W _ •*■ •*- " -X _. JLV^LX\w/ll 1951 FOOTBALL lULi CHANGES by Charles W. Tucker, Jr. FOOTBALL'S development, from its early beginnings to the fast-moving, colorful spectacle it is today, has necessitated annual rules changes to meet the various situations which occur. This year there are no new basic rules. There are merely alterations to improve the present ones. One rule which was dropped last year has now been put back in the book. The five changes listed below will bring you up to date on the ]951 Rules Book. Read them over and enjoy the game! 1. 2. 3. THE FAIR CATCH WILL BE USED BY COLLEGES AGAIN THIS YEAR. After a year's absence from the Rules Book, the Committee has found it advisable to reinstate the fair catch, in the best interest of protecting the receiving back from vicious down field tackles. This rule has been rewritten and simplified to facilitate its administration by officials. There is no longer the requirement that the player stop within two steps after the catch. The rule is now simple and clear. It merely states, "When a player makes a fair catch, the ball becomes dead where caught and shall belong to the receiving team at the spot where that player first touched it." The signal for a fair catch remains the same: the player making the catch shall raise one hand clearly above his head and wave it from side to side. Under the old rule, the team making the fair catch had the option of putting the ball in play by a free kick or scrimmage. This option is now deleted and the ball must be put in play from scrimmage. PENALTY FOR ILLEGAL SHIFT NOW REDUCED TO FIVE YARDS. For several years there has been a very fine distinction between a man illegally in motion and an illegal shift. The penalty for the former being five yards and the latter fifteen yards. Because of the fact that these two violations of the rules were so closely related, and many times confused, the Committee decided to make the penalty for each the same, which is a great step toward consistency and conformity in the rules. VIOLATION OF SUBSTITUTION RULE NO LONGER PENALIZED AS DELAY-OF- GAME. One of the most confusing things in football from a spectator's point of view has been eliminated. How often have you seen the defensive team run in a substitute when the ball was ready- for-play, but before the offensive team had even lined up over the ball. The Referee would blow his whistle and step off five yards against the defensive team. The public address system would announce to the stands that the defensive team was being penalized for delay of game. Now you know and I know, that the game was not delayed by that substitution. Actually, it was a violation of the substitution rule as substitutions cannot be made once the ball is ready-for-play. However, last year any violation of the substitution rule was called illegal delay. This year it will be properly penalized as a violation of the substitution rule. 4. BALL SHALL NOT BE PUT IN PLAY UNTIL REFEREE SIGNALS READY-FOR- PLAY. No more will the offensive team be able to pull that old surprise play of lining up on the ball and, without signals or huddle, snap it while the defensive team is still picking itself up off the field. This year the ball must be declared ready-for-play by the Referee before it can be put in play. The Referee will signal ready-for-play by extending his right arm aloft and bringing it down to his side. 5. STARTING THE CLOCK. There is one change in the timing of a game this year that will be significant. Last year after any time out, free time out or excess time out, the clock was started as soon as the ball was ready-for-play. Quite often toward the end of a period, with only a few seconds left to play, the team in possession of the ball, trailing by a slight margin, would ask for one of its free times out, just to kill the clock and assure itself of one more play. The Referee would grant the time out, but as soon as the time was up and the Referee had declared the ball ready-for-play, the clock would start and usually run out before the team could put the ball in play. This seemed to work an injustice upon a team which had conserved its times out all during the game for just such an occasion. This year, the Rules Committee has decided that after a free time out has been granted, the clock shall not start until the ball is actually put in play. Courtesy of TRAILWAY BUS LINES Nation-Wide Bus Service 315 North 9th Street Phone 7040 [| I TT ***J\ M.M. _■ 1 1 *.*■-« « ■> r ■ > ILLEGAL PACITIAhl » ' *~) 2. ILLEGAL POSITION OR PROCEDURE 3. ILLEGAL MOTION OR SHIFT 4. DELAY OF GAME \ ~— ^v \ 5. PERSONAL FOUL 6. ROUGHNESS AND PILING ON 1. OFFSIDE 8. ROUGHING THE KICKER 10. DEFENSIVE HOLDING lice ftc utkinc I >-Y\ "*^N IIP 7. CLIPPING 11. ILLEGAL USE OF HANDS AND ARMS 12. INTENTIONAL GROUNDING 15. INELIGIBLE RECEIVER .. .... „ , _. .., „ , ... , r. DOWN FIELD ON PASS l6- BALL ILLEGALLY TOUCHED, Wn rA" KICKED OR BATTED *» ILLEGALLY PASSING OR HANDING BALL FORWARD 14. FORWARD PASS OR KICK CATCHING INTERFERENCE ^ k 17. INCOMPLETE FORWARD PASS, PENALTY DECLINED, NO PLAY OR NO SCORE 19. BALL DEAD; SF|dTtODs7de°TOUCH?aCK 20. TOUCH- 18. CRAWLING, HELPING THE RUNNER OR INTERLOCKED INTERFERENCE *=£: 23. FIRST DOWN 25. BALL RSADY-FOa-PLATf 21. SAFETY 22. TIME-OUT 24. START THE CLOCK OR NO MORE TIME-OUTS ALLOWED 14th and Grove AH Plumbing and Fixtures Installed by INTERMOUNTAIN PLUMBING CO. GENERAL CONTRACTORS Phone 4866 mm HiKr " ____HHMHM is niiiiiiiiiiiiM pf -.- • j • ^z- * ..... j _ * .. . . „.. :<fJ§fr %r w*** m£§fm -*> t m HMdK^K__liMgi ifttl Ml at i fe^^Pfti B * I i '^ l» .■*■•&■ r &.'&.. ■&.-#*. ■< mm* . - , \ Boise Junior College Band, directed by John Best. Courtesy of J. H. WISE & SON, INC. Building Contractors BOISE, IDAHO —11- ...>.w>n ■' w.. *••■■-. -*^. ....■*■ ..