The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-05-20
FORWARD PASS RETAINED
BY RULES COMMITTEE

tc6idtc iOOtudti lutco CUiuultlct al a
meeting in New York has decided to
retain the forward pass unrestricted.
The committee framed number of
rules designed TO throw safeguards
around the operation of this and other
plays, and adjourned sine die. having
completed the task of reforming"
football, which has kept it busy much
of the time since February /, last.
The working out of the details of
the new game was left in the hands
of subcommittee composed of Walter
Camp, of Yale; DR.. Carl Williams. of
the University of Pennsylvania, and
Percy d. Haughton, of Harvard, but
as the new regulations are largely
theoretical it is admitted that the pre-
else results will not be known until
the football season Of 1910 is under
way. Members of the committee hope,
however. that they have succeeded in
devising plan whereby the game will
not be robbed of its spectacular fea-
lures, yet will be more safe than it
has been in the past.
1t was felt that, having weakened
the offense by the new rules previous
ly adopted, some method had to be
invented to strengthen the offense as
an offset For this reason great effort
was expended to formulate plan re-
tanning the forward pass. Without it
under the new restrictions, scoring
would be so difficult that the game
would almost be destroyed.
At former sessions the committee
adopted six rules. They are that the
offense must keep seven men on the
line of scrimmage; prohibition of the
diving tackle; permitting quarterback
runs to be made through any part of
the line; that an on-side kick must go
20 yards to be on-side; prohibiting
pushing or pulling of players or inter-
locked interference, and dividing the
game into four quarters of fifteen min
utes each.
The rules adopted are as follows;
1. The forward pass may cross the
line of scrimmage at any point, but
the player making the pass must be
at least yard back behind the line
of scrimmage when the ball is put in
play.
| 3. A forward pass which crosses
the line of scrimmage or kick of any
description must be made from a
point at least yards back of the
scrimmage line.
4. Penalties; On the first and sec
ond downs, in case of an incompleted
forward pass the ball shall be brought
back to the spot where the pass was
made, the play to count as one down,
and the distance to be gained to be
the same. On the third down the ball
shall go to the opponents on the spot
where the pass was made
| s. Players on the offensive who
have crossed the line of scrimmage
must not. interfere with the defensive
players on a kick until the ball shall
have gone 20 yards or ten on a for
ward pass until it shall have been
caught except in an actual attempt to
catch the ball
6. Players on the defense, except
when they are behind the line of
scrimmage. may play as heretofore.
Players on the defense behind the
line of scrimmage may use their hands
only upon their opponents bodies in
order to get at the men with the ball
until the ball shall have advanced
across a line yards back of the
scrimmage line. After the ball ias
advanced across this 5-yard line they
may play as heretofore Defensive
players behind the line of scrimmage
on forward pass shall not in any
way interfere with their opponents
cACcpl III du dCJudI dllCulpl " CdbCu
! the ball. nor shall such players in
case of kick in any way interfere
with their opponents until the oppon-
ents have gone 20 yards beyond the
line of scrimmage. No player on the
offense or defense while in the act
of catching forward pass shall be
tackled, thrown, pushed, pulled, shoul-
dered, or straight-armed until he Shall
have caught the ball and taken more
than one step in any direction; pro
vided that any such interference which
is incidental to "a bona-fide attempt to
catch or intercept a pass ball shall
not come within this prohibition.
! In addition the committee adopted
rule designed to safeguard the play
ers in another direction The rule
reads: