I was unaware the free kick after touchdown ever went away in the NCAA rule book. It has been in the NFHS rule book the past 25 years I’ve been aware of it.
As a 49ers fan, I recall the free kick after fair catch being used unsuccessfully in 2013 and in 1989. In this clip, John Madden and Pat Summerall also recount their own memories of the rule being used in the NFL.
That is a great clip. Despite the rarity of the fair catch free kick, I'm always surprised people are/were not aware of it. Perhaps television and video has increased awareness today compared to the past.
The rugby rule that this was based on required the person who caught the ball to yell “Mark!” In a match I was playing in once, one of my teammates was named Mark. After he caught a kick, another teammate yelled his name to let him know he was open for a pass. The referee blew the play dead thinking we wanted a free kick.
Interestingly, the Rugby School rules of 1845 include yelling "Mark," though the Rugby Union rules of 1876, which football is based on, do not, though they frequently mention making a mark on the ground.
Yes I agree Ed, I am well aware of the NFHS and NFL rule for fair catch free kicks , and just assumed the college game had it too. Learn something new every y!
In three decades of officiating high school games , I never saw one attended though.
H. L. Ray (Shorty) put some stats in the 1948 NFHS rule book (p.76):
Based on 12,493 games, a fair catch was made in one out of 36 games. Free kick after fair catch happened once every 249 games. A field goal scored on fair catch kick happened only once in the 12,493 games.
I was unaware the free kick after touchdown ever went away in the NCAA rule book. It has been in the NFHS rule book the past 25 years I’ve been aware of it.
As a 49ers fan, I recall the free kick after fair catch being used unsuccessfully in 2013 and in 1989. In this clip, John Madden and Pat Summerall also recount their own memories of the rule being used in the NFL.
https://youtu.be/WvcbdmkujfE?si=OIwTn4aU2llTnCIq
That is a great clip. Despite the rarity of the fair catch free kick, I'm always surprised people are/were not aware of it. Perhaps television and video has increased awareness today compared to the past.
The rugby rule that this was based on required the person who caught the ball to yell “Mark!” In a match I was playing in once, one of my teammates was named Mark. After he caught a kick, another teammate yelled his name to let him know he was open for a pass. The referee blew the play dead thinking we wanted a free kick.
Funny story. Never name your kid, Mark.
Interestingly, the Rugby School rules of 1845 include yelling "Mark," though the Rugby Union rules of 1876, which football is based on, do not, though they frequently mention making a mark on the ground.
Yes I agree Ed, I am well aware of the NFHS and NFL rule for fair catch free kicks , and just assumed the college game had it too. Learn something new every y!
In three decades of officiating high school games , I never saw one attended though.
H. L. Ray (Shorty) put some stats in the 1948 NFHS rule book (p.76):
Based on 12,493 games, a fair catch was made in one out of 36 games. Free kick after fair catch happened once every 249 games. A field goal scored on fair catch kick happened only once in the 12,493 games.
That is amazing information..Danke