A Century of Change

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XI
1911

During one of the meetings of the 1911 Rules Committee, after debating for a day and a half, the committee actually voted to abolish the forward pass. We told you this in the grabber, but it is so startling, we thought it bore repeating.

Chairman Edward K. Hall, who served as Chairman of the rules committee longer than any other person, was an opponent of the forward pass. In 1911, his first year as Chairman, he was able to get the forward pass outlawed by one vote.

The committee's western and southern representatives left and threatened to form a separate committee and develop their own rules. Hall called the committee back together, and a subsequent vote, with Hall voting in favor of retention of the forward pass this time, reinstated it.

Thus, despite the efforts of Chairman Hall and Secretary Walter Camp, the forward pass remained in the game. David Nelson was of the opinion that the salvation of the forward pass was the single most important contribution to football.

1911 produced the elimination of the "hidden ball trick," as well. This play was devised by Pop Warner of Carlisle in 1903 and worked for atouchdown the first time it was run. 1911 also saw the resumption of the series between Princeton Harvard, previously terminated in 1896.

The 1911 changes were:

Scoring: If a foul is committed by the offensive side while the ball is behind its goal line on third down, it is a safety.

Kicking Game: If a foul following a first or second down is committed by the offensive side while the ball is behind its goal line, or in flight from a kick or pass delivered from behind that line, the play shall count as a down and the ball shall be put in play upon the one-yard line; if such foul follows a third down, the referee shall declare a safety. If the defensive side commits a foul while the offensive side is running, kicking, or passing out from behind its goal line, the referee shall declare a touchback.

Timing of the Game: Intermission between the first and second periods and the third and fourth periods is shortened from three to two minutes.

Coaching From the Sideline: The number of men allowed to walk up and down on each side of the field is changed from five to three.

Unsportsmanlike Fouls (Non-contact): Concealing the ball beneath the clothing or substituting any article for the ball is unsportsman-like conduct. Penalty is suspension for the remainder of the game.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XII
1912

Starting with the significant rules changes in 1906 and continuing to those of 1912, football became the game it is today. No other period on the history of the game has seen so fundamental a change in its makeup or nature. The continuing emphasis toward player safety, the spreading of the field, and the advent of the forward pass opened the game to the new innovations of offensive football that would come.

The single wing formation, with its power right or left evident to the defense, invited a massing of the defense to the power side. You've probably never heard of Arcasa, but he was the runner who introduced Army — and football — to the reverse. When the Army defense stacked itself toward the power of the formation to stop Thorpe, Arcasa would send a timely reverse their way, keeping them off balance all day, and giving Carlisle an easy win. A decade later in the 1920s, Warner, then at Stanford, would introduce his double wing formation, yet another offensive wrinkle made possible by the rules changes enacted during the years of 1906 to 1912.

The 1912 changes were huge in terms of completing the metamorphosis of the game. They included adding a fourth down to make 10 yards for a first down. This change made it possible for offenses to "waste" a down by trying a forward pass and yet still have two downs (as before) to run for the required distance. It meant that a team could make a first down by gaining less than three yards per offensive play, and it drastically reduced the number of punts in a game.

1912 also saw the field shortened to 300 feet (100 yards), which was 30 feet shorter than before. Also added were two 10-yard end zones. Before 1912, a pass thrown over the goal line and caught was a touchback. With the addition of the end zones, such a completed pass became a touchdown.

The other significant change that would favor the passing game was new specifications for the ball. It would now be a prolate spheriod.

Editor's note: According to Wikipedia, a prolate spheroid is a spheroid in which the polar axis is greater than the equatorial diameter. In other words, the "football" began to look like, well, a football instead of a rugby ball.

A rule that affected officiating for the next two years eliminated the field judge and dictated that the game would be officiated by only a referee, linesman and umpire.

1912 also was a landmark year in that it marked the final passing of the power of the rules makers from the Eastern schools into a full partnership with those from the South and West.

