Today's Tidbit… IFA Rule #23 Offside

This is #23 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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We reviewed Rule 22 last week, which established the rule covering onside and its complement, offside. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun and described how offside players were not supposed to participate in the play. That is what Rule 23 tells us, cited here:

Rule 23: Every player when off side is out of the game and shall not touch the ball in any case whatsoever, either in or out of touch or goal, or in any way interrupt or obstruct any player, until he is again on side.

So, rather than repeat last week's story about how players began ignoring the rule by running alongside or in front of the ball carrier to obstruct and block the opponent, I'll remind those that missed last week's Tidbit that you can read that story by clicking #22 below.