AboutVic Winnek Expertise Will Answer all queries RE: Rules of Football - NCAA & Federation; Officiating; Instruction on Football; Mechanics & application of rules; Setting up Instructional programs and clinics for: Officials, coaches and media; Liability Issues (Legal & Insurance questions)arising from coaching, playing, refereeing, product liability. History of the College football game -its evolution. I will not answer what position one should play or what will make you better. These questions require personal knowledge of your abilities and skills and should be answered by your coach. I will no longer answer questions about eligibility due to some inconsiderate individuals.
Experience 22 years officiating High School & College football, NCAA Referee, Back Judge & Line Judge 2 years Arena Football-substitution official Instructor of NCAA & Federation Officials, Played prep and college football; coached High School football; Athletic trainer; 22 years of instruction in Officiating Football
Organizations Past President of Calif. Football Officials Assoc; Western Collegiate Football Officials Assoc.; CFOA-Long Beach Unit Board of Directors CFOA-South Bay Unit & Long Beach Unit, Pres. Executive Council of Calif. Football Officials Assoc.; CIF Presidents' Council on Officiating; Chairman Ethics Committee
Publications Referee Magazine; California Football Officials Assoc. Instructor's Guide; NACC Div. 1-AA football officials' clinic; CFOA instrutional materials; Articles written: Line of Scrimmage mechanics, Forward Progress, Side Line Warnings, 2006 NCAA New Timing Rules; various instructional materials, UWLA Law Review
Education/Credentials BA USC 1987
JD UWLA School of Law 1996
3 Years Reno Football Officials Clinic
4 Years UCLA Football Officials Camp
Big 12 Mini Clinic
NFL Grass Roots Clinic
Awards and Honors 6 Bowl games, NCAA Div. 1-AA & Div. III play-offs, CIF Div. 1,2,5,8,9,12 Final, 5 years CIF Semi-finals, 15 years of CIF play-offs
Question What year was the "fair catch" rule implemented in college football?
Answer Scott,
Great question. It is one of the older rules that has continued through the game, My one resource that has this answer I loaned out to a colleague for research purposes - David Nelson's Anatomy of the Game (it is a wonderful book and documents the evolution of football through the late 1970s.). However, I am looking trough my collection of Rule Books for the answer give me a couple day to finish this research. Fair Catch was well in place by 1899 and is referred to in the 1892 Rule Book. I will follow up with you when I get the exact date.
Please know Fair Catch was part of the game in the 1890s
It was implemented in 1876. Your question required several hours of research. I apologize for the delay in the reply but to gewt your exact answer I had to readed through every college football rule book since the begining and part of my collection is in safe storage or on loan at a sports museum so access took time. You asked a very good question and a good follow up question. with respect to the complete history of the rule I can give you a good detailed overview. Anymore detailed an I would be writing an article. If you wish to publish my answer or research I ask that you please cite me. I have more than 15 hours invested in this question. The Fair Catch Rule in American Football was taken from rugby rules. Itwas first implemented in 1876. A Fair Catch was defined as catch made direct from a kick, throw forward or a knock-on, by one of the opposite side or from a punt-out or a punt-on provided the catcher makes a mark with his heel at the spot where he made the catch and no other of his side touches the ball...after the fair catch the catcher may drop-kick, punt or place kick the ball and opposite team members may come to the mark. The catcher may kick the ball from the mark or any distance behind it.
As you can see from the original rule, it was a rule that permitted the receiving team to catch the ball unmolested provided the receive made a mark with his heel at the spot of the catch and then the receive could next put the ball into play by a punt where he would kick it to the other team or try to score via a drop kick or place kick. The rule has evolved through today.
In 1884 the first penalty was adopted for interfering with a fair catch. In 1895 the rule stated a player did not have to signal to fair catch. The rule regarding signaling for a fair catch has been modified and edited scores of times. In 1901 the concept of an "opportunity to make a fair catch" was addressed and a penalty to interfere with such an opportunity was created in 1904. In 1907 the rules committee defined the opportunity to make fair catch and stressed that the opportunity goes to the player in position to make the catch. Fast forward to 2005-2008 and the rules committee address the opportunity to complete a fair catch.
In 1950 the rules committee abolished the fair catch rule but there was such an out cry of dismay that by 1951 the fair catch and signaling for a fair catch were back in the rule book.
The rules committee changed or edited the fair catch rule to add player safety and fairness to the game with this rule from 1876-2009. The rule from 1876 through the present addressed issues of: advancing after a fair catch, contact before, during or after a fair catch, re-defining a fair catch, opportunity to make a fair catch or to complete the catch, restraining lines, areas or zones during a fair catch and issues involving signaling, invalid signals and whether to free kick following a fair catch and whether a team could re-kick or kick a field goal after a fair catch. It is one of the oldest continuing rules in college football that has been frequently modified.
I refer you to the Wikipeda overview: "a fair catch is a feature of American football and several other codes of football. In rugby union and Australian rules football, a fair catch is called a mark; see mark (Australian football) and mark (rugby) for more information on fair catches in those games. Fair catches featured in some extinct forms of football, and they have been abolished in other modern codes.
The primary reason for the fair catch rule is to protect the receiver. A receiver directs his attention toward the incoming punt and cannot focus on the defenders running towards him. He is quite vulnerable to injury and is also at risk for fumbling the kick if the punter intentionally makes a high short kick to allow defenders time to hit the receiver. The XFL removed the fair catch rule in an effort to make the game more "extreme." Canadian football and Arena football also do not have fair catch rules.
In American football, a member of the team receiving a punt or kick, may signal for a "fair catch". To signal fair catch the receiver must raise one arm fully above his head and wave it side to side, while the ball is in flight. After the signal is made, no opponent may interfere with the fair catcher, the ball or his path to the ball and the receiver may not attempt to advance the ball. If the receiver fails to give a proper signal (arm not fully extended) the receiving team is penalized five yards for an invalid fair catch signal, marked from spot of the signal.
A player signaling for a fair catch is not required to catch the ball; however, after making the signal, he may not initiate contact with any member of the kicking team until the ball is touched by another player. If he does he will be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. If the ball hits the ground or a member of the kicking team, the fair catch signal is off and rules for kicked balls apply. If the receiver "muffs" the ball (touches it, but then fails to field it cleanly), then the ball can be recovered by the kicking team.
A "personal foul" for kick catch interference and a 15 yard penalty is called against the kicking team if a member violates the fair catcher's right to the ball. If the receiver attempts to advance the ball after signaling for a fair catch he is penalized five yards for "delay of game". A fair catch may be followed by a snap or a type of free kick — the fair catch kick — at his team's choice, and an expired playing period may be extended if the free kick is chosen. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (USA) abolished the fair catch from its version of American football in 1950, but restored it in 1951, minus the option of kicking from the mark of the catch, which is retained in rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations and of the National Football League.
The fair catch signal can be used as a legal form of deception in the following instance: If the receiver has no intention of actually fielding the ball, but wishes it to roll in the end zone for a touchback, he may signal for a fair catch in front of where the ball will land, making the kicking team think it will not reach the end zone."