The 1912 changes were:

The Ball: Specifications: 28-28 inches around ends, 22-22 inches around middle, pressure 14-15 pounds.

The Field: 120 yards by 53 1/3 yards, including two 10-yard end zones.

Officials: Referee, umpire, linesman but no field judge.

Downs and the Line to Gain: Four downs to make 10 yards.

Scoring: Touchdown: 6 points. In no case shall it count a goal if the ball, after leaving the kicker's foot, touches the ground before passing over the crossbar or uprights. (Princeton won a 1911 game in which an attempted field goal hit the ground and bounced through the uprights and over the crossbar for a 3-0 victory.)

Passing Game: Two ten-yard end zones added. Pass interference exception beyond 20 yards was deleted. The 20-yard limitation of the length of a forward pass was deleted.

Kicking Game: With the addition of the end zones and the distance from goal line to goal line reduced to 300 feet, kickoffs are changed to the 40-yard line from what was the 55-yard line with the 330 foot field. On the "kickout" following a safety, the opponents must line up on the 20 yard line instead of the 25 yard line, and the ball must be kicked from behind the 20 yard line.

Timing of the Game: The intermission between the first and second and third and fourth periods was shortened from two minutes to one minute.

Coaching From the Sideline: Only one man from each team, instead of three, is allowed to walk up and down the sideline.

Fair Catch: Free kick after a fair catch: After the referee blows his whistle signifying that play may start, no player of the kicking side shall advance beyond a line passing through the mark of the catch and parallel to the goal line with the ball in his possession.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XIII

The Army-Notre Dame game is significant because it is looked on by many historians as the game in which the forward pass was first used. Notre Dame completed 14 of 17 passes that day in its 35-13 win. As we know, the forward pass had been legalized in 1906, but it was not used much among the Eastern establishment of football's powers. This game was the first time an Eastern team had been beaten by one from the Midwest through the use of the forward pass.

1913 also marked the first year that football would be recognizable by today's standards. It was the year after the seven-year period in which football was transformed from a game for goons and ruffians into one for athletes and players at the so-called "skilled positions."

One of the last remaining rugby rules was eliminated during that year, when the snap was required to be made by hand rather than with the foot. It also marked the seventh year in which Walter Camp tried to get the forward pass outlawed. That was an annual rite for him that would not end until his death immediately following the final rules committee meeting of 1925.

The Eastern schools continued to press ground games. But the Southern, Midwestern, and Western schools — with smaller stadiums, fewer wealthy alumni, and thus smaller financial resources — were forced to play a more innovative and exciting brand of football in order to attract paying crowds.

The most progressive offenses were developed away from the East Coast and out of the national sports media spotlight. The eventual result has been that the traditional powerhouses of that day, the Eastern schools, are seldom if ever a factor in the national pecking order of the elite football schools today.

One of the most significant changes in 1913 would lead to even more groundbreaking changes much later. Until 1913, football substitution rules mirrored those of professional baseball; i.e., Once a player was removed from the game, he was finished for the day.

But now, any removed player could return at any time during the fourth quarter. Years later, that was altered to allow free substitution. And that led to the development of specialists, like a kicker or a holder for a kicker. Or a third-down pass rusher.

Some have even argued that free substitution has had a bigger impact on the game than the legalization of the forward pass. The ghost of Walter Camp would, of course, disagree.

The 1913 changes were:

Player numbering: Amos Alonzo Stagg began numbering his players at the University of Chicago.

Passing game: The "Mutt and Jeff" play was outlawed. This play featured a small player climbing onto the shoulders of a larger player to catch a pass thrown too high for defenders to reach.

Kicking game: The punter's angle was moved five yards away from the nearest goalpost along the goal line if his team has been penalized because the kicker had advanced beyond the limit line on a punt-out. If the punt-out kicker makes a deliberate attempt (using a feint) to draw the opponents offside, the referee shall not permit the kick until the opponents have an opportunity to return onside. The kicker also does not have to be five yards behind his line of scrimmage to kick the ball legally .

