sports antedates and cites

[Mullins, Bill]

 back-field (n, American football) (OED has 1923)
"Outing's Monthly Review of Amateur Sports and Pastimes. Football." Arthur
Inkersley, _Outing_, December, 1896, No. 3, p. 290/2
"With Morice doing the kicking, and a better man at quarter, Penn's team
will be very strong, for her line men are unusually strong, and the
individuals in the back-field are fairly so."

center (n; basketball) (OED does not have a specific basketball sense)
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 227/2
"The center closes in toward his own goal when it is in danger, but the
instant one of his guards has secured the ball, he stands ready to take it
on the pass and send it on to the forwards, either by a second pass or by
dribbling it up the field."

dribble (v, trans; basketball) (OED does not have basketball sense;
"dribbled" is in a 1951 cite for "lay-in")
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 226/1
"The players cannot carry the ball nor can they kick it, the method of
progressing being restricted to passing, batting or "dribbling" the ball."

field-goal (American football) (OED has 1902)
"Outing's Monthly Review of Amateur Sports and Pastimes. Football." J.
Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1898, No. 3, p. 316/2
"If the touchdown counted but three points, and the goal from it but one
more, the five which a field-goal now earns would be more in keeping with
its relative value, and also lessen the present probability of tie games."

forward (n; basketball) (OED does not have basketball sense)
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 227/1
"The forwards conduct most of the attack and it is generally their work to
throw the goals, while the guards conduct the defense."

foul tip (OED has 1889)
"Baseball in Australia," Harry Palmer, _Outing_, November, 1888, p. 162/2
"This is called a "foul tip," and puts the batsman out."

free-throw (n) (OED does not have basketball sense, but it appears in a 1955
cite for "back-board")
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 226/2
"The game is scored by points, but there are only two methods of making
points-goals from the field and goals from free throws."

guard (n) (American football position) (OED has 1897)
"The Game and Laws of American Football," Walter C. Camp, _Outing_, October,
1886, No. 1, p. 70/1
"The "right" and "left guard" and the "next-to-the-ends" are relatively
every bit as important as the individual positions above described; but
every team has a different way of using these men, and the methods depend
entirely upon the qualifications of the men-the only real separation being
in the fact that the "guards" have to act more as assistants of the center,
and the others of the wings or "ends." "

full-back (n, American football position) (OED has 1887)
"Our Monthly Record," _Outing_, December, 1886, p. 281 col 1.
"The teams were:  Yale - Rushers, Corwin, Gill, Woodruff, Corbin, Carter,
Hamlin, Wallace; quarterback, Beacher;  halfbacks, Watkinson and Morrison;
fullback, Durant."

guard (n) (basketball) (OED has 1905)
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 227/1
"A basket-ball team is made up of five players, corresponding closely to the
forwards, center, and backs of Association football. They act as right and
left forwards, the center, and right and left guards. "

infield (n, baseball) (OED has 1906 for the sense of the group of players
who play in the infield)
"Baseball in Australia," Harry Palmer, _Outing_, November, 1888, p. 162/1
"These four men constitute the "infield" of the team."
p. 163/1
"The Infield-A term applied to the first, second, third baseman and
short-stop."

make (v) (OED sense 52.e, "make a team", 1902)
"Basketball," J. Parmly Paret, _Outing_, December, 1897, No. 3, p. 226/1
"The competitive side of the sport interests men to keep in condition by a
course of basket-ball, who otherwise would refuse point-blank to train
during the winter; and class and inter-class games, with a few
inter-collegiate matches, serve to add enough interest to make the 'varsity
basket-ball team almost as difficult to "make" as the football and baseball
teams."

rush (v, American football) (OED has 1949)
"Editors Open Window," _Outing_, January, 1887, p. 377/2.
"Harvard and Princeton have largely confined their efforts to improvement in
running with the ball, or 'rushing,' as it is technically called."
"Our Monthly Record," _Outing_, November, 1888, p. 186/1
"Last year the snapper-back could not rush the ball until it had touched a
third man."

slide (v, baseball) (OED has 1891)
"Baseball in Australia," Harry Palmer, _Outing_, November, 1888, p. 164/1
"Slide-When a base-runner sees that there is a chance of the fielders
getting the ball to the base for which he is making before he gets there
himself, he will plunge head first, or feet first, for the bag, sliding over
the ground upon his stomach or back, a distance of ten feet or more to the
base; this is called base-sliding, and is a reckless and daring feature of
the game that invariably arouses much enthusiasm in America."

tackle (n, American football position) (OED has 1891)
"Outing's Monthly Review of Amateur Sports and Pastimes. Football." Arthur
Inkersley, Outing, December, 1896, p. 290/2
"McCracken is a very strong player at either guard or tackle, and can fill
any vacancy at either of these places quite satisfactorily. "

touch-back (n, American football) (OED has 1891)
"Our Monthly Record," _Outing_, July, 1888, p. 381/1
"A "touch back" is a new term, and was defined as""made when a player
touches the ball to the ground behind his goal, the impetus which sent the
ball across the line having been received from opponents." "