12th man (football) 12th man (football) The 12th man or 12th player is a term for fans of teams in eleven-a-side sports games, particularly association football (soccer) or American football. As most football leagues allow a maximum of eleven players per team on the playing field at a time, referring to a team's fans as the 12th man implies that they have a potentially helpful role in the game. Infrequently, the term has referred to individuals having a notable connection to their football team. In Canadian football, 12 players are usually on the field at one time and the term 13th man is
John Field (American football) native. He moved with his family to Oklahoma as a boy. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Field was living with his parents and three sisters (Eva, Ruth and Luella) in Washington, D.C.. His father was employed at that time as an attorney. Field attended high school at the local high school in Washington, D.C. Field enrolled at Yale University. He played for Yale's freshman football team in 1907 and then at the halfback and fullback positions for the Yale Bulldogs football team from to 1908 to 1910. During his three years as a player, the Yale