One of the world's most influential governing bodies for inter-collegiate sports was founded in America when President Theodore Roosevelt set out to find a way to regulate football, with its dangerous, sometimes fatal, formation called the Flying Wedge. Now, as the twentieth century comes to a close, more than 860 American educational institutions hold membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an organization which sets the rules for the recruiting and eligibility of student athletes, governs the organization of athletic conferences, sets the playing rules for 20 intercollegiate sports, and conducts 80 national championships in three competitive divisions.

In 1905 the primary offensive weapon in football was the kick return, with the ball carrier protected behind a fast-moving, wedge-shaped formation of his teammates. Blocking and gang-tackling resulted in many injuries and even some deaths, causing many colleges and universities to discontinue the sport...