The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-31
KICK OLD
l ~
on THE GR|O|RON
This Method of Scoring In.
vented in 1S97-Notre
Dame Used it First.
(By John r. Richards.)

, y new way of scoring was invented
with the first use of the place kick
from scrimmage. This kick is made
by placing a player from eight to
twelve yards behind center. to whom
the ball is passed by the center. An
other player stands a few feet back of
this first man. and as the ball is placed
on the ground and held in position.
the second player kicks it.
a. this is done while the line and
~dlsen2aged backs are blocking op-
ponents to prevent spelling the kick.
The place kick is a little slower thar
the drop kick.
The place kick was Used long be-
fore the application of the kick in a
lscrimmage was thought out. Place
kicks for goal after a touchdown had
been in a fair C. tch. whereby the
catching side has earned the right to
Il free kick, were long in use.
The idea Of using the place kick I'M
der the trying circumstances of a
scrimmage developed into tangible re-
suits in 1897. The first time it was
used in a game between Notre Dame
and Chicago universities.
The Eotre Dame coach. Earl Her
ring. developed and prdcticed the play
before going into the game, but he
NooOlS0 us leSdlItE.
Herring consulted the referee be-
fore the game. explained the play.
and asked his opinion. John G. Karel
of Wisconsin, known to football fame
as "1ky" Karl, was the referee. and
he decided the play to be legal. Karel
is now Judge Karel Of Milwaukee.
During the game Notre Dame
fought the ball into Chicago's terri
tory and on the first attempt negotiat-
ed goal from placement from the 35-
yard line. scoring V points.
Following the Introduction of the
play by Notre Dame in 1897, it be-
came a regular part of the aggressive
play of the football teams of the
country. The east adopted it and j.
r. Dewitt of Princeton became the
first great place kicker of that sec
ton. In 1901. 1902 and 1903, De-
Wits place kicking caused trouble
for all the teams on the Princeton
schedule.
Pete Houser. Carlisle. is probably
the greatest place kicker ever devel-
oped. He mastered the art, and with
the cooperation of his teammates, be.
came a constant scoring asset for the
Indians.
+. j. O'Dea. Wisconsin. was a great
place and drop kicker and is credited
,against Northwestern from the 63-
yard line. He made a place kick from
the 5S-yard line against Illinois.
Parke II. Davis, Princeton, '93, now
ia well known Ia Wyer in Pennsylvania,
has compiled a RECORD o fgoals made
from drop and place kicks in twenty
five series games of the '7Os and in
cludes also a few teams Of the west.
This list shows eighteen goals in inn
lportant matches.
The eastern teams are credited will,
124 goals and the western teams with
twenty-four. Fourteen eastern teams.
however. arc considered in this list
{ nd for IA period of thirty-five years.
Three western teams are considered
covering fifteen years. This give the
eastern teams about o%ne-quarter of n
goal per team pc! ear 1t gives
the west a little more than half a
goal per team pc" year.
The fact brought out by his com
pilation is the prevalence of kicking
in western football.