FOOTBALL RULES FOR 1906

The American Intercollegiate Football Rules Committee, at its final meeting held in New York on April 14, made a few changes in the wording of the rules, provided the penalty of 15 yards for a substitute who does not report to the referee on entering the game, arranged for the insertion of about 30 pictures in the new rules, and adjourned indefinitely after passing a vote of thanks to the proprietors of the Murray Hill Hotel for their considerate hospitality to the committee. A preamble is being prepared for the rules, but will not be given out until later. The important changes made in the rules at the several sessions of the committee are given below, the actual order and wording of the rules being adhered to as nearly as possible. Besides radical changes in the game, the penalties have in many cases been increased or changed. There are now no 10-yard penalties, and five offences are penalized by the loss of 15 yards. A new penalty is suspension. It differs from disqualification in that the committee makes no recommendation about a repetition of offenses punishable by suspension, while it deems it advisable that a player who has been twice disqualified should be debarred from playing for a year. The changes follow:

Officials.

The officials of the game shall be a referee, two umpires and a linesman.

Length of Game.

The length of the game shall be 60 minutes divided into two halves of 30 minutes each, exclusive of time taken out. There shall be 10 minutes intermission between the two halves. The game may be of shorter duration by mutual agreement between the captains of the contesting teams.

Line of Scrimmage.

A player shall be considered to be on the line of scrimmage if he has both hands or feet up to or within one foot of this line, or if he has one foot and the opposite hand up to or within one foot of it. He must also stand with both feet outside the outside player next to him; but the two men standing on either side of the snapper-back may lock legs with the snapper-back. "Outside" means with both feet outside the man next to him.

This rule is intended to prevent any player who is supposed to be on the line of scrimmage from taking a position at such an angle to the line of scrimmage, whether he faces in toward the centre or away from it, as shall enable him the more rapidly to get into the interference.

Neutral Zone.

In a scrimmage the holder of the ball shall place it flat on the ground and put it in play with its long axis at right angles to the line of scrimmage, and until the ball is put in play no part of any player, except of the man who puts the ball in play, shall be allowed to be ahead of the point of the ball nearest his own goal.

Fair Catch.

A fair catch consists in catching the ball after it has been kicked by one of the opponents before it touches the ground, or in similarly catching a "punt out" by another of the catcher's own side, provided the player making the catch has signified his intention of making the fair catch by raising his hand clearly above his head, and takes not more than two steps after making the catch.

The mark of the catch shall be the spot at which the ball is actually caught, and in case the catcher advances after the catch, the ball shall be brought back to the mark.

It is not a fair catch if the ball, after the kick, was touched by another of the player's side before the catch. Opponents who are off-side shall not in any way interfere with a player who has an opportunity for making a fair catch. Nor shall the player be thrown to the ground after such catch.

If a player who has an opportunity of making a fair catch is prevented from catching the ball through the unlawful obstruction of an opponent who is offside, or if a player who has made a fair catch is thrown to the ground, his side shall receive 15 yards and be privileged to put the ball in play by a punt, a dropkick, place-kick, or scrimmage.

The ball shall be declared dead when any portion of the player except his hands or feet touches the ground while he is in the grasp of an opponent.

It is a touchback when a player on defense permits a ball, kicked by an opponent, to strike his person and then roll across the goal line, and any player of his side then falls on it back of the line. If, however, such player juggles the ball so that he in any way forces it over the line and he or any player of his side then falls on it, it is a safety.

Tripping.

A player trips another when he obstructs him below the knees with that part of his leg that is below the knee. This does not prevent a player from diving under a play provided he does not trip as defined above. Penalty.-Loss of 15 yards.

Hurdling.

Hurdling in the open is jumping over or attempting to jump over an opponent who is still on his feet. Hurdling in the line is jumping over, or attenpting to jump over, a player on the line of scrimmage, with the feet or knees foremost, within the distance of five yards on either side of the point where the ball was put in play. Penalty.-Loss of 15 yards.

Time Taken Out.

Either captain may ask that time be taken out three times during each half without a penalty. If thereafter, however, either captain requests that time be called, his side shall be penalized by a loss of two yards for each time unless a player be removed from the game, the number of the down and the distance to be gained remaining the same as they were before the request was made. The Referee, however, may suspend play at any time at his own discretion without penalty to either side.

At the moment when the ball is put in play in a scrimmage, no player of the side which has the ball shall be in motion. Exception.-One man of the side having the ball may be in motion towards his own goal. Penalty.-Loss of 5 yards.

Rush Line Rule for Offense.

Before the ball is put in play at least six players of the side holding the ball must be on the line of scrimmage. If only six players are on the line of scrimmage, one player of those not on the line of scrimmage must stand with both feet outside the outside foot of the player on the end of the line.

No player of those ordinarily occupying the position of centre, guard, or tackle-that is the five middle players of the line-may drop back from the line of scrimmage on the offense unless he is at least 5 yards back of the line of scrimmage when the ball is put in play; and another player takes his place in the line of scrimmage. There shall be no shifting of men to evade this rule. Penalty.-Loss of 5 yards.

Holding.