The snap: As mentioned earlier, snapping the ball back with the foot was no longer legal. The hand or hands must be used.

Substitutions: A player removed may return anytime in the fourth period.


Editor's note: Hmmm. In the most recent figures available, paid attendance at Major League Baseball was 75 million as opposed to 17 million for the NFL. Of course, one must admit that the baseball season is a little longer. (grin) Still, both pale in comparison to the paid attendance at the world's favorite sport, soccer.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XIV
1914
June 9th, 2010

It must be said that none of the sitting committees have ever been visionary in their approach to rule making. Every one of them has been conservative and reactive rather than proactive, They have all waited to fix problems rather than anticipating and preventing them.

In 1914, the subject of defenseless players was addressed for the first time, with roughing penalties put in place to protect the passer and the fullback, who would for the first time be called the "kicker." Both roughing penalties had the same consequence — disqualification.

The game's popularity was exploding by that time, with several huge stadiums either completed or being built, and more than 450 colleges participating with over 6 million fans attending games. That "era" continues today; the numbers have just increased.

The on-side scrimmage kick was still a legal play that allowed the kicking team to recover and advance a scrimmage kick.

A strange 1914 amendment dictated that the ball would be awarded to the defense at the spot where an incomplete pass was thrown out of bounds. This had the effect of making it legal for the defense on a fourth down pass to throw the ball out of bounds close to the opponent's goal line. That, however, was not what the rule makers intended, as they had hoped the rule would penalize the passing team, not the defense.

As with many ill-conceived rules through the years, it would last just one season.

Another problem that the passing game brought about was the question of whether a catch was in bounds or out of bounds. In 1912, the field judge's position had been eliminated, leaving the game to be officiated by only three officials.

But the problem was exacerbated because there was no definition of what constituted a legal catch. The committee decided that in order for a catch to be legal, the receiver had to come down with both feet in bounds, which is the same rule that still exists today in pro football.

As we all know, the NCAA rule was later changed to require the receiver to get only one foot down in bounds. The field judge was reinstated (initially by agreement of the teams, but later mandated) to cover the empty sideline. This was also the year that intentional grounding was initially dealt with.

The 1914 rule changes were:

Officials: Referee, umpire, linesman, with field judge but only by mutual agreement.

Passing game: Roughing the passer penalty was added (disqualification). Intentional grounding was added (ten yards from the previous spot). Two feet in bounds are required for the completion of a pass. "Hideout" receivers are unsportsmanlike. A forward pass thrown out of bounds is a dead ball at the out of bounds spot. The ball was awarded to the defense.

Kicking game: A free kick striking the goalpost in flight was out of bounds and a touchback. The kickout was eliminated, with the ball being put in play by a scrimmage after a touchback or safety. The penalty for roughing the kicker was disqualification. Running into the kicker became an exception to roughing the kicker; it carried no penalty.

Coaching from the sideline: No person would be allowed to walk up and down either side of the field. Everyone must be seated.

Editor's note: Just try enforcing that rule today!

Personal (contact) fouls: The words "running into the fullback after the kick" were changed to "roughing the kicker." A player coming through and trying to block the kick would not necessarily incur a penalty if he simply runs against the kicker. A penalty was added for roughing the passer: disqualification and a loss of half the distance to the goal line. A clause was inserted to include "tripping by hand" under the rule of tripping, which formerly covered tripping exclusively with the foot and leg.

Procedure fouls: Teams would no longer be allowed to encroach upon the neutral zone in making shift plays. As soon as either team is lined up on the defensive, any shift made by a player passing into this neutral zone would draw a five-yard penalty.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XIV
1914
June 23rd, 2010

Penalties were lessened. But at the same time, the committee began what would be a long process of addressing some of the more dangerous techniques that pervaded the game. One of these, the "cartwheel block," consisted of an offensive blocker literally doing a cartwheel so that his feet and legs contacted the defender in the chest and above, with potential consequences to the defender's face, head, and neck.

