Portal:American football/Selected article/August, 2008

The 1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game, played September 28, 1892, was the first-ever football game played at night. The game was played between Wyoming Seminary (a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania) and Mansfield State Normal School in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. During the time period, it was common for a college and high school to play each other in football--a practice that has long since been discontinued.

The lighting brought in turned out to be inadequate for gameplay. The game itself lasted only 20 minutes and there were only 10 plays. Both sides agreed to end at halftime with a 0-0 tie after several players had an unfortunate run-in with a light pole.

This historic game is celebrated by a yearly reenactment of the original game played between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal School during an autumn festival known as the "Fabulous 1890's Weekend." The re-enactment of the game is a play-by-play version of the actual game as recorded. Fans who watch the game are sometimes known to correct players when they deviate from the original recorded plays.