The contest more closely resembled soccer, with teams scoring by kicking the ball into the opponent's net, and lacked a uniform rules structure.

[3] Even though the number of teams participating in the sport increased, the game was still effectively controlled by the College of New Jersey, who claimed eight national championships in ten years.

It was played against the Baltimore Athletic Club, at most likely an unused drill field on the Naval Academy campus.

[5][6] The 1882 season began when second-year cadet Vaulx Carter formed a team, which he led as both a player and the coach.

Carter scheduled a single game for the season, which was played on Thanksgiving Day against the Baltimore-based Clifton Football Club.

The Clifton team was made up of players from Johns Hopkins University, who were unable to play for their school due to their administrator's negative views towards the sport.

[12][13] The American described the second half in detail:[13] Cadet George Washington Street, of Wisconsin, was identified as the first person to score a touchdown for the Naval Academy.

The Baltimore Sun stated that William Abrose O'Malley, of Pennsylvania, was the cadet who caught Street's blocked kick and scored the second touchdown.

The 1882 season also marked the start of an eight-season long rivalry with Johns Hopkins, which Navy would win, five games to four.