PISCATAWAY — Inside his Princeton University football headquarters, Bob Surace only needs to turn his head to see how his program helped shape college football. "I have a photo in my office of the first game,'' the Princeton football coach says.

As he enters the lobby of the Rutgers football center each day, Kyle Flood walks by the same photo, an artist rendering illustrating the 25 players from each school playing a rugby-style battle that today holds the distinction as the first American intercollegiate football game.

There's a chance a new photo could soon be on display, a more modern image of the two programs renewing their historic football rivalry. Today — Nov. 6 — marks the 145th anniversary of the first college football game, which Rutgers won 6 goals to 4 in New Brunswick on the ground where the College Avenue Gymnasium parking lot now sits.



For the 150th anniversary in 2019, officials from the two New Jersey universities have discussed the possibility of scheduling a game to honor their place in college football lore, NJ Advance Media has learned.

"I know there have been some casual talks with us and Princeton,'' Flood said on the eve of the 145th anniversary. "I think it would be great for us. They'll have to decide if it's great for them. If they feel the same, I don't have any doubt it would be great for college football. I think it would be a great way to celebrate that day.

"What better way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first college football game than to have the actual two teams playing?''

Rutgers has two open dates for the 2019 season, including one for the weekend after Nov. 6. But several hurdles need to be cleared before the rivalry game is rekindled.

For one, Princeton officials seem lukewarm with the idea of stepping up in class against a Big Ten foe in the middle of a football season.

"Our previous AD, Gary Walters, talked about it back in January but it didn't really go anywhere,'' Surace said. "When our new AD, Mollie Marcoux, got the job, I guess she spoke with (Rutgers AD) Julie (Hermann) about it. (Marcoux) actually sat down with me about it, and I shared my concern that it doesn't make a lot of sense to play a team that has several more games under their belt than we have. It's a Big Ten team. There's nothing to gain for us from a football perspective. As good as they are, that would put us in a difficult position. It sounded like it kind of ended then.

"But you never know. It's five years away. To me, that's an eternity.''

It would be unique but hardly unprecedented. Rutgers and Princeton played in all but seven seasons from 1933 through 1980, with the Tigers leading the all-time series 53-17-1. They haven't met on the football field since 1980, about the time when Rutgers was entering what then university president Edward Bloustein called the "bigger time'' football era.

These days, a game between Rutgers and Princeton would be a mismatch of epic proportions. Rutgers is a FBS member from a Power 5-conference, with 85 scholarship players on its roster each year. Princeton plays on the lower-level FCS, without the services of scholarship players since Ivy League athletes aren't afforded tuition-free grants.

Schedule-wise, it also would be difficult to find a compatible date to stage the game. In most seasons, Princeton doesn't begin its season until the third weekend in September and the latter half of the year is reserved for Ivy League play only.

"Because of the way our schedule is set up, where we open up three or four weeks after a lot of the major college schools, it would be difficult to do it,'' Surace said. "We're very cognizant of the fact that the 150th is coming up. Hopefully there will be a way to celebrate it between the two schools, maybe in a different fashion, in honor of our proud traditions.''

A 150-year anniversary game would certainly be well received from a media perspective. The 100-year anniversary game in 1969 was nationally televised by ABC (a rarity back then) and, according to a Rutgers University Archives document on how the Centennial Football Game was put together, "various celebrities and significant political figures were invited, including President Richard Nixon, who declined because of his schedule.''

"My guess,'' Surace said, "is it would get some attention.''

Certainly more attention than the first game, which reportedly drew approximately 100 people to a patch in the middle of the Rutgers campus. The rival Central Jersey schools faced off in a scrum that was said to be a combination of rugby and soccer.

While Rutgers emerged victorious in the first game, Princeton won the rematch, 8-0, on its home turf nine days later. A scheduled rubber-match was canceled due to concerns from faculty advisers that the new sport was getting in the way of the players' studies.

Here's how the Rutgers athletics website, ScarletKnights.com, described the action:



The Princeton athletics website is more concise:

Today, the coaches from both schools aren't shy about celebrating the legacy of their programs.

"In terms of tradition and history, it's huge around here,'' Surace said. "There's a lot of pride associated with playing a part in the first game.''

Flood, whose program touts its status as "The Birthplace of College Football'' throughout its football stadium (see slideshow above), has Nov. 6 highlighted on his computer calendar.

"I remind the players every year that this is the anniversary of the first college football game,'' he said.

Flood understands a modern-era rematch is a long shot. But, the Rutgers coach said, "I hope we can do something to celebrate with each other.''

"It's a big day,'' he added. "It should be celebrated.''

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.