Evening star., 1947-01-05
Grid Code toGet
Big Going Over
'At NCAA Talks.
1,l00 Questionnoires
Will Guide Coaches
On Playing Rules
By HoroId cIoossen
Associated Press Sports Writer

NEW YORK, Jan. 4.-Football's
rules, both those that determine who
shall play the college game and those
that say how it should be played,
are expected to be overhauled at
the annual NCAA and coaches
meetings that start tomorrow.
The NCAA proper opens with a
routine business session tomorrow,
saving its fireworks for Monday
when its subsidiary. the Conference
of Conferences, tangles with the
problem of determining how much
if any-financial reward shall be
given college gridiron heroes.
Answers to 1,100 questionnaires
mailed a month ago by Rules Com
mittee Chairman Lou Little of Co
lumbia will guide the coaches in
their discussions on the playing
code. The Coaches Committee can
not revamp any rule, it only can
recommend changes which the
NCAA group either will adopt or re-
ject.
Major Changes Proposed.
Foremost among the proposed
changes are those that would move
the ball in 20 yards from the side
lines, instead of the present Is
yards; liberalization of the sub
stituting rule; increasing the number
of time -outs; permitting the ad-
vancement of a recovered tumble
and declaring the ball dead when an
attempted conversion is blocked.
Discussion also is expected on a
proposed rule which would give the
trailing team the choice Of kicking
or receiving, no matter who scored
the preceding touchdown, and the
legality of the double, or sucker,
shift.
Much Of Mondays Conference Of
Conferences meeting also will be
devoted to the answers obtained
from a QUESTIONABLE, which the
group sent last July after its Chi
cago meeting. The list of questions
deals almost entirely with financial
aid to college athletes.
In making their replies, the diff
ferent loops could answer that they
now followed the plan of giving no.
! financial aid to the players; intended
to adopt that plan in the near
future or rejected the idea en-
tirely.
! 1--WE have very frank and very
complete answers covering some 400
colleges" one NCAA official said
today. He preferred not to be named.
May Suggest Conduct Rules.
The same source said a set of con-
duct rules might evolve from Mon
days discussion, which then would
be sent to the NCAA for considera-
ton. With the recommendation
likely would be suggestion as to
how the code should be enforceds
either by gentlemen's agreements or
a car of college athletics. The
official said he believed there was
little likelihood of czar.
The same official declared that
if the Conference of Conferences
fails to agree on definite set Of
rules. schools would restrict their
football schedules to schools with
| tie es,ne viewpoint. The Southeast
Conference is the only circuit which
openly has announced that it has
given financial aid to athletes.
Gambling, ticket speculations and
eligibility rules also will be given a
thorough going over in the sessions,
which do not end until Wednesday
night.
The Baseball Coaches Association
also has its annual meeting sched-
uled for Sunday and Monday. Ever
EFT D. Barnes of Colgate, president
of the association, said most of the
mentors time would be spent in de-
vising a plan to protect their ath-
letes from the cash offers of or
ganized baseball until after gradua-
tiOn