The practice of allowing substitutes to return to the game at any time during the fourth quarter produced a situation almost like the unlimited substitutions of today, and that was addressed and curtailed. To officials, 1915 was an important year because it marked the re-introduction of the field judge as one of four officials mandated by rule. With that change, the Committee assigned the task of timing the game to the field judge. The 1915 changes were:

Officials: Referee, umpire, linesman, and field judge.

Players and numbers: Numbering of players was recommended.

Passing game: An incomplete pass out of bounds on fourth down now goes to the opponent at the previous spot and is a loss of down on other downs. If a second eligible receiver touches or catches a forward pass, it is incomplete and loss of down, not loss of ball as had previously been the rule.

Kicking game: Running into the kicker is penalized by a fifteen-yard walk off, and roughing the kicker receives a fifteen-yard penalty and disqualification.

The snap: In snapping the ball back, the center may not hold it after he has made a motion; he must actually let go the ball.

Substitutions: A substitute communicating before a play is penalized fifteen yards. Substitutes may only enter the game at the start of a period.

Personal (contact) fouls: Interferers (blockers) are no longer able to knock down the secondary defense after the whistle blows, nor is the defense permitted to run into a man after the whistle blows. The penalty is loss of 10 yards from the dead-ball spot. Protection of the fullback (kicker) is divided into two parts: running into the fullback is a 15-yard penalty; roughing the fullback is a 15-yard penalty and disqualification. The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is changed to 15 yards and disqualification for flagrant conduct. Blocking or interfering, wherein men throw their legs up in the air and strike opponents with the lower leg above the knee, results in a 15-yard penalty.

Unsportsmanlike (non-contact) fouls: The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is changed from suspension to a 15-yard walk off, and an official may disqualify any player for flagrant conduct.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XV
1915
John Milstead
June 23rd, 2010

Penalties were lessened. But at the same time, the committee began what would be a long process of addressing some of the more dangerous techniques that pervaded the game. One of these, the "cartwheel block," consisted of an offensive blocker literally doing a cartwheel so that his feet and legs contacted the defender in the chest and above, with potential consequences to the defender's face, head, and neck.

The practice of allowing substitutes to return to the game at any time during the fourth quarter produced a situation almost like the unlimited substitutions of today, and that was addressed and curtailed. To officials, 1915 was an important year because it marked the re-introduction of the field judge as one of four officials mandated by rule. With that change, the Committee assigned the task of timing the game to the field judge. The 1915 changes were:

Officials: Referee, umpire, linesman, and field judge.

Players and numbers: Numbering of players was recommended.

Passing game: An incomplete pass out of bounds on fourth down now goes to the opponent at the previous spot and is a loss of down on other downs. If a second eligible receiver touches or catches a forward pass, it is incomplete and loss of down, not loss of ball as had previously been the rule.

Kicking game: Running into the kicker is penalized by a fifteen-yard walk off, and roughing the kicker receives a fifteen-yard penalty and disqualification.

The snap: In snapping the ball back, the center may not hold it after he has made a motion; he must actually let go the ball.

Substitutions: A substitute communicating before a play is penalized fifteen yards. Substitutes may only enter the game at the start of a period.

Personal (contact) fouls: Interferers' (blockers) are no longer able to knock down the secondary defense after the whistle blows, nor is the defense permitted to run into a man after the whistle blows. The penalty is loss of 10 yards from the dead-ball spot. Protection of the fullback (kicker) is divided into two parts: running into the fullback is a 15-yard penalty; roughing the fullback is a 15-yard penalty and disqualification. The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is changed to 15 yards and disqualification for flagrant conduct. Blocking or interfering, wherein men throw their legs up in the air and strike opponents with the lower leg above the knee, results in a 15-yard penalty.

