The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-01-18
|LANCFORD Sees NO
| GOOD REASONS FOR
INVITING HAZARDS
Declares Young Players Should
Not Be Subjected to Pro
Regulations
SUPPORTS DEAD BALL RULE
Charges Crawling and 'Piling-
Up Responsible for Most
Injuries
SUPPORTS DEAD BALL RULE
BY WILLIAM S. LANGFORD
Secretary, National Football Rules
CnrnnSfkanl

COmmlCtee)
New York, Jan. 18.-(P)-Now is the
"open season for shooting" the foot
ball rules and the firing is quite gen.
eral and from all directions.
With SO many shots being taken it
is altogether likely that some may
find their way into the hearts of the
rules committee, but the indications
are that that body will adopt no rad
ical changes and will confine itself
to simplifying the code as much as is
possible.
Suggestions for changes to make
the game more interesting from the
standpoint of the spectators" almost
invariably would bring back hazards
to players which already have been
eliminated from the game, and 1t Is
predicted that the committee will &C
cord these but scanty consideration.
Would Increase Hazard
One suggestion Is to abolish the
dead ball rule, another is to move the
goal posts back from the end lines to
the goal lines, either or both OF which,
if adopted, would increase the chances
Of injury without any proportionate
compensating benefit.
The present dead ball rule was
adopted in 1892 and provides that
when any part Except hands or feet)
of the player in possession Of the ball
touches the ground, the ball at once
becomes dead and play ceases auto
matically.
This rule has almost entirely ell
minated Crawling" attempts by q
player to advance the ball further at
ter he has been downed, and "piling-
up or falling upon the player with
the ball after 1t has become dead.
Crawling" and "piling-up" used to
be prolific sources Of injury and it Is
unthinkable that any lover Of the
game would wish to gamble on the
welfare of hundreds of thousands of
football players for the sake Of pro-
viding an occasional thrill to COM
paratively few spectators.
The main difference between the
rules of the N. G. A. A. and the pro-
fessional code lies in the fact that
the latter failed to follow the safety
measures adopted by the rules COM
mittee in 1882, including the dead
ball rule mentioned above, and the
prohibition Of the flying block and
flying tackle.
Primarily For Colleges
The rules of the N. c. A. A. are
framed primarily for the use Of the
colleges in its membership-after that
for secondary and preparatory schools
who care to use them in training their
students to participate later In the
college games after their graduation
from school.
The number Of those playing under
the amateur rules has been variously
estimated but it is conservative to
place them in excess Of 100000.
When we contrast this with possibly
1000 professional players, ranging
from % to n years Of age, we must
see that there Is no common ground
and no reason whatsoever for uni
formity In the playing rules.
The goal posts were moved to the
ends Of the field-of-play because
when they were located on the goal
lines they formed distractions which
not only unfairly interfered with play
but were a source Of grave danger to
the players, actually causing = num-
Der of serious injuries.