(EDITED BY AUTHOR: 11/11/2005 - 7:27 a.m.)I am a grad student in history and did a quick search of historical newspaper databases that I can access. I found these five articles previewing the first football game ever played in the South. There were a few more regarding the game, but these were the best. They are from the Atlanta Constitution. Some of the scans are a little tough to read, but I hope you enjoy reading them. Going through old newspaper articles is a lot of fun.
Article 1: Previews the lineup of Auburn under the heading "the Alabama Boys" which included an "active" 5'10" 140lbs fullback and a center coming in at 6', 200lbs and is described as "all muscle." The analysis of the Auburn closes with noting the boys from Auburn are gentlemen coming to Atlanta with the intention of playing a fair, sportsmanlike game.
Article 2: A great subheadline from an article previewing the game...It Will Be The Social Event of the College Year and Many Girls Will Attend
Article 3: I have often wondered why the first football game played in Atlanta and in the South was played in February while it was still winter. I would have guessed it would have been played in the summer. The last paragraph provides a clue: the game was played on a holiday weekend...the weekend of Washington's Birthday celebration, back in the day when the celebration of George Washington's birthday was a big deal across the entire country.
Article 4: This is the best one. This article explains the rules of this unknown game of football to Atlantans that have never seen it played before and the manner in which it is modified rules of "modern rugby."
Article 5: Headline...Orange, White, Blue, Are the Alabama Colors to Wave Tomorrow. And Crimson and Black for Athens. Pick Your Colors and Wear Them - Tallyhos and Stylish Turnouts All Turned Toward Piedmont Park. There is an interesting reference in this article to an old blind black man who sells apples and peanuts on the Athens campus named "Old Tub" that all the students love.
