American interpretation of old English Rugby: John W. Heisman
David Hollenbach created the illustration above depicting a young John Heisman gathering what appears to be a rugby ball. Considering the history of rugby and American football in the 1870s, it's clear that Heisman grew up playing the game of rugby. Following right behind the innovations of Walter Camp at Yale, Heisman picked up the torch at Brown and then the University of Pennsylvania.