After the ball is put in play, the players of the side in possession may obstruct the opponents with the body only, except the player running with the ball, who may ward off opponents with his hands and arms. Holding or unlawful obstruction by the side in possession of the ball includes: (1) grasping an opponent with the hands or arms; (2) placing the hands upon an opponent to push him away from the play; (3) circling in any degree any part of the opponent with the arm; (4) any use of the arms to lift an opponent in blocking. The only allowable use of the arm in blocking or obstructing an opponent is with the arm "close to the body." Penalty.-Loss of 15 yards.

After the ball is put in play, the players of the side not having the ball may use their hands and arms, but only to get their opponents out of the way in order to reach the ball or stop the player carrying the ball. Penalty.-Loss of 5 yards.

Bring Ball in When Out of Bounds.

If a ball goes out of bounds, whether it bounds back or not, a player of the side which secures it must bring it to the spot where the ball crossed the side line, and then after declaring how far he intends walking, walk out with it, in company with the referee, at right angles to the side line, any distance not less than 5 nor more than 15 yards, and at a point, indicated by the referee, put it down for a scrimmage.

Ten Yards in Three Downs.

If in three consecutive downs (unless the ball shall have crossed the goal line), a team, having constantly had the ball in its possession, shall not have advanced the ball 10 yards, it shall go to the opponents on the spot of the fourth down. In measuring, the forward point of the ball, not its centre, in its position when declared dead, shall be taken as the determining point. Nor shall the referee rotate the ball before measuring its forward point.

A forward pass, as specified elsewhere in the rules as allowable, may be received by either of the two players occupying the positions on the ends of the line, or by any one of the players who was behind the line of scrimmage when the ball was put in play without violating the rule which places restrictions on players when off-side.

When the ball has been kicked by a player other than the snapperback, any player of the kicking side shall be onside as soon as the ball touches the ground. In case a kicked ball goes over the goal line on the fly or after striking the ground before being touched by a player of either side, the referee shall declare a touchback. Exceptions.-(1) A place kick or drop kick passing over the cross-bar shall score as heretofore. (2) A player may run in a kick-off that crosses the goal line if he so desires. In case a kicked ball strikes the ground in the field of play, thus putting the kicker's side on-side, it may not be kicked further or be kicked at from its position on the ground or while bounding. Penalty.-Loss of 15 yards. In case a kick is returned before a scrimmage intervenes, the players of the side that returns the kick may not recover the ball until it has been touched by one of the side that first kicked it.

Forward Pass.

A player may throw, pass or bat the ball in any direction except towards his opponents' goal. Exceptions.-(1) One forward pass shall be allowed to each scrimmage, provided such pass be made by a player who was behind the line of scrimmage when the ball was put in play, and provided the ball, after being passed forward, does not touch the ground before being touched by a player of either side. If the ball touches the ground in such a case, it shall go to the opponents on the spot where the pass was made. (2) The pass may not be received by a man who was on the line of scrimmage when the ball was put in play-except by the two men playing on the ends of the line. (3) A forward pass over the line of scrimmage within the space of 5 yards on each side of the centre shall be unlawful. The penalty for exceptions (2) and (3) is the same as for (1). (4) A forward pass by the side which does not put the ball in play in a scrimmage shall also be unlawful. (5) A forward pass which goes over the goal line on the fly or bound without touching a player of either side shall be a touchback for the defenders of the goal.

In kicking a goal from a touchdown the kicker may touch or adjust the ball in the hands of the holder, so long as the ball does not touch the ground.

The penalty for coaching from the side lines shall be 15 yards.

Foul Play.

There shall be no striking with the fist or elbows, kneeing, kicking, meeting with the knee or striking with the locked hands by the line men, when they are breaking through; nor shall a player on defense strike in the face with the heel of the hand the opponent who is carrying the ball. Penalty.-Disqualification and the loss by the offending team of half the distance to its own goal line.

The committee further recommends that a player who is twice disqualified in the same season for the above offenses, or for a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent shall not be permitted by the authorities of his institution to play again within one year from the date of the second disqualification.

Unnecessary Roughness.

There shall be no piling up on the player after the referee has declared the ball dead, tripping, tackling the runner when clearly out of bounds, or any other acts of unnecessary roughness. Penalty.-Loss of 15 yards.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the players. This shall include the use of abusive or insulting language to opponents or officials. Penalty.-Suspension for the remainder of the game.

Tackling.

There shall be no tackling below the knees, except by the men on the line of scrimmage on the defense, and of these, the two men occupying the positions on the ends of the line may not tackle below the knees. A tackler who has tackled a runner above the knees shall not be penalized if after such tackle, his arms or hands slip down below the knees. Penalty.-Loss of 5 yards.

Rulings on Penalties.

It shall be the duty of all officials to penalize the offenses enumerated under the caption of unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, or disqualification.

Whenever the rules provide for a distance penalty that would carry the ball across the goal line or nearer to the goal line than the 1-yard line, the ball shall be down on the 1-yard line. If, however, a foul be committed inside the 1-yard line, half the remaining distance to the goal line shall be given for each offense.

In case more than one official signals a foul against the same side during the same scrimmage, the sum of the penalties shall be inflicted.