Evening star., 1911-08-19
FOOT BALL CODE WILL
SHOW MINOR CHANGES
More Comprehensive Interpre-
tation of Forward Pass Made
by Special Committee.

NEW YORK, August 19.-The official
foot ball rules for 1911, We're announced
yesterday I'm the Annual Foot Ball Guide.
edited by Walter Camp of Yale. The
code is practically as 1t was last year.
with few minor changes, which simplify
the Interpretation Of rules relating to the
forward pass When the rules committee
met last fall ii decided to stand pat
on the code, and appointed a subcommit-
tee to make any changes which would
simplify the code Many complicated ex-
pressions and involved phrases have been
simplihed, especially in relation to the
forward pass play. The committee who
did the revising was made up of Walter
Camp. Yale; T. X. Hall, Dartmouth, and
DR.. Carl s. Williams of PENNSYLVANIA.
Percy Haughton of Harvard, who was
on the codifying committee last year, has
retired.
OF the three changes in the interpre-
tation Of the forward pass. the first re-
lates to the penalty for an incompleted
or an illegal forward pass. The incom-
pleted pass is one which hits the ground
before being touched by player of either
side and an illegal pass is one that is
made from less than five yards behind
the line of scrimmage or one which is
first touched by a member of the attack
ing side.
Heretofore penalties for violatio of
this kind have been made from the point
where the pass was made. This confused
the officials and diverted their attention
often from the pass itself. The new in
depreciation provides that the penalties on
the violations will be measured from the
spot where the ball was put into play as
marked by the linesmen.
Another change relates to the protec-
ftn,. Of all tz1,s,
pass. To insure safety on the play the
new rules provided that the player catch
ing the forward pass could not be tackled
or interfered with until he had taken one
step after making the catch. The past
season, the rules makers believe. showed
that there was no necessity for this rule,
as the chances for injury had been great
ly lessened. Officials found it extremely
difficult to judge whether player had
taken a step or not, under the revised
rule a player catching the forward pass
may be tackled just the same as a player
catching punt and taking chance of
running the ball back.
The other change in relation to the for
ward pass relates to the possession of a
pass that has been fumbled, after which
the ball strikes the ground. Last season
the ball remained in play after a forward
pass was fumbled. and went to the team
that secured il. This tended TO make a
rough-and-tumble scramble for the bali,
and the rules makers believe they have
eliminated another dangerous feature in
changing the rules so that the ball is de-
clared dead when III strikes the
ground. So, hereafter. in case of a muff
or tumble, the ball shall be declared
dead" and the play shall be regarded
as an fncompleted forward pass, the al
tacking team retaining the ball, except
when the tumble is made after a third
down.
The other change has to do with the
shortening of the intermission between
the first and second and the second and
third periods from three minutes to two
minutes each. 1t is believed that this is
sufficient time for the players to change
positions on the field and is not long
enough to handicap the players by al
lowing them to cool off, or interrupt
their pace after it has once been set
Hereafter three men instead OF five will
be allowed to walk the side lines
during the game.