Unsportsmanlike (non-contact) fouls: The penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct is changed from suspension to a 15-yard walk off, and an official may disqualify any player for flagrant conduct.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XVI
1916
John Milstead
July 14th, 2010

It should be noted that while NCAA football was progressing in its identity, rules, tactics, and fan support in 1916, the same could also be said about professional football. The pro game at that time was a much rougher version of the collegiate game. It was populated by many former collegians, and the very fact that these players accepted money for their performance was considered offensive and ungentlemanly by the administrators of the collegiate game. In part, that attitude led to the development of the NCAA's "Football Code" in 1916.

The 1916 Rules Committee was concerned with the length of the games due to the stopping of the clock for incomplete passes. One of the most dangerous blocks was made illegal in 1916 as the clipping rule was brought into being. Walter Camp wanted pass interference to be a spot foul. Today's practice of spotting the ball at the inbounds spot was begun in 1916, with the Referee bringing the ball 15 yards from the sideline unless the offensive team requested a shorter distance.

Another significant event occurred in 1916. From the inception — 1906 to 1916 — there were two rules committees in existence: the "old" committee, consisting primarily of members from the Eastern colleges, and the "new" committee, which came into being in 1906 to address the crisis of the brutal nature of the game.

Walter Camp was a prominent member of both committees, having been a member of the "old" committee for over 30 years. The "new" rules committee was almost literally forced on the "old" one by President Theodore Roosevelt. By 1916, the initial contentiousness between the two groups had developed into such a level of cooperation that the "old" committee was phased out of existence. The members of the "old" committee were accepted as members of the "new" committee, and the bodies became one.

Other rule changes in 1916 were:

Passing game: Guards and tackles must be five yards in the backfield to be eligible receivers.

Timing of the game: In the case of delay of game at intermission, the offended side, in addition to profiting by a distance penalty, also has a choice of goal.

Personal (contact) fouls: A defensive player shall not strike the runner in the face with the heel of the hand. It is illegal for any player to strike another with locked hands. The penalty is disqualification and half the distance to the goal line. (That's a really tough penalty!)

Procedure fouls: The previous year (1915), if a man was not one yard back and still was not on the line of scrimmage, it produced an illegal formation. This was "winked" at or agreed upon by the officials before the games, for it was not intended that the man occupying the usual position of quarterback could not stand nearer to the line of scrimmage than one yard, even though the ball was passed to someone else. It was made clear in 1916 that such a formation is not legal, but the quarterback is not eligible to receive a pass unless he is one yard back. A guard or tackle dropped back from the line must go back at least five yards in order to be eligible to act as an interferer or receive a forward pass.

Fair catch: When a player has the opportunity to make a fair catch, opponents who are offside shall not in any way interfere with him or the ball. Opponents who are onside may attempt to catch the ball, but they shall not interfere with an opportunity to make a fair catch except in an actual attempt to catch the ball themselves. (It must be borne in mind that a player running toward a "fly ball" has the right of way, and if opponents are offside, they must get out of his way or otherwise they may interfere with his opportunity to make a fair catch.)

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XVII
1917
John Milstead
July 28th, 2010

The Rules Committee was busy trying to address the question of whether the ball could be elevated for a place kick. Over the past few years, the place kick had come into vogue for field goals, and the drop kick had been for the most part, well, dropped.

The 1912 rule that had standardized the shape and size of the ball made the place kick a more accurate weapon than the drop kick. Holders were continually looking for some advantage by finding ways to elevate the ball so their kickers could get more altitude and distance on their kicks.

In 1916, the rule required that the ball be kicked off the ground. Using that definition, holders began putting the ball on chunks of ground, or scraping up piles of dirt on which to place the ball. The 1917 Committee addressed that by making it essentially legal with restrictions on the use of artificial tees.

There was a continuing concern about coaching from the sidelines, and substitutes entering the game were not allowed to speak or otherwise communicate with their teammates in the team huddle. The Referee was required to enter the huddle to enforce that rule. But they made a concession for those instances when a team substituted for their quarterback.

