Today's Tidbit... 1876 IFA Rule #57: Hacking

This is #57 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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Hacking has a different meaning today than in 1876, but if you have ever wondered why football players in early photographs wear shin guards, it was due to hacking. Hacking is kicking an opposing player in the shins to cause pain or injury.

Several players in the front rows of Lehigh’s 1893 football team wear shin guards over their socks. Others may have them under their socks. (1895 Lehigh yearbook)

In rugby's early days, hacking was common, and wearing shin guards was frowned upon because real men could withstand a good hack. But as rugby and soccer were formalizing and splitting apart, the Rugby Union made hacking illegal in 1871, and "hacking over" became illegal in 1874. Their rule covering hacking is identical to the IFA’s Rule 57.

Rule 57: No hacking or hacking over or tripping up shall be allowed under any circumstances.