The Cosmopolitan Dinner Club started a youth football program for 7th and 8th grades in 1970 to give young boys the opportunity to play organized tackle football. It was established to provide a spirit of cooperation among team members and to teach the fundamentals of football. This endeavor was a major project for the club and it was very expensive to get it started. The first three years involved a major deficit. It looked like the youth program was going to be dropped. Jack Teeter, a member of the Cosmopolitan Breakfast Club and a coach in the program, decided that his club might be interested in having the program as one of their projects. After several meetings, the Breakfast Club decided to take it over, including the debt. Jack Teeter was the first Chair of this project for 1973. Jack was a Program Analyst for M.F.A. and received his Physical Education degree at the University of Missouri.

Jack Teeter was instrumental in establishing rules and regulation and organization to get the program on a solid footing. We had a successful program in 1973, but still had some of the prior debts to pay. Within a couple of years, the debt was paid off and a large amount of new equipment had been purchased. Jack accepted a coaching position with a high school in Georgia before the 1977 season started. Hal Boyer, a member of the Cosmopolitan Breakfast Club worked closely with Jack in all aspects of the operation, including the handling of the registrations from 1973 and organized the day-to-day administration with members of his club. The program became very successful, and during the mid seventies, lightweight and heavyweight divisions were formed.

The program remained a 7th and 8th grade league until 1984. The Jaycees, who operated the Mighty Mites (grades 1 through 6), wanted to explore the possibility of combining the two operations. After several meetings, it was decided to combine the two functions into one league called, “Columbia Youth Football League, Inc.”. Bob Rogers was the first President, and Hal Boyeras the treasurer handled the registration procedures. The first Board Members were mostly coaches in the league and Cosmo Breakfast Club members. Although the Breakfast Club provided strong financial support and manpower to run various functions during the season, the CYFL Board was in administrative control of the league.

The finances of the combined organization were usually tight, especially when we first bought a scoreboard. When Chuck Everitt became President in 1993, he organized some fundraisers, including a golf tournament. These additional funds helped the financial situation considerably and additional scoreboards and equipment became possible.

Today the CYFL consists of more than 400 youths from the Mid-Missouri area. Thanks to a combined effort, several Mid-Missouri towns are part of the CYFL. These include Columbia, Ashland, Boonville, Centralia, Harrisburg, and Hallsville.

The CYFL has always been an instructional league, teaching the fundamentals of football. There are more than 40 volunteer-coaches that dedicate their time to educate youth about the basics of football. The league also has a 12+ member board of directors that meet on a monthly basis.