When fall arrived and rowing season ended, members of the Argonaut Rowing Club sought ways to stay in shape.
Their solution: a football team. By late October 1873, they had lined up for their first game, playing something resembling rugby rather than modern football. There were no pads, forward passes, lines of scrimmage, but the game still featured plenty of 1873-style action. “After a most exciting contest, one goal was scored at five o’clock by the Toronto man,” wrote The Globe and Mail.