All-American, valedictorian, stage and film actor, lawyer, singer, and civil rights activist. Who was this famous Rutgers graduate?

Answer: Paul Robeson

Robeson's outspoken beliefs about civil rights brought him into conflict with the US government, and he was retroactively deleted from the 1918 college football All American team. His good name and records were later reinstated, and in 1995 he was posthumously elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

6. In 1978, Rutgers played in its first bowl game and didn't travel very far to defeat Arizona State. What was the name of this bowl game?

Answer: Garden State Bowl

The game was played at Giants Stadium. Both Rutgers and Giants Stadium are located in New Jersey, the "Garden State".

Answer: What's a Rutgers?

"What's a Rutgers?" is a question that has haunted Rutgers teams and alumni ever since.

The answer is that the school was renamed in 1825 after Revolutionary War hero Colonel Henry Rutgers, in an attempt to get the colonel to become a financial supporter of the school. It worked - Rutgers donated a bell and a $5,000 bond to the university.

8. Rutgers' first undefeated season was in what year?

Answer: 1961

John Bateman coached the team to an 8-1 record in his first year, 1960, and then to an undefeated 9-0 season in 1961.

9. Rutgers played it's second bowl game in 2005. Who was the opponent?

Answer: Arizona State Sun Devils

Rutgers was defeated 45-40 in the 2005 Insight Bowl by Arizona State, the same team that Rutgers played in its only prior bowl appearance in 1978.

10. What is the Rutgers University's fight song?

Answer: "The Bells Must Ring"

"On the Banks of the Old Raritan" is the school song / alma mater, but "The Bells Must Ring" is the school fight song.

"The Bells Must Ring" contains the chant "R-U Rah Rah, R-U Rah Rah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah Rutgers Rah! Upstream Red Team, Red Team Upstream, Rah Rah Rutgers Rah!", but the Rutgers Glee Club will use the chant to "interrupt" other songs when they perform.

Source: Author jcpetersen

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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