In the late nineteenth century, the game of football was characterized by incredible violence and life-threatening danger. Across America, young men were being badly injured during play, but the new sport's popularity grew even as the casualties rose. Yet after dozens of players--the best and brightest of America's prep schools and colleges--were killed in brutal incidents that rattled the national consciousness, a movement of proto-progressives, led by Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot and the editors of The Nation, attempted to abolish the game. But President Roosevelt admired football's potential for building character. An outspoken advocate of the strenuous life and a longtime fan of the game, Roosevelt fought to preserve football's rugged essence, even as he understood the need for reform. In 1905, Roosevelt summoned key football coaches to the White House for an historic convocation. The result was the establishment of the NCAA and a series of rule changes--including the advent of the forward pass--which not only saved the sport but transformed football into the quintessential American game.