During the 1916 meetings, Walter Camp petitioned for a spot foul for pass interference to stop the intentional interference that was commonplace. That rule was enacted in 1917 and stayed in effect until 1984, when defensive pass interference more than 15 yards downfield would once again become a 15-yard penalty with an automatic first down.

One of the major effects on football of World War I was to be the age of the returning veterans who went to college and played. Their added maturity would soon improve the quality of intercollegiate football, a pattern that would be repeated after World War II and the Korean War.

The 1917 rules changes were:

Passing game: Defensive pass interference is a loss of the ball at the spot of the foul rather than a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down. An incomplete pass is not a foul.

Kicking game: Placekicker may scrape up earth to make a tee but may not use artificial tees. On kickoffs and free kicks. players may be in motion in any direction provided they are onside when the ball is kicked. Running into the scrimmage kicker is a five-yard penalty.

Substitutions: A player replacing the quarterback may communicate in his huddle with his teammates.

Coaching from the sideline: Incoming substitutes are prevented from communicating with their teammates on the field until after the first play. If a substitute replaces the quarterback, however, he is allowed to give his signal.

Personal (contact) fouls: Penalties for running into or roughing the kicker are measured from the spot where the ball was put into play: the previous spot.

[49ers]

Century of Change — Part XVIII
1918-1920
John Milstead
August 26th, 2010

Because of World War I, the rules of football changed little in 1918 and 1919, and it was 1920 before the Rules Committee again began any major tinkering. David Nelson, in his book "The Anatomy of a Game: Football, the Rules and the Men Who Made the Game," tells of the fresh wind that blew across the national sports scene beginning in 1919:

It was the era of Red Grange, Knute Rockne, the Four Horsemen, Bobby Jones, Babe Ruth, Bill Tilden, Earle Sande, Man o' War, Johnny Weissmuller, Gertrude Ederle, Paavo Nurmi, Helen Wills, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, and college football.

This was the era that created both the traditions and legends that have developed the game into the huge spectacle it has become. Harvard and Yale had built the first of the large stadiums, but now many of the major universities had built or were building them. The balance of power in college football had shifted from the Eastern schools to the midwest, south, and west. More innovative offenses were making the game more exciting than ever, and the growth of the sport was astonishing.

As his years on the Rules Committee were winding down, Walter Camp continued his unsuccessful assault on the proliferation of the forward pass. The 1920 committee brought in the first rule against roughing the passer, making the passing quarterback a protected species. The clipping rule was put in to protect players who were out of the play.

The 1918-1920 rules changes were:

The ball: In case of a wet field, the ball may be changed for a new one at the end of a period at the referee's option.

Passing game: A forward pass is in possession of the team throwing it. Time out on an incomplete pass. Clock starts on the snap.

Kicking game: The rule regarding the fair catch signal is changed to read "prior to attempt to catch the ball" instead of "while advancing toward the ball." The punt-out, one of the try-for-goal options, is eliminated. Any player may take the ball out to any spot to kick the goal following the touchdown.

Personal (contact) fouls: Clipping is considered "unnecessary roughness" and applies whether the ball is alive or dead if it is committed against a player who is obviously out of the play. Roughing the forward passer is also "unnecessary roughness," and the offending side is penalized at the discretion of the official. The penalty for throwing a player out of bounds is measured from the point where the runner crossed the side line.

Procedure fouls: Both the referee and linesman watch the man in motion before the ball is put into play. When a player, after shifting, comes to his position, he must have both feet stationary – and on the ground. (Those boys in the twenties were taking no chances!) Penalty for what we call illegal motion: five yards. The penalty for a man starting before the ball is put in play (now called "false start) is measured from the point of the scrimmage. If, in the opinion of the official, a false starting signal is designed to draw the opponent offside, the official may rule the play be made over again.

Substitutes: Substitutions are complete when a player reports to an official.