The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-29
Form Collegiate As.ocintion.

adopting the rules OF the Rugby School
as their playing code.
Form Collegiate Assoctntion.
Five years later. or to be precise,
November 10, 1876, Harvard, Prince
ton, and Yale held convention in the
old Massasoit house, at Springfield.
Mass. and formed the intercollegiate
Football Association, adopting the
Rugby Union rules. This code has been
subjected almost annually since that
time to minor notifications, ana
periodically 1t has come up for COM
plete overhaullng and radical reform.
The cause of this continual change
In the American game Is the necessity
of keeping the rules abreast with tho
spirit of American vim and invention.
which annually seeks to attain VIC
tory through some formidable tactical
evolution which shall overwhclm skill
and strength by sheer brilliance of
strategy.
statisticians of the grndiron con-
tend that football Is no more danger.
GUS than baseball, and they point to
the fact that the fatalities upon the
diamond during three weeks of last
April equaled the record OF football
last autumn for ten weeks, while for
minor Injuries the record Of baseball
is as high as 20 to /. Notwithstanding
any such comparison. the rules COM
mittee of football resoiutely deter
mined to reach and eradicate the dan
gers of Its own game
This task the committee has per-
formed. instituting reform the mos,
drastic which football yet has encoun-
tered In this revision the commit
tee did not work upon theory. 1t had
before 1t precise and accurate data as
to the cause of the injuries that mark
ed the season or 1909 These data in
dicated as the offending features mass
play, interlocked interference, flying
tackles and the recovery of forward
passes.
Open UP Rush Line.
The dangers of the dying tackle
were not difficult to remove, since II
was possible TO remove the flying
tackle itself without any effect what
ever upon any other play. as tackling
is separate feature of the game and
not connected or correlated with other
playing systems. The COMMITTEES
simply ruled that hereafter no player
shall tackle an opponent without hav-
ing at the time at least one foot upon
the ground 1t was the mass play and
the forward pass that occupied the
committee for seven ea~s and n large
part OF the intervening nights.
Princeton. with the University %
Chicago. proposed as d remedy for
maased Interference an extension nf
rule seventeen so as II require seven
men of the offensive side to stand upon
the line of scrimmage and to prohibit
players of this side from aiding tho
man carrying the ball or one another
by hands. arms or body. either In push
Ing or pulling, thus eliminating tho
familiar spectacle of twenty years
standing of player being whirled
through the line.
After prolonged debate and consid-
cradle experimentation. this PROPOSE
ton was adopted. This radical change
means the return of that style of
game which characterized the late
The rush line probably will
play widely extended line this fall,
and the man with the ball at all times
Will be in full view of the spectators
With the abolition of flying tackles
line plunging will be the same as end
running, a quick dash through an open,
line.
Reduces Offensive Strength.
II was obvious to the committee that
this drastic change would reduce the
strength of the game more
than half, and that Ii was incumbent
to restore in some way the equi-
lihrium of the game, which must main
tain at all times, SO far as the rules
are concerned. a fair struggle between
the offense and the defense, and thus
prevent scoreless or heavily scoring
games. This condition the committee
met by removing the restriction upon