Today’s Tidbit… 1876 IFA Rule #17: Boundary Lines

This is #17 in a series covering football’s original 61 rules adopted by the Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876. We review one rule each Friday.

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Rule 17 is likely my favorite IFA rule of 1876. Its ten words are tight as long as you understand the meaning of the terms, which cannot be assumed. I recall having no idea what Rule 17 meant the first time I read it, but I learned, and faithful readers of this space will recall that the coverage of earlier rules defined “in goal” and “in touch,” so Rule 17 should be readily understandable.

Rule 17: The goal-line is in goal and the touch-line in touch.

The rule uses archaic language, but the meaning beneath the words is unchanged. Let’s review. “In goal” refers to the indefinite area behind the goal line that became known as the end zone when we added the end line to the field in 1912. (See Football Before End Zones for an explanation of how and why that came about.) So, the portion of the rule that says “The goal-line is in goal” means that the goal line is part of the “in goal” area, and a touchdown could be earned by touching the ball down not only in the “in goal” area but on the goal line itself.