Today's Tidbit... 100 Years of Football: 1910-1915

This is the sixth in a series looking back at “100 Years OF Football,” syndicated cartoons published by Jerry Brondfield and Charles Beck in 1969. Today's version covers the period from 1910 to 1915.

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The first half of the 1910s brought important rule changes to football and tactical innovations that took advantage of those changes. The running, passing, and kicking games all benefited from new rules, and the combination led to a more open and interesting game. (Click images to enlarge)

(Brondfield & Beck, '100 Years Of Football,' Courier-News (Bridgewater, NJ), October 20, 1969.)

As noted, the rule makers vacillated on what to do with the forward pass. The 1910 rules allowed the person receiving the snap to run within five yards left or right of center, and a similar restriction disappeared in the passing game. However, passes had to be thrown from a least five yards behind the line of scrimmage and no more than 20 yards downfield.